Virtually everyday somewhere in the world there is a conflict between wildlife and humans. Every September in Banff, a popular tourist town in Canada, the elk congregate to carry on the annual rut or mating season. During this period people, wanting a Kodak® moment, approach to close to the elk and in a moment’s instant they usually end up injured. These conflicts often lead to fatal injuries. Here in the United States these conflicts are becoming almost commonplace. Recently, near Redmond Washington, a female bear ravaged garbage cans in a populated neighborhood. California has been dealing with the problem of cougars attacking humans while, Colorado has been contending with coyotes homesteading the runways of Denver International Airport. This is only the tip of an iceberg size problem. Urbanization and development is the primary cause of these conflicts becoming an almost everyday occurrence. As wildlife loses habitat to parking lots and concrete jungles they have to find food and shelter. Their only options are to move in amongst their nemeses – or die.

In researching the information for this project I exclusively used online sources. However, the elk herd plans for the State of Washington were acquired by ordering them online and the Department of Wildlife then mailed them to me. Proquest, a periodical database accessible through Centralia College, proved very useful in acquiring information.

The first piece of literature I found is a bibliography published by Greta de Groat. The bibliography titled ‘Population And The Environment’ contains a variety of literature works as well as some videos. Greta includes her opinions as well as a review of the literature she cites in the bibliography. I should add that I did not use any of the works she listed but I think the bibliography would be a valuable asset for further study.

The Elk Herd Plans, specifically the Yakima Herd, is a comprehensive study that outlines many aspects of urbanization versus animal habitats. The plan begins by outlining the boundaries that make up the herds territory, the ownership of the land within these boundaries and the topography of the land the elk ranges on. The distribution of the elk today is compared to the historic distribution of the elk and then the plan outlines a proposed distribution for the elk in the future. The history of the elk herd, annual mortality, herd composition, social economic values and proposed habitat management are all discussed in depth. The plan outlines many of the Department of Wildlife’s objectives to be met in managing the elk herd and the strategies they plan to use to meet their objectives. There is also an assortment of tables and graphs depicting such information as bull to cow ratios and elk harvests from hunting. All in all, the drafts are very informative reading.

Barbara Whitaker (Struggle for habitat increasing between humans and wildlife) vividly describes the conflict between humans and animals as they compete for habitat in Philadelphia. The conflicts range from bears ravaging fruit trees to deer foraging on decorative shrubbery. The struggle between managing resources wisely and in balance is portrayed against the Bambi syndrome.

Jim Sulski (Fighting with the Neighbors; Humans and Wildlife Going Nose – To – Snout in the Battle Over Territory) vividly describes the problems encountered when urbanization displaces normal animal habitats. The author shows that some of the animals are acclimating themselves to live in the urban areas but humans are showing a negative reaction to the encounters.

Hal Clifford (Development puts squeeze on elk) illustrates the problems encountered when people develop valleys that are traditional wintering ranges for elk. The author shows that developments push elk away and crowd them into smaller areas where they suffer from lack of food. The displaced elk then compete with other species and being larger and stronger often win at the expense of such species as mule deer.

Urbanization, development, overpopulation – these are environmental concerns that should be watched closely as we head into the millenium. Unfortunately, as Greta de Groat of Lacey, WA pointed out in a bibliography on population and the environment, overpopulation is an uneasy topic. Population control is an issue that attacks the very core of our ideas on personal freedom and in many countries attacks the cultures religious ideals. Since, overpopulation tends to be a controversial issue most publications avoid it and instead attack things like global warming and the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone. Still, it is an issue that needs attention.

Tom Brown, Western Washington’s Field Coordinator for the Department of Fish and Game Hunter Safety Program, recently told a class of future instructors that habitat was being lost at a rate the size of Spokane annually. Clearly, this rate of development can not be sustained without obvious ramifications. Specifically, the ramifications would be habitat loss and the eventual extinction of many wildlife species. Many species are already suffering as their natural patterns are interrupted by civilization.

