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  • About:
    • Two Organizations in One:
      • Wild Willpower PAC – America’s first “Civil PAC”
      • The Peaceable Assembly
    • Our Code of Ethics
    • Endorsement Letters:
      • Co-Founder & Former President of the California Lichen Society, Bill Hill
      • Richard Lonewolf, Ethnobotany and Wilderness Survival Expert
    • Special Thanks:
      • Kevin Ray Byrd
      • Jason Baker, Tech Support
      • Environmental Studies Professor Frank Schiavo, M.M.L. (1939-2010)
      • Bill Hill & The California Lichen Society
      • Ashawna Hailey (1949-2011)
      • Samaritans of the USA
      • To All the Tech Nerds
  • Our National Plan:
    • Right to Homestead Act:
      • “Who Owns Ames, Iowa?” – upcoming documentary
    • Civilian Restoration Corps:
      • Ecological Restoration:
      • Sustainable Cities
      • ** History & Purpose of the Civilian Conservation Corps
    • Justice Accessibility Act:
      • Teach Jurisprudence in High Schools
      • Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Color of Law Crimes
      • Government Officials Must Provide Email Addresses
      • Additional Justice Reform Solutions
    • Weaning off fossil fuels
    • Education Reform:
      • Offer Local Native Language Courses in All U.S. School Systems
      • Sponsor Native Teachers to Train Wildharvesting Cooperatives
      • Teach Accurate, Non-Bias History in Schools
      • Teach Sustainable Gardening and Applied Ethnobiology in Schools
      • Sponsor Native Teachers to Teach via The Wild Living Skills Database & Smartphone App
    • Swords to Plowshares Act (international policy)
  • Current Projects:
    • Wild Living Skills Database & Smartphone App
      • Donate a Book – Help Build The Wild Living Skills Database & Smartphone App
    • “Civil Rights Self-Defense” legal self-help website
      • Stop Courtroom Abuse!
    • Resources to Help You Live Sustainably:
      • Ecological Restoration:
      • Homesteading Starter Kits:
      • Highly-Efficient Gardening Techniques:
      • Clean Energy Inventions:
      • “Simple-Tech” DIY Home Improvement Techniques:
  • Cases in Progress:
    • Ames Resident Seeks to Improve Iowa’s Justice System (Iowa Cases):
      • Transgender Iowan, arrested for going in the women’s restroom in 2006, still seeks justice (2022)
      • Following an unjust court ruling, officer warns Ames resident to “leave the state” for her safety (2009)
      • City of Ames obstructs Citizens from Petitioning (2018)
      • Transgender Woman Claims Nonprofit “Reliable Street” Retaliated Against Her for Filing a Civil Rights Complaint:
    • California Cases:
      • Robbed by Kern County Sheriff’s Deputies
      • Homeless woman charged >$600 for sleeping outdoors (Marin County, CA)
    • Standing Rock Class Action
  • Publications:
    • “More Valuable Than Gold” Ethnobotany textbook
    • “The Hidden History of Law” textbook series
    • “How to Legally Claim Abandoned Real Estate”
  • Join the Cause

