(MUSIC PLAYING) - I LOVE MOOSE.

I JUST LOVE THEM.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE AMAZING CREATURES.

- IT'S BECOME ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS FOR PEOPLE TO SEE IN THIS AREA, FOR SURE.

- MOOSE ARE EXTREMELY POPULAR, BUT THEY'RE ALSO THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL IN COLORADO.

[SCREAMING] - HERE IT COMES.

GET AWAY!

- IF THEIR EARS GO BACK, IF THEIR HACKLES RAISE UP, IT'S PROBABLY A GOOD INDICATOR THAT YOU'RE TOO CLOSE.

- I TURNED AROUND AND IT WAS A MOOSE, AND IT WAS IN FULL CHARGE.

COMING UP THE TRAIL BEHIND US.

- THEY LOOK DOCILE, BUT DON'T LET THAT FOOL YOU.

THAT'S JUST HOW THEY DEAL WITH THREATS.

- AS MOOSE POPULATION INCREASES, AS HUMAN POPULATION INCREASES, ALL OF THOSE ARE LEADING TO PROBABLY MORE ENCOUNTERS AND CONFLICTS.

- MOOSE WERE TRANSLOCATED TO COLORADO IN THE 1970S, AND SO I THINK PEOPLE WILL GET THE WRONG IDEA ABOUT WHETHER MOOSE BELONG IN THE STATE OF COLORADO.

- SINCE THOSE TRANSPLANTS, THE POPULATION HAS STEADILY INCREASED.

BUT YOU CAN HAVE TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING.

- AND YOU CAN SEE, WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF WHAT WE CALL ZOMBIE WILLOWS OUT HERE.

THEY'VE BEEN BROWSED BY ELK AND MOOSE TO THE POINT WHERE YOU CAN SEE MOST OF THEM ONLY HAVE A FEW REMAINING LEAVES.

- JUST IN 20 YEARS, WE KNOW WE'VE LOST ABOUT 98% OF THE TALL WILLOW.

AND WE ATTRIBUTE THAT TO THE FACT THAT MOOSE MOVED INTO THE PARK FROM THE WEST.

- THERE WAS A BIG SORT OF WAVE OF NEWS STORIES ABOUT... THE IDEA THAT MOOSE ARE NON-NATIVE OR SOMETIMES YOU EVEN SEE THE WORD INVASIVE.

BUT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED MOOSE HAVE BEEN HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

- IT'S IRRELEVANT THAT IF THERE WERE 1 OR 100 MOOSE HERE, 500 YEARS AGO OR SOMETHING IN THE VALLEY.

LIKE WHAT MATTERS AS THE WAY THINGS ARE FUNCTIONING, WE'RE LOSING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND CHARACTERISTICS THAT MIGHT TAKE DECADES TO RECOVER.

- EVERYBODY HAS AN OPINION ON WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT.

BUT I HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE TO MANAGE MOOSE AT THE APPROPRIATE NUMBER TO PREVENT THEM FROM PEAKING AND CRASHING.

(MUSIC PLAYING) - IT SOUNDED LIKE SHE'S, MAYBE A LITTLE FURTHER UP ENDO.

WE'RE TRYING ONE LAST SPOT IN HORSESHOE PARK BEFORE WE HEAD UP VALLEY.

- IT SOUNDS GOOD.

WE'LL HEAD YOUR WAY AND SEE YOU SHORTLY.

SO WE HAVE SOME MOOSE THAT ARE WEARING A COLLAR THAT MAKES A BEEPING NOISE, AND HE CAN USE THAT ANTENNA TO FIND THEM.

- YEAH, SO IN THIS CASE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR AN ADULT COW WHO WE CAPTURED LAST YEAR AND FIT WITH A COLLAR.

BASED ON THE SIGNALS IT'S GIVING ME, IT'S SOUNDING LIKE SHE'S KIND OF DIRECTLY BEHIND ME.

KIND OF HEADING TOWARDS THAT BARE HILLSIDE BACK THERE.

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ME AND THERE IS WHERE IT SOUNDS LIKE SHE'S COMING FROM.

- SO THEY'RE RIGHT OVER HERE.

AND WE'RE GOING TO GO--WE'RE GOING TO MEET THEM OVER HERE BECAUSE SHE MOVED THAT WAY A LITTLE BIT.

