Land swaps boost elk

The future of elk hunting in Central Washington has a huge stake in land swaps currently being negotiated by the state Department of Natural Resources, private timber companies and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

If DNR can’t trade out of “checkerboard” ownership patterns and block up its lands for more effective timber and road management, agency officials say they may liquidate their state lands in the Yakima and Ellensburg regions and consolidate their holdings in Western Washington.

If private developers buy more of those lands, managing wild elk herds and providing public access to hunt them could wither.

“In my entire career, I haven’t seen a bigger threat to wildlife and wildlife access than the changes in corporate timber lands,” said Jeff Tayer, Fish and Wildlife Department regional manager in Yakima. “Hunting access could be lost overnight.”

Officials from DNR and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation officials also say these land deals involving around 200,000 acres are the biggest moment in their careers and their top priority.

RMEF is raising money to help cash-strapped state agencies pay for the required land assessments.