Biocomplexity, Spatial Scale, and Fragmentation: Implications for Arid and Semi-arid Ecosystems (SCALE)

National Elk Refuge, WY, USA

Adjacent to the north side of Jackson, WY, the 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge was established in 1912, and is bounded by Grand Teton National Park on the north and west and the Bridger-Teton National Forest on the east. More than 7,500 elk winter in the refuge from October until May every year.

The refuge's elk herd has offered significant research opportunities for the last 20 years. In conjunction with refuge managers and other scientists, the Natural Resource Ecology Lab has conducted research on elk population dynamics, animal disease propagation, and landscape carrying capacity. A modeling exercise was recently completed for a long-term study which estimates carrying capacity of the habitat on the refuge (http://www.nrel.colostate.edu/projects/teton). Additional studies are ongoing.