THIS IS THE WORK WE OFTEN DO, WHICH IS THAT WE WANT TO SEE IF SHE HAS A BABY.

AND SO WE'D GO A LITTLE CLOSER, BUT WE'RE JUST, LIKE BEING QUIET IS A BIG THING BECAUSE SHE MIGHT JUST STAND UP.

AND LIKE, WALK INTO THE BRUSH.

- FOR MOOSE IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT WE NEEDED SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR BEHAVIOR, THEIR SURVIVAL, SOME THINGS ABOUT THEIR POPULATION.

AND SO WE HAD A FEW COLLARED IN 2017 AND THEN EVERY YEAR SINCE THEN.

- OH, THERE SHE GOES.

AND THERE'S THE CALF, YEAH.

- SO A BIG QUESTION THAT IS IMPORTANT FOR UNDERSTANDING HOW MOOSE ARE ACTING IN THE PARK IS JUST UNDERSTANDING HOW MANY THERE ARE.

AND SO IT'S ACTUALLY A BIG CHALLENGE TO ESTIMATE MOOSE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD BECAUSE THEY TEND TO BE FAIRLY ELUSIVE.

THEY'RE MOSTLY SOLITARY.

THEY'RE NOT SEEN IN BIG GROUPS IN BIG MEADOWS.

AND SO WHAT WE DO IS WE USE A HIGH-FLYING FIXED WING AIRCRAFT THAT USES INFRARED TO SEE MOOSE ON THE LANDSCAPE.

- LAST YEAR WE DID THE VERY FIRST PARK-WIDE SURVEY OF MOOSE AND WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT THE POPULATION'S AT ABOUT 240 INDIVIDUALS.

ONE THING THAT THAT SHOWED US IS THAT THE POPULATION INCREASED ALMOST 50 PERCENT IN JUST FIVE YEARS.

- ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK IS HOME TO HUNDREDS OF ANIMAL SPECIES.

THE PARK COVERS 415 SQUARE MILES OF VARYING MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENTS.

THIS INCLUDES WETLANDS, WHICH ONLY MAKE UP 4% OF THE PARK, BUT ARE CRUCIAL HABITAT FOR THE MANY PLANTS, BIRDS, AND MAMMALS THAT LIVE THERE.

- IN RECENT YEARS, WE'VE SEEN DRAMATIC LOSSES OF TALL WILLOW.

AND TALL WILLOW IS THE PLANT THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO A FUNCTIONING WETLAND IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK.

- WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF WHAT WE CALL ZOMBIE WILLOWS OUT HERE.

THESE WILLOWS SHOULD BE 10 TO 12 FEET PLUS TALL.

AND OVER THE RECENT DECADES, THEY'VE BEEN BROWSED BY ELK AND MOOSE TO THE POINT WHERE YOU CAN SEE MOST OF THEM ONLY HAVE A FEW REMAINING LEAVES.

- DURING THE SUMMER, ONE MOOSE CAN EAT AS MUCH WILLOW AS 15 ELK, CONSUMING UP TO 60 POUNDS A DAY.

ON THE WEST SIDE OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, THIS HAS BEEN A MAJOR FACTOR IN THE DEGRADATION OF THE WILLOW POPULATION.

- HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THESE.

THIS TOO, THESE WERE WILLOWS AND OVER MANY DECADES OF JUST GETTING ALL OF THEIR NEW SHOOTS EATEN.

THESE WERE SOME OF THE WILLOWS THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT BETWEEN 1999 AND 2019 THE ACREAGE OF TALL WILLOWS THAT IS WILLOWS TWO METERS OR TALLER DECLINED BY 98 PERCENT.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO REVERSE.

- AS PART OF THE ELK AND VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN, THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INSTALLED SIX-FOOT-TALL FENCES IN HOPES OF RESTORING WILLOWS IN THESE IMPORTANT WETLAND AREAS.

THE FENCES KEEP ELK AND MOOSE OUT WHILE ALLOWING SMALLER CREATURES LIKE BEAVER TO WIGGLE UNDERNEATH A GAP LOW IN THE FENCE.

- THIS FENCE HAS BEEN INSTALLED SINCE 2011 AND IT'S ABOUT 16 AND A HALF ACRES AND WE'VE SEEN MARKED WILLOW GROWTH AS YOU CAN SEE HERE.