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  • January 2023

Categories

  • Cases in Progress
  • Ethnobiology
  • Legal
  • Our Mission
  • Wild Willpower
Wild Willpower
  • About:
    • Two Organizations in One:
      • Wild Willpower PAC – America’s first “Civil PAC”
        • Sondra Wilson, Founder and Executive Director
      • The Peaceable Assembly
    • Our Code of Ethics
    • Endorsement Letters:
      • Co-Founder & Former President of the California Lichen Society, Bill Hill
      • Richard Lonewolf, Ethnobotany and Wilderness Survival Expert
    • Special Thanks:
      • Kevin Ray Byrd
      • Jason Baker, Tech Support
      • Environmental Studies Professor Frank Schiavo, M.M.L. (1939-2010)
      • Bill Hill & The California Lichen Society
      • Ashawna Hailey (1949-2011)
      • Samaritans of the USA
      • To All the Tech Nerds
  • Our National Plan:
    • Right to Homestead Act:
      • “Who Owns Ames, Iowa?” – upcoming documentary
    • Civilian Restoration Corps:
      • Ecological Restoration:
        • Native Animal Cooperatives
        • Oceti Sakowin Heritage Trail
        • Wildharvesting Cooperatives
          • Kern River Wildharvesting Cooperative
            • Bulk Native Foods and Herbs, and Backpacking Mixes
            • Our Commitments:
              • Coordinate Respectfully with Forest Officials
              • Uphold The Zero Trash Commitment
              • Use Positive-Impact Harvesting Techniques
              • Wildfire Prevention
        • Paid for by gradually transferring livestock subsidies
          • The Devastating Ecological Impacts of Non-Native Animal Industries
          • Animal Abuse & Subjugation in the Current U.S. Economy
      • Sustainable Cities
      • ** History & Purpose of the Civilian Conservation Corps
    • Justice Accessibility Act:
      • Teach Jurisprudence in High Schools
      • Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Color of Law Crimes
      • Government Officials Must Provide Email Addresses
      • Additional Justice Reform Solutions
    • Weaning off fossil fuels
    • Education Reform:
      • Offer Local Native Language Courses in All U.S. School Systems
      • Sponsor Native Teachers to Train Wildharvesting Cooperatives
      • Teach Accurate, Non-Bias History in Schools
      • Teach Sustainable Gardening and Applied Ethnobiology in Schools
      • Sponsor Native Teachers to Teach via The Wild Living Skills Database & Smartphone App
    • Swords to Plowshares Act (international policy)
  • Current Projects:
    • Wild Living Skills Database & Smartphone App
      • Donate a Book – Help Build The Wild Living Skills Database & Smartphone App
    • “Civil Rights Self-Defense” legal self-help website
      • Stop Courtroom Abuse!
    • Resources to Help You Live Sustainably:
      • Ecological Restoration:
        • Native Animals, & Organizations Involved in Their Restoration:
          • Plains Bison & Wood Bison Restoration – Get Involved
          • Elk Restoration – Get Involved
          • Pronghorn (Antelope) Restoration – Get Involved
          • Woodland Caribou Restoration – Get Involved
          • Bighorn Sheep Restoration – Get Involved
          • Mountain Goat Restoration – Get Involved
          • Porcupine Restoration – Get Involved
          • Prairie Dog Restoration – Get Involved
        • Native Prairie History, Ecology, & Restoration – Organizations (& Processes) Involved
      • Homesteading Starter Kits:
        • “Cold Frame Plants”: Broccoli, Cabbage, & Cauliflower
        • “Full Sunlight, Low Water”: Eggplants, Okra, Sunflowers
        • “Ideal For Raised Beds”: Asparagus, Carrots
        • “Leafy Greens” (& Spices of similar care)
        • “The 3 Sisters”: Corn, Beans, & Squash
      • Highly-Efficient Gardening Techniques:
        • How To Propagate Fruit & Nut Trees From Cuttings
        • Yard & Soil Preparation
        • *Wise* No-Chem Pest Control
        • Glass Jar Seed Starters
      • Clean Energy Inventions:
        • Ingenius Wind Energy Inventions
        • Innovative Solar Solutions
        • Water-Powered Energy Inventions & Purification Systems
        • Charge Your Electronics Using The Heat of A Campfire
        • Inventions That Clean Up &/or Process Trash
      • “Simple-Tech” DIY Home Improvement Techniques:
        • 7 Ingenius Uses for Salt
        • Vegetable Storage- for Best Results
        • Cob Housing- mixing mud to work like clay for walls, etc
        • Join ‘The Zero Trash Commitment’
        • Build Your Own Low-Cost Swimming Pool
  • Cases in Progress:
    • Ames Resident Seeks to Improve Iowa’s Justice System (Iowa Cases):
      • Transgender Iowan, arrested for going in the women’s restroom in 2006, still seeks justice (2022)
      • Following an unjust court ruling, officer warns Ames resident to “leave the state” for her safety (2009)
      • City of Ames obstructs Citizens from Petitioning (2018)
      • Transgender Woman Claims Nonprofit “Reliable Street” Retaliated Against Her for Filing a Civil Rights Complaint:
        • Legal assistance extremely difficult to find in Iowa
          • Attorney’s I’ve contacted for help
          • NGOs I’ve contacted for help
          • Wilson’s daily log ‘trying to get justice”
    • California Cases:
      • Robbed by Kern County Sheriff’s Deputies
        • California Man faces Fabricated Charges used to Further County Fraud
        • If an Officer violated your rights – who would you report the incident to?
        • Involved Parties
          • Record Owners – John and Cheryl Ross
          • Kern Cty. Sheriff’s Deputies – trespassing, forcible entry and detainer, constructive fraud
          • Neighbors who Robbed Us following the Ouster
        • Our Redress of Grievances
      • Homeless woman charged >$600 for sleeping outdoors (Marin County, CA)
    • Standing Rock Class Action
  • Publications:
    • “More Valuable Than Gold” Ethnobotany textbook
    • “The Hidden History of Law” textbook series
    • “How to Legally Claim Abandoned Real Estate”
  • Join the Cause

Elk Restoration – Get Involved

     Originally there were six subspecies of North American Elk.  Two are now extinct:

  1. Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni)— (Rocky Mountain West, now transplanted in other locations) — Largest antlers of all subspecies.

  2. Roosevelt’s Elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) — (coastal Pacific Northwest) — largest in body size.

