Scientists note that predators and elk have a complex relationship and that hastily killing off predators is not necessarily beneficial for elk or the forest ecosystem. The nature of the collaboration process is corrupt, biased, and makes a sham of the NEPA process for public involvement. It is quite clear that a primary goal of the Elk Initiative is to log roadless country, as the first major project proposed was a roadless logging project on the Clearwater NF, instead of focusing on the lower-elevation, higher quality elk winter range on state and private land. The group does not focus on excessive road density and access, which are known to adversely impact elk. It is no coincidence that the group chose to recover a species that, arguably, benefits from profit-generating human disturbance, instead of recovering one of the truly imperiled species in the region.
Elk are far from becoming endangered.
Many of the streams in the area are already not meeting all the Forest Plan water and fisheries standards. Single-species management is not appropriate for the complex, diverse Clearwater basin.