The National Elk Refuge operates an extensive irrigation
program that runs throughout each spring and summer season. The irrigation
program focuses on producing high-quality, standing forage for wintering elk
and bison.Historically, the National Elk Refuge primarily watered
cultivated fields by flood irrigation, using the same ditch systems created by
original homesteaders.The flood irrigation process involved diverting water
from sources such as Flat, Cache, and Nowlin creeks and conveying it through
open irrigation ditches. The water was then directed onto fields by using
permanent water control structures or temporary dams. Flood irrigation,
however, proved to be much more inefficient than other methods, in part due to
the porous nature of soils on the National Elk Refuge. Only an estimated 10-15%
of the water that was being diverted reached its destination.
In 2009, the
National Elk Refuge was awarded a $5 million investment through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for improvement and expansion of the
Refuge's existing irrigation system, making it the large Recovery Act project
in the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Mountain-Prairie Region. Design work on the Irrigation
Expansion Project began in Summer 2009, with most of the construction from May
through August 2010. Crews trenched, installed, and backfilled approximately 5
miles of fused main line pipe. A series of smaller diameter lateral lines, or pipeline
extensions, were then laid to run off the main line to carry water to specific
irrigation sites. Refuge staff began running the new system in Spring 2011.Each fall, the refuge's staff biologist conducts forage production sampling, taking at least one sample from each type of the various plant communities found on the refuge. The sampling process also calculates the
amount of forage produced during that year's growing season. Higher forage
production can delay the start date for the supplemental feeding season on the refuge, but the number of elk and bison,
the duration of time that the animals spend on the refuge, and environmental
conditions are other important factors.
Photos of forage production and irrigation on the National Elk Refuge can be found in the refuge's photo gallery.
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Elk aren't the only species of wildlife you may see on the National Elk Refuge.