191 APRIL 2010 Wisconsin Elk Habitat Suitability Analysis

An experimental elk herd of 25 animals was released into the Chequamegon National Forest near Clam Lake, Wisconsin in 1995. This herd thrived and increased to nearly 100 animals within 10 years. The project’s experimental phase ended and responsibility for the herd transferred from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. In June 2000, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board approved a management plan for the Clam Lake elk herd. This plan established core and buffer areas, described habitat and population management techniques, and set population objectives. The success of the Clam Lake introduction and the attractiveness of elk has spurred several other localities around Wisconsin to voice an interest in establishing local elk herds. When adopting the Clam Lake management plan, the Natural Resources Board set forth guidelines for further reintroduction efforts. These guidelines require, among other things, the evaluation of the biological and ecological suitability of other areas for elk and indicate that factors such as the quality and quantity of available habitat, the amount and proximity of agriculture, and public attitudes regarding elk should be included. Geographic information systems (GIS) have been valuable tools for the analysis of habitat suitability. Most past efforts, however, have considered the biological aspects of suitability, with little effort focused on social information or on identifying potential conflicts with other resources or land uses. In addition, past efforts to model habitat have covered either a very large area (e.g., a state or larger) or a more specific area (e.g., a county or other smaller area). We developed a GIS-based habitat suitability model using ArcInfo® (ESRI, Redlands, CA) for the state of Wisconsin. Data inputs to the model included both biological elements (mostly land cover information derived from satellite imagery) and social elements (agriculture, road density, and land ownership). The intent of this model was to conduct a statewide evaluation of areas potentially suitable for elk reintroduction. (continued on next page) D N R A RC H IV E