The Tule Elk State Natural Reserve, formerly the Tupman Zoological Reserve, is a protected area operated by California State Parks for the benefit of the general public and the at-risk tule elk subspecies of indigenous Cervus canadensis. There are usually about 30 to 35 tule elk in the conservation herd on the 960-acre (390 ha) reserve in Kern County, California, United States.
| Tule Elk State Natural Reserve | |
|---|---|
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| Location | 8653 Station Road, Buttonwillow, CA 93206 |
| Nearest city | Tupman, California |
| Coordinates | 35°19′17″N 119°21′51″W / 35.3214°N 119.3642°W |
| Created | 1932 |
| Operator | California State Parks |
| www | |
History and ecology
editOnce upon a time, tule elk were to California's Central Valley what the American bison was to the Great Plains. As a Modesto Bee staff writer explained in 1976, "In less populated times grizzly bears roamed the Central Valley and tule elk and pronghorn antelope grazed on the perennial bunch grasses."[1] Under hunting and habitat pressure, the population of indigenous tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) in California collapsed to double digits by the late 1800s.[2] Rancher Henry Miller of the Miller and Lux Ranch, however, made a project out of sheltering the surviving individuals that lingered in the wetlands surrounding Kern County's Buena Vista Lake.[3][2] By 1914, the Kern County herd protected by Miller had grown to about 400 head.[2] The Tupman Zoological Reserve was established in 1932 with about 175 tule elk from the Miller and Lux Ranch herd.[4][5] The state of California took over the site in 1953.[5][4] The Tule Elk State Natural Reserve has constructed ponds, and supplemental food is provided for the animals,[6] without which the population could not survive.[7] The ponds are necessary since local waterways do not flow through the reserve unless water from canals is diverted to the historic Buena Vista Slough, a slow moving waterway which historically created the tule bog habitats preferred by the elk.[8] Native plant species found at the reserve include tule, milkweed, mule fat, willow, mesquite, rabbitbrush, and a variety of wildflowers including goldfields.[9]
Other herds in the state, such as those in the Owens Valley and near San Luis Obispo, were established using individuals from the Tule Elk State Natural Reserve.[2] The Owens Valley herd was established in 1972 with two males and three females from the Tule Elk Reserve.[10] Five bulls and 23 cows from the reserve founded the SLO herd in 1989.[11] As of 2023, there were approximately 6,000 tule elk in the state.[4]
Access
editAccess to the park is off Stockdale Highway and Morris Road.[5] Admission is $8 per car.[12] Amenities include restrooms, drinking fountains, a visitor center,[13] a viewing platform,[12] and a picnicking area.[13][5]
Most of the reserve's 960 acres are considered ecologically sensitive and are closed to the public.[13] Ranger-led tours are typically offered the fourth Saturday of the month at 10:00 AM, except in December. Pets are prohibited on the ecologically sensitive portion of the reserve.[12][14]
Circa 1993 about 30,000 people visited the park annually.[13] The reserve abuts the Elk Hills Oil Field, formerly the Naval Petroleum Reserve.[15] Nearby protected areas include Kern National Wildlife Refuge and Fort Tejon State Historic Park.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Neher, Nancy (October 10, 1976). "Valley farms, industry take heavy toll on nature". The Modesto Bee. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
- ^ a b c d Thomas, Pete (February 23, 1994). "No Horns of a Dilemma". The Los Angeles Times. p. 44. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
- ^ Historic spots in California. Stanford University Press. 1990. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-8047-1734-2.
- ^ a b c "Tule Elk SNR". CA State Parks. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
- ^ a b c d Off the Beaten Path: A Travel Guide to More Than 1,000 Scenic and Interesting Places Still Uncrowded and Inviting. Reader's Digest. 2003. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-7621-0424-6.
- ^ National Audubon Society (1998). National Audubon Society Field Guide to California: Regional Guide: Birds, Animals, Trees, Wildflowers, Insects, Weather, Nature Pre serves, and More. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 416. ISBN 978-0-679-44678-1.
- ^ Environment, United States Congress House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the (1974). Tule Elk Refuge: Hearings, Ninety-third Congress, First Session. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 233.
- ^ Perry, Charles (July 3, 1988). "Back to the Gold Rush In Which the Author Retraces the Steps of His Great-Grandfather in 1849, When Things Looked Mighty Different in California". Los Angeles Times Magazine. Los Angeles Times. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-09-23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Castleman, Terry (April 10, 2023). "SoCal's Superbloom". The Los Angeles Times. pp. B2. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
- ^ "Near Lone Pine and Independence". Times-Press-Recorder. April 20, 1972. p. 34. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
- ^ "Herd of tule elk is transplanted here". The Tribune. October 4, 1989. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
- ^ a b c Stienstra, Tom; Brown, Ann Marie (April 21, 2020). Moon California Hiking: The Complete Guide to 1,000 of the Best Hikes in the Golden State. Avalon Publishing. ISBN 978-1-64049-896-9.
- ^ a b c d Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve No.1: Environmental Impact Statement. 1993. pp. 3.7–7.
- ^ "Tule Elk State Natural Reserve Auto Safari". The Sentinel. February 19, 2020. pp. A4. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
- ^ "Trip of the Week". Anaheim Bulletin. March 6, 1970. p. 51. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
- ^ "State parks beckon along I-5". The News and Observer. December 14, 2008. p. 76. Retrieved 2023-09-23.