Moose Droppings

Cataloochee Bugle Corp Helping Visitors and Elk Alike

Jul 20, 2008 @ 11:19 pm by Moose

In my earlier posts I talked about the calving season in Cataloochee as well as the impact of Chronic Wasting Disease on the small herd. This week I want to talk about a group of dedicated volunteers who make a difference.

A small group of volunteers assist Park Rangers in the Cataloochee Valley in managing the visitors to the small valley. The 100 + elk that now reside in this area are certainly a draw pulling in lots of visitors that will brave the mountainous road that leads into the valley.
Like a few other national parks The Great Smokey National Park depends on the volunteers to educate the visitors on elk as well as how to safely observe them, as well as assist with the management of the crowds the elk can tend to draw.

Since 2001, when the Park began an experimental re-introduction program to restore the long-absent elk, visitation to the Cataloochee area of the Park has nearly doubled. This visitation increase was driven entirely by the popularity of seeing elk. With it came a need to manage the high visitation in this remote mountain valley on the eastern edge of the Park, which is surrounded by picturesque natural beauty and holds remnants of an early European settlement.

NPS

The Bugle Corp program was started in 2007 my first encounter with them was this July when I visited. They were set up on the side of the road with their earth friendly electric truck with a mini exhibit about elk. They had a set of antlers from one of the bulls ( elk bulls shed their antlers each winter growing a new set back in the spring and summer) some samples of deer hide and elk hide, some of the collars the biologists put on the elk to study them, as well as a lot of other things. The volunteers did a good job of engaging both young and old in talking about the elk and educating them on the history of the elk as well as the behavior of the elk.

Latter in the evening I was glad to see the volunteers working to keep traffic moving so people could get through as well as reminding people to keep their distance from the elk.

“The Park’s goal is to recruit and train a new cadre of volunteers who can commit to volunteering on a regular, recurring basis,” said Babette Collavo, Volunteer in Parks Coordinator.
Each volunteer is being asked to work at least two evenings per month for approximately 3 hours prior to sunset, during the period May 23-November 2. This target period is during high visitor use from late spring during the calving season through the end of fall color season after the elk mating period.

If I lived a bit closer I’d certainly consider being a volunteer but maybe you would like to help out.