Groups file lawsuit over Wyoming elk feeding, seek earlier phase-out

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Environmental groups have filed a new lawsuit against the feeding of elk on a Wyoming wildlife refuge, saying the U.S. government should act sooner to curtail the practice.

Workers at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole put out alfalfa pellets during most winters to supplement natural forage and help elk survive until spring. The timing of feeding each year depends on the weather; elk don’t get fed during mild winters or might be fed through a prolonged period of heavy or icy snow covering the vegetation they naturally eat.

Hunters and guides support the feeding as a way to keep elk numbers up but others worry the practice encourages the spread of disease similar to mad cow disease in humans.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan released Dec. 31 would delay feeding each winter so elk can gradually become accustomed to surviving without human help.

The plan resulted from a lawsuit filed against the federal agency last March by the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Refuge Association and Defenders of Wildlife, which warned the feeding could encourage the spread of chronic wasting disease by artificially concentrating elk.

The plan falls short by not taking effect for at least two years, the same groups argue in a new lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

“The bottom line is, we’re not going to sit by and let chronic wasting disease become the new normal in Jackson Hole on the National Elk Refuge,” said an attorney for the groups, Tim Preso with Earthjustice.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials didn’t immediately return a phone message seeking comment.