Aircraft to fly over Western Slope for wildlife research

John Livingston
Southwest Region Public Information Officer
970-759-9590 / [email protected]
@CPW_SW

MONTROSE, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife will soon begin elk capture work via helicopter to complete the final year of a project to help the agency better understand elk calf survival.

Work will begin Dec. 2 on the Bear’s Ears herd in northwest Colorado in the counties of Moffatt and Routt. Helicopter crews will then transition to the Uncompahgre Plateau in Montrose County if weather conditions allow. If weather does not cooperate, the crews will transition to work on the Avalanche Creek herd in Pitkin County. Each study area requires roughly two days of flying time to complete.

CPW will work to place GPS collars on elk calves, cows and bulls throughout the state during the winter, starting in December.

Helicopter operations may be visible to the public. Elk calves are captured using net guns and are quickly collared and released by the helicopter crew at the capture site.

“The data we collect from these efforts is critical to help us proactively manage elk populations in the state,” said CPW Wildlife Researcher Nathaniel Rayl. “In general, it is beneficial to conduct capture work in winter because the lower temperatures and snowfall provide better conditions for this work. Elk, moose, deer and pronghorn prefer cooler temperatures and are actually less stressed than if we were to capture in the summer when they may overheat. The deeper snow cushions the animal and helps prevent injuries, and they don't run as far, making capture easier and quicker. Conducting this work in the winter also allows us to gather critical information about pregnancy and body condition.”

Research work on pregnant elk is conducted early in the gestation period when there will be no effect on the cow or calf. CPW aims to understand calf survival and cause-specific mortality across different study areas in the state.

Helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft classification flights for big-game species such as deer, elk, moose and bighorn sheep will also begin in December and be carried out through January as flying conditions permit. This work is done across the entire state and will be conducted in all areas across the Western Slope.

Classification flights allow CPW to accurately estimate populations, recruitment of young animals into the population and sex ratios. Survey flights have a minimal impact on the wildlife, causing a disturbance that lasts only a few minutes. These flights will begin in early December and extend into January.

“Classification flights are an important tool to help us understand herd health and how recent winters have affected birth rates and survival of elk calves and fawns,” said CPW Northwest Region Senior Wildlife Biologist Brad Banulis. “This is a critical data point to help us manage big game populations in the state, and we collect it in a manner that minimizes the stress on animals. Our biologists utilize this data to manage robust and healthy wildlife populations, so we are always looking out for animal welfare and would not be doing capture or classification flights if we thought it was detrimental to the animals.”

As part of long-term monitoring studies, CPW is placing additional collars on deer and elk in areas outside of Gunnison, Montrose, Meeker and Kremmling. Additionally, CPW will collar 30 does in southwest La Plata County and 10-12 bighorn sheep northwest of Del Norte as part of Southwest Region projects.

“Collecting survival rates and understanding cause-specific mortality is essential work for our wildlife biologists,” said CPW Southwest Region Senior Wildlife Biologist Jamin Grigg. “This work benefits multiple ongoing studies. We appreciate the public’s understanding of why they may be seeing helicopters throughout the state. If you see a low-level helicopter surveying wildlife, know that it’s CPW biologists out surveying the herds and getting out these important radio collars or tracking changes to our wildlife populations.”

During the winter months, the CPW Wolf Program will utilize fixed-wing aircraft to conduct wolf monitoring as directed by the Colorado Gray Wolf Reintroduction Plan. Though these flights happen throughout the year, during the winter months, wolves are more visible because of snow cover on the ground. If conditions allow, biologists will also conduct a re-collaring operation.