IT'S ALL-NATURAL REGROWTH AFTER JUST EXCLUDING BROWSING.

- SO BACK BEHIND ME YOU CAN SEE PRETTY HEALTHY STAND OF WILLOW.

IT'S NOT QUITE TO THE POINT THAT WE'D CALL RECOVERED, BUT IT'S MAKING GREAT PROGRESS INSIDE THE FENCE.

YOU CAN SEE THE CONTRAST IS PRETTY STARK BETWEEN THESE AREAS THAT ARE GREEN AND PRETTY WET AND THE AREA RIGHT NEXT TO IT THAT'S SUPER DRY.

- MOOSE NOW ARE ADDING TO THE STRESSORS OF THESE AREAS.

SO, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THE ELK AND VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN, IT WAS VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON ELK.

WE KNOW THAT THE MOOSE POPULATION IS BURGEONING IN THE PARK AS WELL AS OUTSIDE OF THE PARK.

SO, LOOKING AT JUST AN ADDITIONAL STRESSOR, FUTURE WETLAND RIPARIAN RESTORATION INCLUDES MOOSE AS PART OF THE EQUATION NOW TOO.

- MOOSE HAVE SHOWED US THAT MUCH OF COLORADO, PARTICULARLY THE CENTRAL ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPAN OF COLORADO, MUCH OF THAT IS EXCELLENT MOOSE HABITAT.

- ANDY HOLLAND IS THE BIG GAME MANAGER FOR COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE.

PART OF HIS JOB IS TO LOOK AT THE MOOSE POPULATION AND ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS AROUND THE STATE TO KEEP THINGS IN BALANCE.

- MOOSE ARE DOING REALLY WELL IN COLORADO.

THEY'VE BEEN ON THE INCREASE AND PIONEERING NEW HABITATS FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS.

- FOR MUCH OF THE 20TH CENTURY, SEEING A MOOSE IN COLORADO WAS RARE.

IN THE 1970S, WHAT WAS THEN KNOWN AS THE COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE STARTED A PROGRAM TO BRING MOOSE INTO THE STATE AND ESTABLISH A BREEDING POPULATION.

BEFORE THAT POINT, WITH NO OFFICIAL SYSTEM IN PLACE TO TRACK MOOSE, IT'S UNCLEAR HOW MANY WERE IN COLORADO.

- I THINK AND FROM WHAT I GATHER FROM OLD REPORTS AND WHATNOT.

THERE IS HISTORICAL RECORD EVIDENCE OF MOOSE IN COLORADO, AND THEY WERE EXTIRPATED LIKE A LOT OF BIG GAME IN THE LATE 1800S.

BUT EVERYBODY LOVES MOOSE.

AND SO, THERE WAS AN INTEREST IN HAVING MOOSE BROUGHT BACK BOTH FOR THE HUNTING OPPORTUNITY AND FOR THE WILDLIFE VIEWING OPPORTUNITY.

- THE FIRST RELOCATION IN 1978 BROUGHT 12 MOOSE FROM UTAH TO NORTH PARK, COLORADO.

WHERE AN ABUNDANCE OF WILLOW MADE THE PERFECT HABITAT FOR A BUDDING MOOSE POPULATION.

- IN NORTH PARK, THE NATURAL HABITAT UP HERE IS VERY STRONG IN THE NUTRIENTS.

I DON'T CARE IF IT'S CATTLE, SHEEP, THEY THRIVE ON IT.

WE JUST SIT UP IN THE VERY NORTHWEST CORNER OF COLORADO, AND IT'S JUST A BOWL UP HERE.

MOUNTAINS ALL THE WAY AROUND.

AND WALDEN IS THE ONLY INCORPORATED TOWN IN THE COUNTY.

MY NAME IS TOOTIE CROWNER, AND I'M BORN AND RAISED HERE.

I WAS ELECTED TO MAYOR IN THE 90S, AND I WAS MAYOR TO 95, AND THEN I WAS A COUNTY COMMISSIONER FOR EIGHT YEARS.

IN THE BEGINNING, THE TOWN WAS ONE OF THE 10 ENDANGERED TOWNS IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE 95, RIGHT IN THROUGH THERE.

AND WE SAID WE NEEDED SOME HELP TO HELP OUR TOWN.