For instance, the Yakima elk herd congregates at the Oak Creek Game Range where they are fed each winter like a herd of cattle. Game fences prevent the migrating elk from reaching their customary wintering grounds. The farmlands and orchards around Yakima are the traditional wintering ranges for these elk and unfortunately are no longer welcome by the new tenants of the land. So, their migration is truncated and if not for the efforts at the game range many of these animals would perish from starvation. However, this mass congregation and the system of feeding the elk, makes the elk susceptible to contracting and rapidly spreading disease. This project is also a costly one and is not funded by those who it protects nor is the funding guaranteed. So, The Department of Fish and wildlife has put together a plan, still in draft form, that calls for the increase in population of those elk that live on public and private lands while decreasing the numbers of those that live in areas close to human settlements (Department of Fish and Wildlife, 1997). This plan comes as the answer to reduce and/or eliminate elk/human conflicts. However, most of the elk that forage in this area migrate here only during the winter. So, decreasing their numbers means to decrease the numbers of elk that live elsewhere as well. The moral dilemma is that for thousands of years elk inhabited this area and now, for the sake of development, we feel we must evict them. This may seem to answer the immediate problems but what are the long-term effects?

Washington is not the only state facing problems like this. Colorado’s elk population, the largest in North America, faces an ever-expanding human population. The population of Colorado expanded 13.7 percent between 1990 and 1995. To illustrate, that is more people than the entire population of Wyoming. Every year during the 1990’s approximately 90,000 acres of undeveloped land become homesites. Many of these homesites were built on prime elk habitat. "One house on every 35 acres can have a major impact on the ability of elk to migrate, on bears to have normal feeding patterns, on all our songbirds," Todd Malmsbury of the Colorado Department of Wildlife said. "Just driving to your house, having a driveway, utility lines, the pets, all can have a very subtle and a very devastating effect on the ability of animals to feed, to migrate and to have their young" (Clifford, 1997).

Humans continue to expand their cities outward and as they do they competitively exclude the other animal species. The competitive exclusion principle states that no two species of life can inhabit the same niche indefinitely. Sooner or later one species will prove to be more dominate then the other and will increase in population while the other decreases; eventually to its complete exclusion from the niche. This is what is happening as human population expands. To further complicate things many people don’t want animals living in close proximity to them. Kimberly Dickens, Orland Park Environmental Health Director, recalls a call from a frantic resident who called to report a squirrel sitting in a tree outside his window. He went on further to tell her to come and get the squirrel he didn’t want it around. "Many people simply don’t want animals around them," explains Kimberly Dickens. "They’re very distraught when they see wildlife around their home. But with all the development that has been taking place, many of these little creatures just have nowhere to go." Most experts agree that development is the cause of most animal/human conflicts and as developers tear up the forests to build shopping malls, offices or parking lots thousands of animals lose their homes (Sulski, 1993). However, the competitive exclusion principle doesn’t always go in our favor.

Animals are learning to adapt to civilization and are becoming quite competitive in the attempt to protect territory. Ms. Bufiano of Stillwater Township, NJ says of a bear that strips her trees of their fruit, "We’ve learned to live with it" (Whitaker, 1995). The cougar attacks in California are a good example of animals conquering humankind and in the small rural towns of America domestic pets become a food source to the wildlife that is being displaced. Yet, even though ultimately the responsibility for the conflicts is ours we continue to blame the wildlife. They are just trying to survive the only way they know how. Humans have brought many species to the brink of extinction. There are some cases, such as the Merriam Elk, where we have actually succeeded. Fortunately, thanks to the Endangered Species Act, many previously endangered animals have made a comeback and are now list as being only threatened. There are even cases of animals being re-introduced to areas where their presence has been only a ghostly shadow for a very long time. Grizzlies in the Selkirks, wolves in Yellowstone, even the elk in Yakima – all of these animals were almost or completely eradicated from the areas they now inhabit. Unfortunately, there are those who would be just as glad to see them once again gone.

Civilized – that is how we describe the species known as humans. How civilized are we when we not only war with each other over land but we also attempt to eradicate all other forms of life from sharing the earth? Is it biological and we are merely following the principle of competitive exclusion – attempting to ensure our own survival? One thing is for sure, science has shown that all the trophic levels are intertwined and interdependent on the other. To eliminate wildlife is to ultimately eliminate us. Those of a spiritual background know that the Creator made us stewards of the land not to abuse but to conserve and use wisely. Those of a scientific background know that we as a highly evolved species need to take the initiative to let nature do as nature sees fit. Development can not completely cease and desist. However, development needs to be done so as to be harmonious with the needs of nature. Providing sufficient greenbelts so that wildlife can live unaffected. Incorporate our developments around wetlands so as not to disturb the delicate ecosystem. Preserve the key areas of habitat that now exist not destroy them and where possible create new areas. Finally, use what we have now to the fullest of capacity so as to reduce the need for expansion.