Review of considerations for restoration of tule elk to the San Francisco Peninsula and northern Monterey Bay counties of California

Abstract

Successful translocations of tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) have been conducted since the early 1900s, with their state population rising from a nadir of as few as three surviving individuals to about 500 when reintroductions began, and to over 5,700 by 2017. However, natural range expansion of extant populations is currently limited by heavily trafficked major highways and urban areas with dense human populations. We determined that the San Francisco Peninsula and northern Monterey Bay counties (the study area) offer 193,973 ha (479,308 acres) of protected open space, several orders of magnitude greater than coastal tule elk home range size. Habitat suitability is supported by abundant historical observer, museum, and archeological records of elk located in this region. The nearest elk population to the study area is in eastern Santa Clara County and has grown from 65 animals that were translocated to Mt. Hamilton in the Diablo Range from 1978–1981 to at least 90 in five–six separate herds counted by aerial and photographic surveys in 2019. United States (U.S.) Highway 101 and metropolitan San Jose remain barriers to western range extension. Translocation and/or construction of freeway over- and under-crossings may enable westward range expansion to a less arid region, contributing to increased resilience of tule elk to climate change, and bringing aesthetic, financial, and ecological benefits of this once native ungulate grazer to the area.