A DESCRIPTION OF THE NATIONAL ELK REFUGE AND GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK 35 CONTENTS A Description of the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park ...................................................35 The Physical Environment .............................................................................................................................37 Soils ...........................................................................................................................................................37 Climate......................................................................................................................................................37 Water Resources .....................................................................................................................................38 Visual Resources .....................................................................................................................................42 Habitat...............................................................................................................................................................44 National Elk Refuge ...............................................................................................................................44 Grand Teton National Park....................................................................................................................54 The Jackson Elk Herd.....................................................................................................................................58 History of Elk in Jackson Hole..............................................................................................................58 Habitat and Forage.................................................................................................................................61 Distribution and Movements .................................................................................................................61 Behavior and Social Interactions ..........................................................................................................62 Breeding, Calving, and Age and Sex Ratios........................................................................................64 Other Factors Influencing Elk Numbers, Distribution, and Health................................................64 Factors Affecting Calf-to-Cow Ratios..................................................................................................81 Genetics.....................................................................................................................................................84 Areas of Competition with Bison ..........................................................................................................85 The Jackson Bison Herd .................................................................................................................................86 History of Bison in Jackson Hole ..........................................................................................................86 Habitat and Forage.................................................................................................................................88 Distribution and Movements .................................................................................................................88 Behavior and Social Interactions ..........................................................................................................90 Breeding, Calving, and Age and Sex Classes......................................................................................90 Other Factors Influencing Bison Numbers, Distribution, and Health ............................................91 Genetics.....................................................................................................................................................92 Other Wildlife ...................................................................................................................................................94 Threatened, Endangered, and Special Concern Species....................................................................94 Other Ungulates ......................................................................................................................................97 Predators and Scavengers......................................................................................................................98 Small Mammals......................................................................................................................................100 Large Rodents .......................................................................................................................................100 Birds ........................................................................................................................................................101 Reptiles and Amphibians .....................................................................................................................105 Human History and Cultural Resources ....................................................................................................107 Indigenous People of Western Wyoming...........................................................................................107 Cultural Resources................................................................................................................................109 Human Health and Safety ............................................................................................................................111 Traffic Accidents Caused by Bison and Elk ......................................................................................111 Elk and Bison Encounters with People..............................................................................................111 Hunting Accidents.................................................................................................................................111 Potential for Disease Transmission to Humans ................................................................................112 Public Uses......................................................................................................................................................114 Recreational Opportunities..................................................................................................................114 Livestock Operations............................................................................................................................117 36 Maps Management Units and Surface Hydrology of the NER....................................................................................41 Plant Communities of the National Elk Refuge...................................................................................................45 Vegetation of Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge ........................................................46 Possible Historical Elk Migration ..........................................................................................................................59 Jackson Elk Herd Unit and Fall Migration Routes.............................................................................................63 Elk Calving Areas ....................................................................................................................................................65 Chronic Wasting Disease in North America (2002–2006) ...................................................................................75 Chronic Wasting Disease in Wyoming (2003–2005).............................................................................................76 Existing Elk Hunting Areas...................................................................................................................................78 Jackson Hole Bison Herd Seasonal Ranges..........................................................................................................89 Landownership in Western Wyoming.................................................................................................................116 Bison Calving Area and Livestock Allotments ..................................................................................................119 Figures Figure 2: Estimated Proportion of Elk and Bison Calves That Could be Lost due to Brucellosis...............67 Figure 3: Percentage of Brucellosis-Positive Elk Trapped on the National Elk Refuge, Winters 1970–71 through 2005–6..................................................................................................................................68 Figure 4: Number of Calves per 100 Cows on Winter Feedgrounds on the National Elk Refuge, in the Gros Ventre River Drainage, and in the Jackson Elk Herd Overall ............................................82 Figure 5: Bison Herd Growth Since 1948..............................................................................................................88 Tables Table 1: Average Values of Selected Water Quality Parameters in or Near the National Elk Refuge (1996–2002).......................................................................................................................................................40 Table 2: Wyoming Plant Species of Special Concern — National