  3. Manitoban Elk (Cervus canadensis manitobensis) — (northern Great Plains)

  4. Tule Elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) — (central California) — smallest body size. [1]

  5. Merriam’s Elk (Cervus canadensis merriami) — (Southwest and Mexico) — driven to extinction by around 1906 due to overhunting by European Settlers. [2]

  6. Eastern Elk (Cervus canadensis canadensis) — (east of the Mississippi including southern Canada)  — Extinct: The last eastern elk was shot in Pennsylvania on September 1, 1877. [3]

View Historic & Modern Elk Distribution Map

gorgeous elk rocky mountain bull

Above photo of Rocky Mountain Bull Elk by MONGO.

Population:

     Prior to European settlement, an estimated 10 million elk roamed nearly all of what is now the United States and parts of Canada.  Elk adapted to almost all ecosystems except the tundra, true deserts, and the Gulf Coast.  Today, about 1 million elk live in the western, central, and eastern U.S., and from Ontario to western Canada.

     As the country was settled & western expansion began, elk were slowly driven from their original range, eventually becoming totally extirpated from most states east of the Mississippi.  Continued development pushed the remaining herds to their last strongholds in the mountainous terrain of the western Rocky Mountain states and Pacific Northwest.  Some estimates place the total number of elk as fewer than 50,000 at the turn of the century.

     Many states have worked diligently to either build or reintroduce elk into areas where they have not been seen for more than 100 years. [4]

Above photo from www.SaveBulletsShootArchery.comutilized in accordance with Fair Use.

Elk Restoration:

        A shining example of the partnerships between game and fish departments and private organizations is Kentucky’s efforts to reintroduce elk.  In 1997, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Game, along with the financial support of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, transplanted seven elk from Kansas into a 16-county restoration zone.  This land area, which is approximately 4 million acres with more than 476,000 acres of public access, is roughly the size of Yellowstone National Park.  From 1997 to 2002, 1,500 elk were transplanted from Arizona, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon and Utah.  In 2001, the elk herd had grown to the point where a limited hunting season was held.  Ten permits were issued that year, and the first wild elk in more than 150 years was harvested.

     By 2009, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources had reached its goal of an elk herd of 10,000.  In 2012, more than 33,675 people applied for the 1,000 licenses available through the lottery system.  The elk herd has thrived in Kentucky with a 90 percent breeding success rate and a 92 percent calf survival.  The absence of large predators, combined with the relatively mild winters and ample food sources, has contributed to the success of the herd.  Not only are elk thriving in Kentucky, but they have also started to surpass their western counterparts in size. [5]

     Bull elk can produce 22 to 24 pounds of antler velvet annually, and ranches that raise elk commercially collect and sell the velvet to East Asia where it is used in medicine.

Elk Facts:

Size and Weight

Newborn calf: 35 pounds (16 kg)
Cow:  500 pounds (225 kg)  (Tule elk: 300 lbs.  Roosevelt’s: 600 lbs.)
4 1/2 feet (1.3 m) at the shoulder
6 1/2 feet (2 m) from nose to tail
Bull:  700 pounds (315 kg)  (Tule elk: 400 lbs.  Roosevelt’s: 900 lbs.)
5 feet (1.5 m) at the shoulder
8 feet (2.4 m) from nose to tail

Birth Cycle

  • Calves are typically born in late May through early June
  • Calves are born spotted and scentless as camouflage from predators
  • They spend their first few weeks hiding motionless while their mothers feed

Diet

Summer:  grasses and forbs
Spring and Fall:  grasses
Winter: grasses, shrubs, tree bark and twigs

  • Elk may supplement their diet at licks, where they take in minerals that may help them grow healthy coats and produce nutritious milk
  • An elk’s stomach has four chambers: the first stores food, and the other three digest it

Social Organization

  • Cows, calves and yearlings live in loose herds or groups
  • Bulls live in bachelor groups or alone [4]

References:

[1]: Grit, “History of the North American Elk – The North American Elk is an important part of the continent’s history” by Tim Nephew (Feb 2014): www.grit.com/animals/wildlife/north-american-elk-zm0z14jfzsmi?pageid=4#PageContent4

[2]: Erxleben, J.C.P. (1777) Anfangsgründe der Naturlehre and Systema regni animalis.

[3]: “Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources”

[4]:  Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, “Elk Facts”:  https://elknetwork.com/elkfacts/

[5]:  Grit, “History of the North American Elk – The North American Elk is an important part of the continent’s history” by Tim Nephew (Feb 2014): www.grit.com/animals/wildlife/north-american-elk-zm0z14jfzsmi?pageid=4#PageContent4

Archives

  • January 2023

Calendar

January 2023
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
     

Categories

  • Cases in Progress
  • Ethnobiology
  • Legal
  • Our Mission
  • Wild Willpower

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