Co-managed by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and Point Elliott Treaty Tribes, the North Cascades elk herd (also called the Nooksack herd) in northwestern Washington is the state’s smallest recognized elk herd at approximately 1,600 animals. A recent research effort will help biologists better understand how these Roosevelt’s elk use the landscape what factors influence their survival.
The Swinomish Wildlife Program and WDFW—with help from a $50,000 RMEF grant—conducted aerial elk captures in 2024 and 2025, collaring a total of 19 cows. Equipped with both GPS and VHF capabilities, the collars routinely record the animals’ locations while also allowing researchers and wildlife managers to locate the elk in real-time, which can help address agricultural conflicts, assess disease prevalence and estimate population size and demographics during aerial surveys. The collars also emit a mortality signal which allows biologists to locate and examine a carcass to determine the cause of death.
The new data will be added to data gathered from elk collared in 2019 and 2020, which will help managers make informed decisions about setting hunting seasons, manage the population long-term and identify areas for habitat protection and enhancement.