HELENA, Mont. (NMB) – The Elk Management Plan Initial Guidance Citizens Group will meet via Zoom on November 19th and December 2nd, 3rd, 16th and 17th.
The citizens group will provide initial guidance to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for the revision of Montana’s Elk Management Plan. This guidance will specifically focus on principles to guide the future of elk management in Montana.
The meetings are open to the public and will be live streamed at http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/management/elk/citizensGroup.html. The November 19th meeting is informational with presentations regarding elk and elk management in Montana. The meeting begins at 8:30 AM and topics include:
- social science related to elk
- elk harvest surveys and trends
- elk population surveys and trends
- elk competition with mule deer and other ungulates
- brucellosis in elk: livestock impacts
- elk habitat, access, and distribution
- carnivore impacts on elk and integrated carnivore-elk management
Public comment will be taken at the December meetings.
The Elk Management Plan Initial Guidance Citizens Group will disband after articulating elk management issues and developing guiding principles for FWP. The guiding principles developed by the group will be presented to the Fish and Wildlife Commission for more public review and adoption by the commission before FWP proceeds with Elk Management Plan development.
