Elk Refuge to begin feeding cutbacks in spring

JACKSON — With some last-minute changes being made to satisfy the state of Wyoming, the National Elk Refuge is moving forward with a five-year plan to start whittling down its historic elk-feeding program.

A document outlining the long-delayed changes, dubbed a “step-down” plan, is supposed to achieve goals that were established in an overarching plan some 13 years ago: reducing elk numbers to 5000 and skipping supplemental alfalfa feeding during average winters.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed in its draft plan to alter the protocol for beginning to feed by the onset of t...