NORTH BEND, Wash. - They often begin and end their day north of Interstate 90, but spend much of their time grazing on the south side.
How the growing North Bend elk herd gets back and forth is a major concern of state agencies and wildlife groups.
This spring, members of Conservation Northwest will again mount motion-controlled cameras along preferred elk routes to see how they get across and what can be done to make it easier.
Previous studies have led to expanded underpasses and discussions of wildlife overpasses that have proved successful in Canadian communities such as Banff.
Incidents like this morning's close call involving a sheriff's deputy and an elk in the Eatonville area only raise concerns of groups trying to manage expanding herds.
An off-duty Pierce County Deputy swerved to miss an elk and struck a pole. He walked away with no serious injuries but a deputy racing to a call near Packwood last year wasn't so lucky. 34-year-old Stephen "Mike" Gallagher was killed in a collision with an elk last August.
The potential for disaster is much higher on a major freeway like I-90 with a resident herd that has grown to more than 3,000. The communities of Snoqualmie and North Bend are working on ways to coexist with the elk while groups and agencies look for new and better ways to help them stay out of the middle of the road.
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