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Elk Management Plan
Great Smoky Mountains National Park » Elk Management Plan » Document List
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is nearing completion of plans to transition the Park's management of its elk herd from an experiment to a long-term management strategy. Under provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) the Park opened the plans to public comment for 30 days prior to moving foward towards a decision. Park managers are currently working to integrate the public's comments into the final decision document.
Elk were first released in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2001 as an experiment to determine whether the 500-800 pound cervids could re-populate the lands within the Smokies after a nearly 200 year absence. The Park and biologists from the University of Tennessee have been gathering data to assess the long-term viability of elk in the Smokies, along with evaluating the impacts of elk on the Park's natural and cultural resources, and their interaction with humans both in the Park and on surrounding lands. Based upon the slow growth in numbers from 52 to about 125, including 25 new calves in 2010, we have concluded that a sustainable elk population over the long term is viable. This EA evaluated alternative strategies for making the transition from the management practices employed during the experiment release phase to a long-term elk management program.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
107 Park Headquarters Road
Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738
Elk were first released in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2001 as an experiment to determine whether the 500-800 pound cervids could re-populate the lands within the Smokies after a nearly 200 year absence. The Park and biologists from the University of Tennessee have been gathering data to assess the long-term viability of elk in the Smokies, along with evaluating the impacts of elk on the Park's natural and cultural resources, and their interaction with humans both in the Park and on surrounding lands. Based upon the slow growth in numbers from 52 to about 125, including 25 new calves in 2010, we have concluded that a sustainable elk population over the long term is viable. This EA evaluated alternative strategies for making the transition from the management practices employed during the experiment release phase to a long-term elk management program.
Contact Information
SuperintendentGreat Smoky Mountains National Park
107 Park Headquarters Road
Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738