The Trails of Western North Carolina

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=100 BGCOLOR="#336633" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="77" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 80 WIDTH="71"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="80" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="71" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="00e78460.gif" border=0 width="120" height="70" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">   </B><A HREF="http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/beaver/2/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/be"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=195 BGCOLOR="#99CC66" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#666633" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Trails of Western North Carolina</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#666633" FACE="Arial" ><B>   </B></FONT><B>  |    </B><B> </B><A HREF="http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/beaver/2/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/be"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Elk Arrive in the Smokies</B></I></div> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="0132e160.gif" border=0 width="558" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=285 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#DDDDDD" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <I>The Trails of Western North Carolina</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><IMG SRC="01404eb0.jpg" border=0 width="260" height="235" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <div> <B>On February 2nd., 2001 at a little pass eleven in the morning the first </B></div> <div> <B>group of Elk set foot on the ground of the Great Smoky Mountains</B></div> <div> <B>National Park.   They are the first group of 25   to arrive from 'Land</B></div> <div> <B>Between the Lakes National Recreation Area', Tennessee/Kentucky.</B></div> <div> <B>In 2002 and 2003 the Park Service plans to import another 25-30</B></div> <div> <B>animals annually.   Project partners include the Rocky Mountain</B></div> <div> <B>Elk Foundation, Parks Canada, Great Smoky Mountains Natural</B></div> <div> <B>History Association, Friends of the Smokies, the U.S.G.S Biological</B></div> <div> <B>Resources  and the University of Tennessee.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The hopes are that this will be a successful reintroduction.</B></div> <div> <B>Other successful reintroduction's have included the River Otter,</B></div> <div> <B>Peregrine Falcon, and three species of fish.  </B></div> <div> <B>The Elk where native to the Southern Appalachians until 150 years</B></div> <div> <B>ago when they were eliminated from the region by over-hunting.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>About 600 people were on hand to see the Return of the Elk at</B></div> <div> <B>Cataloochee Valley on the northeast side of  the Park in North</B></div> <div> <B>Carolina.   They are being held in a fenced pen area until mid-April</B></div> <div> <B>when they will be released into Chataloochee Valley.    This is to</B></div> <div> <B>acclimate the Elk to the area and the April release is for the Elk to</B></div> <div> <B>be able to find abundant  food with the new Spring growth that</B></div> <div> <B>will have begun in the Park.   The pen area is  3 acres surrounded by a</B></div> <div> <B>10 foot high opaque fence.   This is to minimize the stress and risk</B></div> <div> <B>of injury to the elk until they acclimate to their new surroundings.   So </B></div> <div> <B>the public will not be allowed to see the Elk again until they are released</B></div> <div> <B>in April.    </B></div> <div> <B>On February 2nd., there were 3 releases into the pen.   The people</B></div> <div> <B> attending were able to view the releases via closed circuit TV and</B></div> <div> <B> in groups from a special CatWalk that was constructed for this</B></div> <div> <B>special event.    The groups</B></div> <div> <B>were formed by people taking numbers when they arrived.   I arrived</B></div> <div> <B> late, so my number was 577.   So I wasn't able to see the releases</B></div> <div> <B> in person.  I did watch them on the closed circuit and after the 3rd., </B></div> <div> <B>release I was able to go to the CatWalk and view the Elk.   </B></div> <div> <B>Unfortunately, they were too far away for pictures (since I don't have </B></div> <div> <B>a zoom lens on my camera).   But, they were close enough for me to</B></div> <div> <B>get a good view.   They seemed to be quite happy with the new </B></div> <div> <B>surroundings,  that is if I as a human can tell what a Elk feels!   I'm </B></div> <div> <B>fairly sure they were happy to be out of the Trailers that </B></div> <div> <B>brought them the 300 miles from western Kentucky!   </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The native Cherokee Indians placed a sign over the gate to the </B></div> <div> <B>pen saying, 'Welcome Home Wapiti' --  Wapiti is the Cherokee </B></div> <div> <B>name for Elk.    There were all sorts of folks in attendence.   Young </B></div> <div> <B>and old; folks from Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky and </B></div> <div> <B>Virginia;  those of European descent and Native American descent; </B></div> <div> <B> and Television, Radio and Newspaper reporters.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Now all we can do is wait and see if the Elk can make a come back here</B></div> <div> <B>in the Great Smokies.</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="01640f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Elk bolts from travel trailer into the pen as we watch on Closed Circuit TV</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="01740f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Into the pen at Chataloochee</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="01880200.jpg" border=0 width="384" height="288" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Another Elk exiting the travel Trailer</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="01a8a270.jpg" border=0 width="394" height="295" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Travel Trailer carries the third group of Elk to the Pen</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="01c42f10.jpg" border=0 width="322" height="241" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>People waiting to see the Elk</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="01e6f130.jpg" border=0 width="367" height="275" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>First group of folks line-up to see the first release</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="020c7f10.jpg" border=0 width="199" height="241" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Ranger talks about release to one of the Media</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="023f2430.jpg" border=0 width="242" height="323" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Elk as seen on the Big Screen TV (in person the images were clearer)</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="02240f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Looking inside the pen from the CatWalk.  In background you </B></div> <div> <B>can barely see the Elk in the woods.  (Again, sorry about </B></div> <div> <B>the poor  quality of the photos!)</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>