AND IF WE WERE GOING TO HAVE THE MOOSE HERE AND IT WAS A TOURIST THING, WE NEEDED TO CAPITALIZE ON IT.

AND SO THEY CHANGED IT TO BE CALLED THE MOOSE VIEWING CAPITAL OF COLORADO.

I LIVE RIGHT IN TOWN HERE, A BLOCK FROM THE MAIN STREET HERE.

AND WE ALWAYS WOULD SAY, JUST DRIVE AROUND TOWN AND YOU'LL SEE A MOOSE OUT THERE.

- STARTING WITH THE FIRST TRANSFER OF MOOSE TO NORTH PARK IN 1978, COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE BROUGHT IN 215 MOOSE FROM NEIGHBORING STATES OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DECADES.

THE MOOSE THRIVED IN THEIR NEW ENVIRONMENT.

TODAY, THE OVERALL MOOSE POPULATION IS ESTIMATED TO BE 3400.

- MOOSE HAVE BEEN PIONEERING ON THEIR OWN AND FILLING IN VACANT HABITAT AND EXPANDING BEYOND WHERE WE PUT THEM.

WHICH IS OFTEN WHAT HAPPENS WITH REINTRODUCED POPULATIONS, THEY HAVE ABUNDANT FORAGE BECAUSE THAT SPECIES HAS NOT BEEN THERE FOR A LONG TIME.

BUT YOU CAN HAVE TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING.

OK, I'M JUST GOING TO WALK OVER HERE.

I CAN SEE HER.

IT'S AMAZING HOW MUCH THEY DISAPPEAR IN EVEN GRASS LIKE NOT THAT TALL.

YOU KNOW?

ON THE ONE HAND, I LOVE SEEING MOOSE.

THEY'RE SO COOL.

THEY'RE THESE HONESTLY PRETTY ODD-LOOKING ANIMALS.

AND THEN ON THE OTHER SIDE, AS AN ECOLOGIST, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO SOMETIMES INTERVENE AND BALANCE SPECIES WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT.

- AND SO, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO PREVENT IS MOOSE POPULATIONS FROM PEAKING, OVER BROWSING SENSITIVE WILLOW AND ASPEN COMMUNITIES AND THEN CRASHING.

- AS THE IMPACT OF MOOSE ON THE ENVIRONMENT HAS BECOME MORE EVIDENT, SCIENTISTS AND SOME MEDIA OUTLETS QUESTIONED WHETHER THE SPECIES IS NATIVE AND BELONGS HERE.

- THE LAST YEAR OR TWO, THERE WAS A BIG WAVE OF NEWS STORIES ABOUT MOOSE THAT WERE KIND OF CENTERED AROUND THE PREMISE THAT MOOSE HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED TO COLORADO BUT ARE NON-NATIVE, OR SOMETIMES YOU EVEN SEE THE WORD INVASIVE AND I STARTED TO DIG INTO, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE SCIENCE BEHIND THIS CONCLUSION?

I'M WILLIAM TAYLOR.

I'M AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, A CURATOR OF ARCHAEOLOGY.

SO I SPEND A LOT OF MY TIME DIGGING INTO MUSEUM COLLECTIONS ACROSS THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN WEST HERE.

SOMEWHERE IN THIS LAB, WE'VE GOT ALMOST EVERY ANIMAL THAT'S LIVED IN COLORADO AT LEAST IN THE LAST 20,000 YEARS.

SO, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS JUST ONE OF OUR MOOSE FROM OUR COLLECTION.

- AT CU'S MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, WILLIAM TAYLOR AND HIS TEAM HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING THIS IDEA THAT MOOSE ARE NOT NATIVE TO COLORADO.

THEY'VE BEEN DIGGING THROUGH WRITTEN ARCHIVES, MUSEUM COLLECTIONS, AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MOOSE IN THE STATE.

- IT'S THAT ONE, SO THERE'S, UH, YEAH, SOME GRAND COUNTY MOOSE.

IT'S THE ONE THAT SAYS 6745 ON IT.

SO WE'RE SITTING HERE IN THE MAMMAL'S COLLECTION OF THE DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE AND WE'RE LOOKING HERE AT THE PARTIAL PELT HERE OF A MOOSE THAT WAS HARVESTED IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS NEAR GRAND LAKE IN THE STATE OF COLORADO.

