Moose Sand Creek Migration Map and Stats

The Sand Creek moose herd is the only moose herd in the world that winters in a desert (Idaho Department of Fish and Game, 2020), the Sand Creek Desert (Figure 1). A high-elevation desert (approximately 5,000 ft), the Sand Creek Desert contains large amounts of Prunus virginiana (chokecherry), Purshia tridentata (antelope bitterbrush), Ceanothus spp. (ceanothus), and other mountain shrubs. During the winter, the Sand Creek Desert moose use lower elevation areas of this sage steppe desert habitat composed of aspen and mountain brush communities, Douglas-fir communities, and sagebrush/chokecherry communities. Moose readily use this area, and some even migrate from Montana, Yellowstone National Park, and Teton Valley to winter in the Sand Creek Desert; more than 600 moose have been observed in the Sand Creek Desert during winter aerial flights (Idaho Department of Fish and Game, 2020). The main migration routes extend to the northeast from their winter range along the Big Bend Ridge, but some migrate south or farther north to the Beaverhead National Forest. The herd’s summer range is likely tied to timbered, higher elevations and other mesic zones, including Yellowstone National Park, the Centennial Range, Gravelly Range, and the riparian Teton Basin. Some of these moose migrate shorter distances to the Henry’s Fork River, which provides year-round habitat for moose. Challenges to this herd include WVCs and encroachment of aspen habitats by Douglas fir, as well as renewable energy, mineral resource, and recreational development.