The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and partners at Panthera and five other Olympic Peninsula tribes are trying to understand whether Interstate 5 is preventing Roosevelt elk on the peninsula from flourishing and staying healthy for the next seven generations.
“Is I-5 providing some sort of barrier between the Olympic and Cascade herds like it does for cougars?” said Kim Sager-Fradkin, the tribe’s wildlife program manager. “Are animals not exchanging genetics?”
The tribe is collecting 1,000 elk genetic samples—tissue, hair or blood—for a broadscale analysis from herds on the Olympic Peninsula and in the Cascade Mountains.
The tribe is getting samples from multiple sources, including other tribes’ wildlife departments and hunters, Olympic National Park, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and a select group of state hunters. The preferred sample is tissue, such as a snippet from an ear. They also obtain samples by way of the Olympic Cougar Project from the remains of elk killed by cougars.
Samples are sent to a lab in British Columbia for genetic analysis, after which scientists from Panthera, a partner in the Olympic Cougar Project, will do a statistical analysis of the lab results.
“We’re basically trying to create a map that shows the genetic differentiation and helps us determine if we need to improve connectivity between regions,” Sager-Fradkin said.
This includes supporting state efforts to increase wildlife connectivity planning with highway overpasses.
If the project shows inbreeding or low genetic diversity, then it will be important to protect wildlife habitat corridors and make sure elk are able to move around, she said.
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe has gathered samples of elk DNA from a variety of sources, including Olympic National Park. Tiffany Royal
An elk caught on a wildlife camera on the Olympic Peninsula. Photo: Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Story: Tiffany Royal
