Managing Human-Wildlife Interactions: Ecological and Financial Assessment of Elk Feedground Closure in Teton County

Teton County in Western Wyoming is home to large working landscapes, a
national park, and the nation’s largest elk herd, the Jackson herd. It is
also one of the few places in the Western United States that still
operates elk feedgrounds, where the artificial feeding of these large
mammals has resulted in high density populations over small areas, leading
to increased disease transmission and prevalence. A disease of primary
concern is brucellosis (Brucella abortus) which can be transmitted from
elk to cattle and result in financial burdens for ranchers through
quarantine, depopulation, reduced milk production, or calf abortions. This
project aimed to better understand the complex social and ecological
dynamics of elk feedgrounds in order to assess the feasibility of
implementing financial tools that would mitigate the effects of disease
transmission and wildlife presence risks of a simulated feedground
closure. Our goal is to help improve human-wildlife coexistence on
Wyoming’s private and public lands. To accomplish this, we completed a
Public Comment Sentiment Analysis, a Jackson Herd Habitat Connectivity
Model, a Brucellosis Transmission Risk Model, and an Analysis of Financial
Repercussions of Feedground Closure. These methods resulted in the
assessment of two financial tools, a brucellosis compensation fund and an
elk rent program, which we recommend to be implemented in Teton County.
This project will serve to better inform the Property and Environment
Research Center on potential methods for improving human-wildlife
interactions and coexistence in Teton County through the understanding of
where elk move on private lands, transmission of disease from elk to
cattle, and the impacts that the cessation of feeding could cause on
subsequent stakeholders, specifically the financial implications for
ranchers.