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July, 2005 |
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The Hinterland of Elk
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The north side of Elk Meadow Open Space in Evergreen, Colorado is one of the rare places adjacent to roads, homes, and businesses where you are almost certain to see elk. You can park along the two-lane highway that runs beside it but people seldom do because there are no trailheads there. It is next to an area that is labeled as forbidden to park users. The elk there are more skittish than the ones that leisurely stroll through neighborhoods, parking lots, and strip malls. They keep their distance and run away when people approach. They easily cross the space and distances and the long grass and soggy soil are not impediments. Compared to the ones that amble in the streets they are nimble and energetic. Even when you cannot see them you can smell them or see their tracks in the soil. You know there are elk because of the aspen. On the edges of the forest and within their home are dying stands of aspen. The trees themselves, despite being scarred almost beyond recognition, are healthy but individual ones often don't grow to be very old and germination by seed is difficult and rare. Through asexual, underground reproduction the aspen grove could survive indefinitely; now, in the middle of Summer, new growth and attempts at regeneration are still there. Soon they will be eaten away to the level of demolishment because, collectively, the trees are dying. The cause is elk and perhaps, to a lesser extent in this case, deer. The land is owned by the residents and businesses of Jefferson County, Colorado and their representative is Jason Hamburg, the resident ranger at Elk Meadow open space Mr. Hamburg acknowledges the current plight of the aspen.....
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