Elk Town, USA
ELK TOWN, USA
Elk have become year-round residents in coastal Oregon towns, instilling equal parts wonder and consternation. Now, some cities plan to shoot them.
Gearhart, Ore., resident Norma Ribich describes her backyard as “the maternity ward.” Each spring and fall, she watches Roosevelt elk mate, give birth and spar from her living room window on the Oregon Coast. “They can be a nuisance,” she says, “but we have all learned to live with them. They truly are our neighbors.”
There is on average one elk for every seven people in Clatsop County. As of 2018, roughly 5,500 elk live along Oregon’s North Coast, with numbers increasing. The elk have taken to living in town year-round, drawn by the relative safety and abundant food in neighborhoods. Whether friend or foe to elk, one thing is certain. Cities are concerned about growing conflicts.
Warrenton, Gearhart and Seaside plan to shoot them, while Cannon Beach, Manzanita and Nehalem will not. The division in approach sets up an unintended experiment for what will happen when neighboring cities take opposite approaches to coexist with elk.
The story of Clatsop elk has been brewing ever since I moved to Astoria in 2017. I have only documented it opportunistically, occasionally with my "real" camera, but mostly with my phone. They are my running companions (in addition to my dog, Javier). Our elk make the most mundane daily activities all the more interesting. A trip to Fred Meyer is so much more enjoyable if I think I might see elk on the way there.
Elk live loud and proud in Clatsop, an experience we share regardless of our backgrounds. As Ribich says, they are our neighbors after all. "Elk Town, USA," explores whether we’re going to be one in return.