Black JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 9A Residents: Close Cache Creek for cougars Records show Game tain lions using the area,” Fuchs con- tinued. “On Thursday night, however, and Fish inundated the family group returned and killed with comments after another deer. At that point the prop- erty owner asked if there was more cat family was captured. that we could do to haze her and the siblings from their property.” By Cory Hatch In the email, Fuchs expressed a de- sire to keep the family group intact. Some Jackson Hole residents said “It is our hope that we will be able they would rather close Cache Creek to capture at least the female quick- temporarily than see a cougar fam- ly,” he said. “If so, we will attempt to ily relocated from its home in the tree and immobilize the kittens if we drainage. cannot capture them in the box traps. Over several weeks, wildlife man- COURTESY PHOTO Anything that is captured will be held agers captured a female cougar and The Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials received hundreds of pages in a bear trap in our shop so as not to her three kittens after they repeatedly of comments from people asking them to return a female cougar and her break up the group. However, we can- killed deer near private homes near kittens to the Cache Creek drainage. Wildlife managers captured the cats and not hold them for long, so we will have relocated them south of Lander after they killed deer on private property. the mouth of Cache Creek. The cats to see how things unfold.” were subsequently relocated to an area Many of the people who sent com- south of Lander in early February. was that the kittens would be unable that you have opted to close the trail- to survive without their mother. head access in previous cases of cou- ments to the Wyoming Game and Fish During that time, Wyoming Game Department admonishing them for and Fish officials received hundreds “[I]t seems that after 24 hours of gars charging humans,” the Cartiers not being able to trap the kittens, continued. “It is hardly an urban area capturing the cats identified them- of pages of comments from people selves as members of the Cougar Fund, concerned about the fate of the moun- you should have: allowed the mother and not surprising to have an animal to reunite with the kittens (collared use private property near our town a Jackson-based conservation group tain lion family. The Jackson Hole that advocates for mountain lions. News&Guide reviewed the letters maybe so you can track her easily), center as a place to rest. Bears, cats, In one email, Game and Fish biolo- after filing a request under the Wyo- closed the area to recreationists, ed- foxes, [and] coyotes literally live in gist Dan Thompson expressed frus- ming Public Records Act. ucated the residents of Cache Creek our back yard and with wise domestic tration with the Cougar Fund and “I am writing to ask that you re- and surrounding neighborhoods (in- animal care and trash management ... urged his co-workers not to confuse lease the mother mountain lion to cluding making sure they quit feed- we have coexisted beautifully.” the conservation group with the Teton be reunited with her kittens in their ing wildlife) and let the cats be cats,” Supervisor’s rationale territory,” Wilson resident Macken- Jackson resident Heather Mathews Cougar Project, a research group zie Walles said in a Jan. 26 email. said in a Jan. 26 email. Wyoming Game and Fish Jackson based out of Kelly. “We have all chosen to live in an area While Game and Fish personnel District supervisor Tim Fuchs offered “The Cougar Project is the re- with wildlife and we must live with have control over wildlife in the Cache his rationale for the capture and re- search/data-based NGO that has that choice. I love to recreate in the Creek drainage, the land is managed location in an internal email to state been conducting work in the Jackson Cache Creek area, but I ask that by the Bridger-Teton National Forest. officials dated Jan. 23. The email was region for many years,” Thompson you close this area to humans while It would have been the responsibility also obtained through the Wyoming said in a Feb. 7 email. “The Cougar the cats are close to the trailhead. I of U.S. Forest Service officials to close Public Records Act request. Fund is an advocacy group led com- would prefer an inconvenience to hu- Cache Creek. After the cats were hazed from one pletely by emotion, feeding like para- man recreation to a death sentence Christina and Clayton Cartier said landowner’s property, “[t]he family sites off the collective drama they for these animals.” they understood that wildlife manag- group relocated for a day to another can create in the media and through ers were trying to protect the public property east ... that has some acre- their constituents.” ‘Happy to go elsewhere’ from a potentially dangerous situa- age and abandoned buildings,” Fuchs In March 2010, Bridger-Teton Na- Jackson business owner Tina Seay tion. However, the Cartiers said, the wrote. “Upon inspection of that prop- tional Forest officials temporarily agreed. cats had not shown any signs of ag- erty, it was obvious that they were us- closed the Game Creek trail after a “Please release the mother so she gression towards people or pets. ing an old outbuilding. While looking Jackson Hole woman encountered a can go to her cubs ASAP,” Seay wrote “I recognize that a habituated around, the group was flushed from mountain lion as she walked alone Jan. 26. “I recreate in Cache Creek cougar could become a threat,” the the property and moved upstream us- in the popular recreation area. In and would be happy to go elsewhere. Cartiers said in a Jan. 26 email. ing the heavy willows for cover. September 2007, wildlife managers There are plenty of places to go with “However, it seems as though this one “At that point, we met with the relocated a female cougar and her kit- my dogs. Please, close Cache Creek has not even killed any domestic ani- [Bridger-Teton National Forest] and tens from the Cache Creek drainage temporarily and let the cats be.” mals and has not threatened a human decided that it would be appropriate to the west slope of the Tetons after Many people who emailed wildlife from the news reports. for them to sign their adjacent trails some residents complained. The fam- managers said their primary concern “I live in Game Creek and I know so as to inform the public for moun- ily starved to death. Calf-to-cow ratio down on National Elk Refuge Despite good forage, number of calves surviving to adulthood is dropping in some dense snow could herd segments, such as in the Gros Ventre and Teton Wilder- be drawing animals ness, while ratios remain high to feed lines. for elk that summer in south- ern Grand Teton National Park By Cory Hatch and on private land just south of the park. The number of elk calves The decline in refuge elk per 100 cows on the National does not necessarily reflect a Elk Refuge is lower than what decline in the overall popula- is needed to sustain the Jack- tion, Cole said. son Elk Herd population, wild- “The [radio] collar data life managers said Tuesday. suggest that there are a Wyoming Game and Fish number of elk that were on and National Elk Refuge the National Elk Refuge last personnel counted nearly 16 year that are currently on calves per 100 cows on the other winter ranges such as refuge during the annual elk the Gros Ventre [drainage] classification count Feb. 13. and Buffalo Valley,” he said. Last year, they counted “Without looking at the 22.4 calves per 100 cows. overall herd numbers, I can’t Biologists say 25 calves per say how much of the decrease 100 cows are needed to sus- BRADLY J. BONER / NEWS&GUIDE is because of population de- tain the population of more Wapiti on the National Elk Refuge flock to the feed line Feb. 13 during the annual elk count. cline or just changes in dis- than 11,000 animals. The tribution,” Cole said. herd is currently over popula- er, who conducted those aerial of nearly 5 percent. Refuge er calf ratio over a number of The snow on the ground may tion objectives. surveys, said the calf-cow ratio elk are only part of the Jack- years, it means that the pop- have something to do with the Biologists caution that they will likely remain low when elk son Elk Herd, which includes ulation is going to be decreas- numbers, Brimeyer said. Last have not yet tallied elk count- wintering off the National Elk animals that winter north ing over time.” year, the region was about 110 ed during flights over other Refuge are factored in. of Jackson including in the Data from years past show percent of average precipita- winter range in the region. “Based on what I’m seeing Gros Ventre River drainage that calf-cow ratios fluc- tion, while this year the region “We might have large num- on the outside flights, it’s going and near Moran. tuate considerably. In the is 80 to 90 percent of the aver- bers of calves wintering off to reflect a trend in the popula- If the trend of fewer calves 1980s and early ’90s, ratios age, he said.