SO HERE YOU CAN SEE THE TAG, THE FIELD NUMBER, THE DATE OF COLLECTION HERE IN 1944.

SO, THIS IS JUST A NICE VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF THE PRESENCE OF MOOSE IN THE MID 20TH CENTURY.

SO, THE FIRST TAKEAWAY FROM OUR MOOSE RESEARCH, PRETTY MUCH FROM THE BEGINNING OF ACCESSIBLE RECORD KEEPING IN THE STATE OF THE COLORADO.

THERE IS A CONTINUOUS AND PERSISTENT RECORD OF MOOSE.

- SO, WHO'S TO SAY MOOSE WERE NOT HERE BEFORE?

I MEAN, THE PROBABILITY OF THEM BEING AROUND IN COLORADO IS PRETTY GOOD.

YOU KNOW, THERE COULD BE A TIME WHEN MOOSE WERE HERE, AND THEN THEY LEFT AGAIN, AND THEN THEY CAME BACK.

SO, WHO'S TO SAY THAT'S NOT HAPPENING?

- CRYSTAL C'BEARING IS THE TRIBAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER FOR THE NORTHERN ARAPAHO TRIBE.

AND WORKED WITH WILLIAM TAYLOR ON HIS STUDY ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MOOSE IN THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES.

- FOR THE MOOSE, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE THOUGHT AS IN ARAPAHO HINENIHII.

IT'S LIKE, HE'S LIKE A BIG MAN.

HE LOOKED LIKE A BIG MAN.

YOU KNOW, MOOSE ARE SO HUGE AND THEY PROVIDE A LOT OF MEAT.

(MUSIC PLAYING) IT WAS ANOTHER SOURCE OF RESOURCES FOR US AS A FOOD SOURCE, AS CLOTHING, AS MAKING ITEMS, MATERIALS.

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT TRIBES, WE WERE A NATURAL PREDATOR AS WELL.

AND SO, WE HUNTED THEM AND WE KEPT THEM AT CONTROLLED WHEN WE WERE THERE.

- YOU KNOW, WITHOUT HUNTING IN COLORADO, THE ANIMALS WOULD BECOME OVERPOPULATED OVER TIME FOR THE AMOUNT OF HABITAT WE HAVE LEFT.

SO, THERE ARE AREAS THAT, YOU KNOW, JUST CANNOT SUSTAIN THE WILDLIFE UNCHECKED.

- SCOTT LIMMER RUNS COMANCHE WILDERNESS OUTFITTERS BASED IN NORTHERN COLORADO.

THIS IS HIS 36TH SEASON AS A BIG GAME HUNTING GUIDE.

HE PROVIDES FOOD, CAMPING GEAR, HORSES, AND DECADES OF INSIGHT TO HUNTERS WHO DRAW LICENSES FOR A VARIETY OF BIG GAME ANIMALS, INCLUDING MOOSE.

- OH,THERE'S ONE, I THINK.

OH, THERE HE IS.

HE JUST WENT UP THROUGH THAT OTHER MEADOW.

WHAT WE WOULD SAY IS A RECORD BOOK QUALITY TYPE BULL THERE.

YOU KNOW, EVERY AREA IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT HOW YOU DO THE HUNT AND HOW MANY MOOSE THERE ARE IN THE AREA.

SO AS THE MOOSE PIONEER OUT AND BECOME MORE POPULATED IN NEW AREAS, THEN THE STATE WILL START A SEASON IN THOSE AREAS TOO.

- BIG GAME HUNTING IS HIGHLY REGULATED IN COLORADO AND THROUGHOUT THE WEST.

AND THE ONLY THING THAT'S KEEPING THEM FROM OVERPOPULATING.

IS OUR FEMALE HARVEST.

AND WE'VE INCREASED OUR COW MOOSE HUNTING LICENSES FOURFOLD IN THE LAST 13 YEARS.

- TO REGULATE HUNTING, CPW DIVIDED THE STATE INTO GAME MANAGEMENT UNITS, OR GMUS.

OF COLORADO'S 185 GMUS, 74 ARE OPEN TO MOOSE HUNTING, WITH A LIMITED NUMBER OF LICENSES ALLOTTED TO EACH UNIT.

