Cache Creek Tule Elk Range
Map SatelliteOne of the two areas where free-roaming herds of the Tule elk, Cervus nannodes, are found, this is a closer approximation of its original habitat than the Tule Elk National Wildlife Refuge . (See also Tule Lake State Reserve). This elk once ranged through most of the Central Valley. Approximately 120 elk roam this area, descendants of 21 animals reintroduced in 1922 by the California Department of Fish and Game. (Some zoologists believe that this herd is not a pure strain of Cervus nannodes, but has interbred with Cervus canadensis whose range may have extended this far to the south.)
Vegetation in the area is diverse but is primarily foothill woodland, with gray pine, Pinus sabiniana, dominant and chaparral. There are some riparian associations along the permanent streams and creeks.
Integrity: Portions of the area are fenced but the elk seem to have accustomed themselves to the fencing. The non-government land is in ranches and there are several roads in the area.
Use: Educational, research, present. Private.
Ref: McCullough, Dale R. 1969. The Tule Elk, Its History, Behavior and Ecology. University of California Press. Berkeley, Los Angeles. 216 pp.
November 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman