Wilderness Speaker Series with Franz Inglefinger

Description

Speakers: Franz Ingelfinger, Montana FWP

Topic: “What’s Happening to the Elk in the South Fork of the Flathead?”

Elk numbers in the Flathead’s South Fork has been a topic of interest for generations. Today, elk numbers are at lows not seen in almost a century. The general perception of those with a history hunting the area is that predators are the root cause of this decline. At the same time, the legacy of past forest management, including harvest history, fire suppression, Wilderness designation, and now, recent large-scale wildfires, have resulted in habitat changes that affect forage quality and quantity, and thermal cover in winter. To inform management, Montana FWP recently initiated a collaring effort to evaluate habitat use, movement, fecundity, and survival of cow elk. Franz will share information from the first years of this study and discuss factors influencing elk numbers in the South Fork drainage.

https://www.bmwf.org/wss