BASED ON MOOSE POPULATION AND STATUS OF THE HABITAT IN THAT AREA.

CPW ISSUES TAGS THROUGH A LOTTERY SYSTEM, SO IT'S THE LUCK OF THE DRAW.

- FOR 2026, WE HAD 761 MOOSE LICENSES AND 66,000 APPLICANTS FOR THOSE 761 LICENSES.

IT'S ESSENTIALLY THE POWER BALL OF BIG GAME HUNTING.

PEOPLE GO THEIR WHOLE LIVES LITERALLY WITHOUT EVER DRAWING.

-GIANT BULL - I'VE BEEN PUTTING IN SINCE THEY OFFERED THE LICENSES THE FIRST YEAR, ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO.

I'VE NEVER DRAWN.

YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY TOUGH TO GET.

THERE'S THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE APPLYING FOR THOSE TAGS.

YOU SEE THAT ROCK?

HE WAS RIGHT BELOW THAT ONE.

- ALL OF OUR BIG GAME MANAGEMENT IS BASED ON HERD MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR EACH LOCAL INDIVIDUAL HERD.

THOSE HERD MANAGEMENT PLANS HAVE BOTH BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS TO CONSIDER.

IN ADDITION TO NOT OVER BROWSING THE HABITAT, THEY ALSO HAVE A CONFLICT COMPONENT WITH MOOSE.

- AS COLORADO'S MOOSE POPULATION HAS INCREASED, MORE PEOPLE HAVE MOVED INTO THE STATE, LEADING TO MORE CONFLICTS WITH THE ANIMAL.

(MUSIC PLAYING) - HERE HE COMES, GET AWAY!

[SCREAMING] - THE PERSONALITY OF A MOOSE IS DECEIVING, I THINK.

THEY LOOK DOCILE, BUT DON'T LET THAT FOOL YOU.

THAT'S JUST HOW THEY DEAL WITH THREATS.

(MUSIC PLAYING) - THEIR PREDATOR AVOIDANCE STRATEGY IS USUALLY TO STAND THEIR GROUND AND USE THEIR FRONT HOOVES TO STOMP WHATEVER IS COMING THEIR WAY.

AND SO, THEY'RE THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL IN COLORADO.

- SINCE 2019, MOOSE HAVE ATTACKED AND HURT AT LEAST 31 PEOPLE IN COLORADO.

THAT'S ABOUT THE SAME NUMBER OF MOUNTAIN LION AND BEAR ATTACKS COMBINED IN THE SAME TIME PERIOD.

AND THAT'S ONLY WHAT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO CPW, LIKE THE ATTACK CHRIS RAY SURVIVED IN 2023.

- IT WAS SEPTEMBER OF 2023.

MY DOG AND I WERE ON A HIKE IN THE MORNING UP A TRAIL RIGHT NEAR MY HOUSE.

-COME, NALA.

I WOULD FILL A BIG CONTAINER OF WATER, PUT IT IN MY BACKPACK.

THAT BOTTLE OF WATER IN THAT BACKPACK DEFINITELY SAVED ME.

WE DO THAT TRAIL EVERY MORNING OR WE USED TO.

SO, THIS DAY I HEARD AN ANIMAL CROSSING THE CREEK AND I TURNED AROUND AND IT WAS A MOOSE AND IT WAS IN FULL CHARGE COMING UP THE TRAIL BEHIND US.

THIS IS THE SPOT.

SHE WAS COMING FROM THERE.

YOU KNOW, SHE WAS MAYBE 30 FEET AWAY WHEN I SAW HER.

AND I WENT ‘NO!

AND I WENT LIKE THIS TOOK A COUPLE STEPS AND WENT OVER THAT BARBED WIRE.

I THOUGHT, WELL, SHE'S GOING TO BE ON ME.

AND SURE ENOUGH, SHE HIT ME, ALL FOUR HOOVES RIGHT ON MY BACK.

AND I THOUGHT AT THAT MOMENT, WELL, MAYBE I'M A GONER.

AND AS I LIFTED MY HEAD UP, I COULD SEE SHE WAS WHEELING AROUND TO COME BACK.

AND I PUT MY HAND OVER MY HEAD BECAUSE I WASN'T THERE YET.

AND SHE GOT MY ARM THAT TIME AND MY LEG.

