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Elk Reintroduced to State, Logan County

Elk

The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources along with Governor Earl Ray Tomblin presented 20 Elk to Logan County Monday.

More than 140 years ago, Elk were native to the state. In 2015, legislation authorized the Division of Natural Resources to begin an active elk restoration plan, starting with finding enough suitable land to sustain a population. Through a partnership with The Conservation Fund, more than 32,000 acres of publicly accessible land was acquired and another 10,000 through lease agreements in Logan County. The DNR transferred the 20 donated elk from the western part of Kentucky last week and have them set up in a space fenced off in Logan County at the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area.

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin.

“Just after a few more days of acclimation these gates will be open and these elk will be allowed to roam freely all across these hills and valleys and southern West Virginia,” Tomlin said. “This is just the first of several carefully planned releases designed to establish self-sustaining and viable populations in the mountain state.”

West Virginia will use the elk as a tourism opportunity and could be hunted in 7-10 years.