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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 8, 2005 Biologists looking to relocate Roosevelt elk By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Steve Niemela pulls chunks of alfalfa from a bale and plops them in a line that would make the Brothers Grimm proud. Every few feet sits a cluster of the fresh, green bait, creating a tasty trail that hungry Roosevelt elk might one day follow straight into a corral trap lying open in a grassy field. "When they get the scent of this alfalfa, they’ll follow it like Hansel and Gretel to the trap," Niemela says. But capturing any of the Hansels or Gretels from the Rogue Valley’s most visible elk herd is a long shot as well as a long way off for Niemela, who is in the midst of a capture-and-relocate project befitting Marlin Perkins. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist hopes these alfalfa-baited corrals will catch about half the estimated 70 elk in the Foothill Herd that has spawned a love/hate relationship with ranchers, orchardists and rural residents along the flanks of Roxy Ann Peak. Advertisement When discovered about 15 years ago, the elk were a small and docile herd that wowed rubbernecking motorists on Foothill Road and gave rural Medford residents a taste of living in the wild. But over the years, the herd has swelled to where it hammers local pear orchards, tramples fences and triggers intense public disagreements over whether these elk should be hunted. Even among those in favor of targeting the elk, there remains disagreement over who should get access to them and what weapons are acceptable for hunting in Medford’s urban fringe. "These animals certainly provoke a lot of attention," Niemela says. But the last straw is the elk’s penchant for wandering across Foothill Road and even Highway 62, posing a risk to themselves and drivers that cannot be ignored. "Obviously, that’s a very serious risk for a traffic accident when you have 30 to 40 elk crossing a road like that," Niemela says. "Our agency has a lack of opportunity to manage the herd," he says. Since he can’t take the urban out of the elk, he instead will send the animals deep into the sticks. Niemela is in the early stages of a long process to trap these urban elk and ship them to the wilds of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest area burned in 2002 by the Biscuit fire. The ODFW has set up three traps on secluded lands east and west of Roxy Ann Peak, where the herd spends most of its time. A fourth is planned for setup later this month. At least twice a week, Niemela arms himself with a bale of alfalfa and drives to the traps, which are wooden corrals with gates tied open. He scatters alfalfa inside the trap, and then creates the green trail meant to lure in the elk. So far, only rabbits have feasted on the alfalfa. But Niemela hopes, over the next few months, that elk will grow less wary of the trap. When trapping day comes, he’ll hide in the nearby woods and flip a switch that will close the gate and trap whatever elk are inside. The elk then will be herded into a truck, have blood samples taken and then get their one-way ticket to the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area. Mark Vargas, the ODFW’s Rogue District wildlife biologist, says it could take two or three years to systematically lure and trap half the elk for relocation. "That would get us to a level we can sustain and tolerate," Vargas says. Plans then are to encourage landowners to open their fields to hunters if the elk are there during hunting seasons. Also, stepped-up use of the Landowner Preference Program could see landowners participate in keeping herd numbers down, Vargas says. Netting and tranquilizing these elk likely wouldn’t work so close to houses and roads. And Niemela sure doesn’t want "elk-trapper" to gain a foothold on his resume. "This certainly can’t be a perpetual program," Niemela says. "It’s not practical or feasible to do this year after year." But it has become the latest chapter in what started as a fairy tale story about elk in Medford’s back yard. And not everyone will agree the elk will live happily ever after. "In the end, we have to do something," Niemela says. "Not doing anything is still a decision and it’s one that won’t make some people happy." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail Biologists looking to relocate Roosevelt elk ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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