12
in other words
december13
2011
Living on a Lake in the Country: Elk Trip
By Gayle Rich-Boxman
The morning of December 16, 2008, it was
10 degrees outside, one of the coldest that winter. The
call I received that morning meant being outside for
several hours, but it was going to be worth it. A small
group of us who are Fishhawk Lake residents, located
in Birkenfeld, got a last minute chance to be part of the
daily feeding of big herds of wild elk at the Elk Reserve
in Jewell Oregon, seventeen miles away. It entailed a
hayride on the main highway for about a quarter of a
mile, then into the reserve itself to throw out their rations
of hay. While on the buckboard, we were going to have
an up-close-and-personal view of these magnificent
creatures and for those of us who
love nature photography, it would
be a momentous occasion.
With the backdrop of
snow-capped Saddle Mountain,
crystal clear blue skies as well
as the dappling of snow on the
well-worn reserve grounds, it
presented the PERFECT venue
for some once-in-a-lifetime photo
opportunities. The hardest part was
staying warm enough to take off
gloves, keep the fingers moving
while aiming the camera, clicking
AND staying steady during the
bumpy ride!
Being one of those
photographers who takes scads of
photos, my hands were bare for
quite some time. I hardly noticed
until I got so cold that I couldn’t
properly hold the camera because
I was shivering too much. One of
my Fishhawk Lake friends loaned
me an extra down-filled oversized coat and once I
donned that I was able to capture several more elk
pictures before calling it a day.
We threw out several flakes of hay behind the wagon,
while the elk slowly followed us or simply waited
patiently while we distributed their supplemental feed.
You can see up to 200 elk at a time on a good day of
viewing!
Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area is under the
auspices of The Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife. It is a yearly habitat for Roosevelt elk, who
present an enormous personage up close and are the
largest of the elk subspecies. The average adult female
usually weighs between 550 and 650 pounds while
adult males average slightly more at 750 pounds and
can weigh as much as 1,200 pounds and they usually
measure 8 feet in length, but some mature bull elk have
been measured up to 10
feet. The males shed antlers
and grow them back in less
than a year and these weigh
15 pounds each. Their life
span is about 10-15 years in
the wild.
Usually, when driving
by this spacious refuge,
about 45 minutes from
Vernonia on Highway 202
on the way to Astoria, you
will see people parked in the
turn offs or two available
parking lots with binoculars
and cameras. The viewings
are normally during winter
months through the spring.
I saw them this year in
September!
A couple of reasons
for supplemental feeding of
these Roosevelt elk: ODFW
[Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife] feeding programs are designed to
keep elk in areas where they can be viewed and enjoyed
by the public. The feeding programs also help keep
elk off adjacent private
agricultural
property
where they could cause
damage.
They also
aid in elk repopulation
efforts. Elk from Jewell
Meadows have been used
in reintroduction and
repopulation programs
in the Cascade and Coast
Ranges and as far away
as Northern California
and Alaska. http://www.
dfw.state.or.us/resources/
visitors/docs/Jewell_
Meadows_WLA_Broch.
pdf
The name “Roosevelt”
elk
probably
came
from this: According
to the Oxford English
Happy Holidays
from
all of us at
Vernonia
US Bank
dictionary and a number of websites, the subspecies
was named in honor of Theodore Roosevelt by Clinton
Hart Merriam, who first identified it in the late 1890s.
http://www.lewis-clark.org/content/an_roose.htm)
They had come close to extinction about 1912 and by
1922, they only numbered about 12. Roosevelt and his
fellow hunters took the lead in conserving their habitat,
thus helping their numbers rise.
If you want to get the chance to do what we did
and help feed these “Santa’s Reindeer-like” creatures
here’s who to call beginning December 1st through
February: (503)755-2264. Reserve your spot on the
feed wagon, but bring warm clothes!
You can reach Gayle Rich-Boxman at Fishhawk Lake
for your real estate needs by calling: (503)755-2905.
Or visit her website: www.lakehomesatfishhawk.com.
Wishing you a safe and happy holiday
Hey! What
happened to
my arm?!?!
What??
I can’t
hear you!
905 Bridge St.
Teresa, Nicole and Juli
from Absolute Marble & Granite