“Listen to the voice of nature, for it holds treasures for you.” – Huron proverb

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The once prolific tule elk population of Lake County made a massive decline in numbers in the late 1800s.

This decline occurred throughout the tule elk's range, not only in Lake County, but in other California locals.

It is believed that there were once more than 500,000 tule elk throughout the California landscape.

These magnificent creatures were nearly extinct due to the hunting and poaching practices of Americans of European descent of yesteryear.

Hunting was banned by 1873 by the State Legislature, however, it was already too late. Or so it was believed.

In 1874 a game warden, A.C. Tibbett happened upon a breeding pair of tule elk on cattle rancher Henry Miller's land in the San Joaquin Valley, thereby producing evidence that the elk had not been completely decimated.

In the 1970s there were conservation measures for the tule elk put into place to protect these stately animals. Now, elk numbers are estimated at about 4,300 with 22 separate populations.

Tule elk, or Cervus canadensis nannodes, are native to California, ranging from the Central Valley to the coast.

The moniker originates from the reed on which it feeds – tule reed.

Tule elk can weigh between 350 and 500 pounds, with the bull (male) weighing in the heavier range.

Standing at around 5 feet high at the shoulder, the males can possess an awesome set of antlers which can weigh 40 pounds.

Tule elk can often be spotted near the Cache Creek Basin Recreational Area, east of Clear Lake on Highway 20.

These magnificent creatures are breathtaking to view. For safety's sake, pull off the highway and take out your binoculars to watch them feed.

While quietly observing, be sure to mind private property signs, and do not get between a mother, or cow, and her calf.

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.