The conversation went on, and dinner became cold. Marci’s mother finished, but her father continued the conversation. Her father told her about the effect humans had on the elk population. It was due to hunting that elk populations were saturated in the west and seldom on the east of the Rockies. It was in the west that the need to protect this species began. Research, foundations, and reserved wildlife land were encouraged and supported. The elk habitat includes lands around the Colorado River. It has prime regions for grazing and drinking water. For elks and deer, the area around the Green River provides calving grounds, summer and winter habitats. Elk populations estimated in Utah is 70,000 and is supported by the availability of habitat they are able to occupy.
The information she had to process that night kept her tossing and turning. The history of these elk had been extremely captivating. She had also learned about the megafauna, specifically the Irish Elk which has no direct relation to the Rocky Mountain Elk but still shares the same fascination. For the hours she spent talking with her parents, something she also had not done for a while, she thought about how much more she could learn. Was that it? No, there had to be more, but she had to get some sleep if she wanted to go out and learn it for herself.
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