Elk - Waterton Lakes - Grasslands

Elk are by far the dominant ungulate in Waterton Lakes Naitonal Park, with a population large enough to influence park ecosystems, particularly in the montane and aspen parkland ecoregions. As important grazers, they help to maintain grassland health by preventing woody plant encroachment, but overgrazing will cause grassland health to deteriorate. In Waterton Lakes National Park, aerial elk surveys (Figure 1) have been conducted since the early 1970s. The winter elk population census is conducted by means of an aerial or ground survey, in which a complete minimum population count is calculated, with the goal of detecting change over time. Historic counts are collated from park files and annual reports, as well as survey reports.

Publisher

Parks Canada

Resources

4

Catalogue metadata updated

2024-12-09