elk – Land Between the Lakes

01 Nov 2016

Elk go to West Virginia

Community, Elk & Bison Prairie, Wildlifeelk, herd, Kentucky, land between the lakes, management, partners, partnership, relocation, tennessee, west virginia, wildlife

Update 3/5/2017 By Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area I recently received a quick update from West Virginia’s elk manager regarding the status of elk Land Between the Lakes provided to West Virginia for release into the wild. It seems that most of them are doing OK up there in the coal hills, though 2 have died, the rest seem mostly healthy and content. The herd has stayed mostly on the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area so far, which is very good! They have stayed primarily within a 2.5 mile circle and have not entered…

09 Jun 2016

By LBL_Admin

Partners for Elk

Community, Elk & Bison Prairie, Stewardship, Wildlifeelk, Kentucky, land between the lakes, release partnership, tennessee, west virginia

Submitted by Josh Frye, Public Affairs Specialist I was honored to sit in with our wildlife and range staff as they hosted a delegation from West Virginia’s Division of Natural Resources this week. The feeling of history in the making was tangible as we discussed details of their State’s first elk re-introduction. As in the past, Land Between the Lakes’ elk herd may provide the seed stock needed to establish a free ranging – wild – population. Some of our 62 elk, and their offspring, just might play this vital role for the citizens of West Virginia. Governor Earl Ray…

06 May 2016

By LBL_Admin

Tree Planting at the Elk and Bison Prairie

Elk & Bison Prairie, Field Guide, Natural Resource Management, Plants, Restoration, Stewardshipbison, elk, habitat, Kentucky, land between the lakes, natural resources, planting, prairie, tennessee, trees

Submitted by Yvonne Helton, Silviculturist We recently planted approximately 1500 shortleaf pine and 70 Bur Oak seedlings within the perimeter of the Elk & Bison Prairie. We chose areas where pine mortality occurred and staff burned off debris piles. So why did we plant Shortleaf Pine? We value fire tolerant traits such as its ability to re-sprout and natural resistance to fire scar rot. Shortleaf Pine also produces frequent cone crops. These attributes suit the Elk & Bison Prairie perfectly. Shortleaf Pine may also create a more diverse habitat. We observed declines of Virginia Pine in the Elk & Bison…

18 Aug 2015

By LBL_Admin

Elk are Shedding Velvet

Elk & Bison Prairie, Environmental Education, Field Guide, Wildlifebreeding, elk, Elk & Bison Prairie, Kentucky, land between the lakes, tennessee, velvet

Submitted by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes Some of you may notice that several of the elk are losing their velvet, which is the fuzzy growing layer that covers their antlers from spring until…about this time of the year. The elk’s antlers are more brittle during this growth time. Once the velvet stops growing, the elk start to rub it off using branches and tree trunks. The antlers will harden completely in time for the breeding season, well-polished and ready to fight. Come on out and see if you can spot one!

10 Oct 2014

By LBL_Admin

A Day in the Life…Elk & Bison Prairie

#FridayEd, Elk & Bison Prairie, Wildlifebison, Bugle Corps, elk, elk and bison prairie, Friends of Land Between The Lakes, Ray Stainfield, volunteer

Submitted by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes This is one day in the life of the critters who call the Elk & Bison Prairie home at Land Between The Lakes. They are becoming more active now that the weather is cooling off. Our Bugle Corps members volunteer to help watch the herds and make sure all is well. Ray Stainfield, a long time Bugle Corps member, has a knack for getting some great shots. Thanks Ray! For more information about Volunteering at Land Between The Lakes, visit www.friendsoflbl.org or call 270-924-2007. Last Thursday this group of…

06 Oct 2014

By LBL_Admin

Asters Are Blooming!

Elk & Bison Prairie, Field Guide, Plantsaster, bison, blooming, elk, flower, pollinators, prairie

Submitted by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes The asters are blooming, the asters are blooming!! When you stop by the Elk & Bison Prairie to see the majestic animals, take some time to look at nature's smaller wonders. These little Aromatic Asters (Aster oblongifolius) are providing late season sustenance to lots of little flying insects. Go pollinators! Description and Adaptation Aromatic aster is a native perennial wildflower that grows from 1–3 feet tall. The aster’s rigid stems branch out from the base and give off a balsam-like scent when crushed. The flowers are composite with purple…

01 Aug 2014

By LBL_Admin

The Elk & Bison Prairie Story

#FridayEd, Elk & Bison Prairie, History, Plants, Restoration, Stewardship, Wildlife#FridayEducation, bison, education, elk, elk and bison prairie, friday

As adapted from a 1996 Elk & Bison Prairie brochure Many generations of animals and people inhabited this region long before the forming of Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area in 1963. The Elk & Bison Prairie captures the world as it appeared to 18th century hunters. At the time, more than 300 years ago, vast herds of bison and elk blanketed the landscape, creating broad paths in the land as they migrated. Today, we travel many of those same paths—Interstate 24, for example, follows the path of an ancient bison trail. When native peoples used this land as…

23 Jul 2014

By LBL_Admin

Bloody Bison

Elk & Bison Prairie, Wildlifebison, bison herd, elk, elk and bison prairie, herd, horn, injury, prairie

By Curtis Fowler, Elk & Bison Prairie Manager If you visited or will be visiting the Elk & Bison Prairie today or the next few days, you may get a glimpse of a bison that damaged its right horn cap sometime between last night and this morning when we checked the herd. This type of injury is fairly minor. It does produce a lot of blood as you can see by the photo. This is a female yearling. She must have bumped something harder than her horn. This “bump” broke the seal on her horn between her hard outer shell…

01 Jul 2014

By LBL_Admin

New Elk Calves at Elk & Bison Prairie

Customer Service, Elk & Bison Prairie, Restoration, Wildlifebabies, calves, cows, elk, elk and bison prairie, prairie

The following is provided by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes: Here are some more photos of elk calves taken last week at the Elk and Bison Prairie. Some of the calves and their mothers have been exploring in small groups, so calves are occasionally seen in the late evenings. We have confirmed at least 7 different calves so far, but expect that others are out there hiding. We suspect a few others are still to come. Enjoy your visit! --Curtis

13 Jun 2014

By LBL_Admin

First Elk Calf of the Season

Customer Service, Elk & Bison Prairie, Restoration, Stewardship, Wildlifebaby, bison, Bugle Corps, calf, cow, elk, Elk & Bison Prairie, predators, wildlife, wildlife watching, wildlife-viewing

Story submitted by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area-- As spring turns into summer, bison at the Elk & Bison Prairie have been producing calves almost every week since early April. Memorial Day weekend marks the time that elk normally start producing their calves at the Elk & Bison Prairie. The first calf was seen on June 8; however, there are likely a few others hiding in the bushes. Bugle Corps staff have spotted 4 elk calves so far over the past week. This week, we located one of the newest calves and tagged it…

Tag: elk