San Luis National Wildlife Refuge

August 4, 2013

Tule Elk, San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Soundtrack:

• Nirvana -- In Utero
• Bruce Springsteen -- The Rising
• The National -- Trouble Will Find Me

I've never spent a lot of time in the Central Valley.  It's someplace I drive through on my way to Tahoe or Yosemite or Oregon some other interesting destination.  When Sam was playing baseball we'd spend a night or two in places like Modesto or Woodland and thank our lucky stars we didn't have to spend all of our summer days in that insane summer heat.  I've been starting to look to the valley for potential adventures, though, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuge seemed like it would make for an interesting day trip.

The first thing the refuge has going for it is that I can bring Pongo.  Their website is contradictory, on one page saying dogs aren't allowed and on others saying dogs must be kept on a leash.  I decided to take a chance, and it looks like the latter is true.  I saw a couple of signs in the park that said dags must remain on a leash and nothing saying they weren't allowed.  Fine by me, I don't think either Pongo or I are ready for him to be off leash anywhere but at home or at a dog park.

Burrow Inspector Making His Rounds

The second thing the refuge has going for it is that it has tule elk.  If you're unfamiliar with tule elk, they look pretty much like roosevelt or rocky mountain elk except smaller.  A male roosevelt elk can top 1,200 pounds while a male tule elk will generally weigh closer to 600 pounds, although I've read some bulls have topped 900 pounds on Grizzly Island which might indicate that their smaller size is due in part to nutrition.  At the turn of the nineteenth century it's estimated that there were about half a  million tule elk in California, which is the only place in the world where they are found.  In 1874 they were thought to be extinct, having been decimated by gold rush settlers, when a single pair of elk was discovered and protected by a rancher.  From that pair the current population has grown to about 2,500 head which are scattered across a number of different reserves in California.  That's a far cry from 500,000, mind you, but also a hell of a lot better than being extinct.

Tule Elk, San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

San Luis isn't the best place to see tule elk.  They're in a large fenced off enclosure.  There's a dirt road that goes around the enclosure, and I imagine you're just about guaranteed to see some elk on that drive.  You won't necessarily be able to get very close, though.  If you're up for a hike, Point Reyes has an elk reserve with a four and a half mile hiking trail through the middle of the reserve.  There are no fences between you and the elk there.  I don't want to knock San Luis, though.  I had a great time there and was able to bring Pongo along, which I couldn't have done at Point Reyes.  I think for families with small kids or for people that have a hard time walking (which can be said of me at times), San Luis would still be a great place to experience tule elk in their natural habitat.  It sure as hell beats going to the zoo.

Tule Elk, San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Won't you be my neighbor?

Pongo didn't seem to give a hoot about the elk.  I don't think he could see them given the height of the grass.  His ears would perk up whenever we'd hear one bugle, though.  Pongo was much more interested in the smaller, cuter animals we saw on the side of the road.  The rabbits and squirrels weren't nearly as interested in meeting him as he was in meeting them.  Strange.

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

The third thing San Luis National Wildlife Refuge has going for it is migratory birds.  A million birds stop here as they travel North for the summer and South for the winter, with large numbers of waterfowl making this their cold-weather home.  There are plenty of birds here in August, but Pongo and I will definitely be back in January for the big show.