The National Elk Refuge, just outside of Jackson, Wyoming, was established in 1909 to protect elk winter ranges and enlarged in 1933 to 23,754 acres. Between 5,000-10,000 elk and about 100 bison winter there. Because of habitat loss to development, artificial feeding is required, leading to problems with brucellosis and other diseases which result from winter crowding on feedgrounds. These Refuges must focus on their primary mission, wildlife protection, rather than secondary uses, such as recreation or grazing. Management concern must extend past refuge boundaries.
More work is needed with surrounding land owners, and with other agencies.
Along with recovery plans for rare species, refuges need to protect their full complement of biological diversity. The protection of biological diversity should be the framework for managing rare, threatened, and endangered species. Secondary uses should be assessed for their compatibility, and at times modified or curtailed. Baseline biological inventories should be completed for all refuge lands. Adjacent Landscapes None of the wildlife refuges in Greater Yellowstone represents a complete ecological unit.