December 2022 - 42

King was right in his assessment.
" In recent years we typically count between
1,000 and 1,500 elk on the Medicine Lodge
unit every winter during our annual aerial
classification surveys, " Greybull Wildlife
Biologist Sam Stephens said about today's
population. " Their abundance has increased
since the 1972 acquisition when department
officials estimated 700 elk would winter on
the unit. "
CONTINUED EFFORTS
Since its establishment the Commission
has had a cooperative management agreement
with the Bureau of Land Management to work
together to protect and enhance wildlife habitat
on Medicine Lodge.
Part of this effort includes an annual closure
to all human presence from Jan. 1-May 31 to
protect wintering wildlife from disturbance,
though access for fishing and spring turkey
hunting along the Wet and Dry Medicine
Lodge creeks stays open.
Prescribed fires are conducted when conditions
are favorable, and in 2017 approximately
2.5 miles of livestock fence near the eastern
border with the Bighorn National Forest was
removed and replaced with wildlife-friendly
fencing to facilitate safe movement of big game.
Also in 2017, a stream restoration project on
Medicine Lodge WHMA is home to a wide array of wildlife species including this wandering garter snake. (Photo by Ashley
Umphlett/WGFD)
" In recent years we typically
count between 1,000 and 1,500
elk on the Medicine Lodge unit
every winter during our annual
aerial classification surveys. "
- Sam Stephens
of Wyoming.' " In a few years, the number
of elk in this vicinity increased considerably.
Late in the spring of 1915, about 38 head of
elk were counted - a substantial increase for
the first year. "
King's book, published nearly a decade
prior to the Commission's purchase of Medicine
Lodge, highlighted the importance of
the western side of the Bighorn Mountains
for elk winter range. King believed winter
storms were the biggest factor in negatively
impacting area elk herds in the late 1800s
and early 1900s. King surmised that " due
to the topography of the Bighorn Range,
which has a sloping terrain on the west side
and an abrupt face on the east side, the game
inhabiting the west side could survive longer
than those on the east side. "
42 | December 2022
Medicine Lodge Creek addressed severe bank
erosion, created five acres of new wetlands and
improved aquatic habitat for one mile downstream
from the Archaeological Site Headquarters.
Two diversion dams were removed and
replaced with structures that allow fish passage.
The $1.2 million project involved multiple
partners including the Wyoming Wildlife and
Natural Resource Trust, Wyoming State Parks,
East Yellowstone Chapter of Trout Unlimited
and Wyoming Department of Environmental
Quality.
WILDLIFE DIVERSITY
With elevations varying from 4,000 to
9,000 feet several habitat types exist at Medicine
Lodge, including riparian areas, productive
sagebrush grasslands and deciduous forest. The
umbrella of protection the WHMA provides to
wintering elk also benefits other wildlife. More
than 40 species of birds, reptiles, amphibians
and mammals have been documented on the
property.
" While the unit itself is predominantly
occupied by elk in the winter, we estimate
several hundred mule deer winter within the

December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2022