1. Where Do the Elk Play ?
Jerry Sullivan, GIS Data Specialist
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Bureau of Technology Services
jerry.sullivan@wisconsin.gov
608-266-5428
Wisconsin Land Information Association
February 15- 17, 2012, Stevens Point
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3. Wisconsin Elk Habitat
Suitability Analysis
“An experimental elk herd of 25 animals was released into the
Chequamegon National Forest near Clam Lake, Wisconsin in
1995. This herd thrived and increased to nearly 100 animals
within 10 years.
The project’s experimental phase ended and responsibility for
the herd transferred from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
In June 2000, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board
approved a management plan for the Clam Lake elk herd.
This plan established core and buffer areas, described habitat
and population management techniques, and set population
objectives.”
4. Wisconsin Elk Habitat
Suitability Analysis
Previously, potential elk habitat was analyzed in
relation to WISCLAND Land Cover, derived from
1992-1993 Landsat imagery, for variables
including: winter foods, winter cover, and
spring foods.
Two social elements also found
as important were used in this
Habitat Suitability Index (HSI):
road density and land ownership.
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13. Wisconsin Elk Habitat
Suitability Analysis
Over the course of more than a decade
(1999-2010), WDNR field researchers
collected over 29,000 elk locations by
telemetry.
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16. Wisconsin Elk Habitat
Suitability Analysis
USFS staff also created geodatabase
themes of forest stand data for federal
lands, with 50 classes of stand types,
and photo-interpreted a land cover layer
of 13 classes for private inholdings, and a
five-mile buffer around the Chequamegon
Nicolet National Forest (CNNF).
(The former lack formal metadata;
the latter have complete metadata.)
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30. Wisconsin Elk Habitat
Suitability Analysis
Thanks to Deb Veen, USFS, and
Scott McBride, WDNR, for assistance with
data sharing and temporal data
preparation.
Thanks to Matthew McKay, Laine Stowell,
and Bill Ceelen, all of WDNR, as project
sponsors.