AND SO, I THOUGHT, I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE.

I HAVE TO GET SOMETHING.

AND I COULD BARELY MOVE.

BUT I GOT MYSELF BEHIND THAT TREE SOMEHOW.

WHEN SHE LEFT, SHE WENT THAT WAY AND BACK ACROSS THE CREEK.

I COULD HEAR HER SPLASHING ACROSS.

AND THEN LUCKILY, SHE NEVER CAME BACK.

SHE ENDED UP BREAKING MY BACK IN THREE PLACES, BROKE A RIB, AND BROKE MY STERNUM, EVEN THOUGH THAT WAS FACE DOWN ON THE GROUND.

I WAS JUST SO INCREDIBLY LUCKY, JUST LUCKY THAT I WAS CARRYING THAT WATER.

THAT'S THE KEY.

- A COW MOOSE WITH A CALF IS FOR SURE THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL WE HAVE IN COLORADO.

AND PEOPLE NEED TO KEEP THEIR DISTANCE AND KEEP THEIR DOGS ON A LEASH, OR THE MOOSE WILL SEE THE DOG AS A THREAT TO ITS CALF.

- I'M DEFINITELY AFRAID NOW, AND I TAKE PRECAUTIONS.

I STILL CARRY BEAR SPRAY AND A HORN BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY GRUDGE AGAINST MOOSE AND THEY'RE AMAZING CREATURES SO MUCH MORE CAPABLE THAN I AM.

I HAVE TO HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR THEM.

- AS MOOSE POPULATION INCREASES AS ITS HUMAN POPULATION INCREASES AND AS WE ARE ALL ENJOYING THE OUTDOORS MORE.

ALL OF THOSE ARE LEADING TO PROBABLY MORE ENCOUNTERS AND CONFLICTS.

I HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO MANAGE MOOSE AT AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL WHICH IS THE HARD, GETTING THAT NUMBER IS THE HARD PART.

- MANAGING MOOSE IS A CHALLENGE ACROSS THE STATE, BUT IT CAN BE ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT WITHIN THE BORDERS OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, WHERE HUNTING IS PROHIBITED BY FEDERAL LAW.

- FOR MOOSE IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, THE POPULATION HAS CLIMBED TO A HIGHER-THAN-NORMAL LEVEL.

AND THE BIGGEST REASON FOR THAT IS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE SOME OF THE APEX PREDATORS THAT TYPICALLY MANAGE UNGULATE POPULATIONS.

SO, THE KEY THING HERE IS THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD WOLVES AND WE HAVEN'T HAD GRIZZLY BEARS.

AND WITHOUT THOSE TWO NATURAL PREDATORS, WE HAVEN'T HAD REGULATION OF THE POPULATION.

- ONE PART THAT I THINK ABOUT IN TERMS OF MOOSE MANAGEMENT IS ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK SHOULD BE WORKING WITH TRIBES ON HELPING CONTROL THIS MOOSE POPULATION.

C'BEARING BELIEVES THERE COULD BE A SOLUTION TO THE OVERPOPULATION OF MOOSE IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK.

SHE THINKS AN AGREEMENT COULD BE REACHED BETWEEN TWO GOVERNMENTS, NORTHERN ARAPAHO AND THE UNITED STATES, TO ALLOW TRIBAL HUNTING ON NATIONAL PARK LAND.

- THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT YOU CAN UTILIZE, JUST LIKE THE BUFFALO.

YOU KNOW, EVERY PART OF THE BUFFALO WAS USED, BUT EVERY PART OF THE MOOSE, YOU KNOW, AND REGARDLESS OF WHAT ANIMAL IT IS TOO.

WHY CAN'T THEY LET TRIBES EXERCISE THEIR TREATY RIGHTS TO HARVEST THOSE MOOSE?

- THE MOST OBVIOUS SORT OF PREDATOR HERE THAT HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE EQUATION IS PEOPLE.

AND I THINK ROCKY MOUNTAIN HAS SOME CHOICES TO MAKE ABOUT HOW THEY NAVIGATE MOOSE.

- IN JUNE 2026, THE JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY PUBLISHED WILLIAM TAYLOR'S PEER-REVIEWED STUDY ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MOOSE IN THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES.

THE STUDY DETERMINED THAT MOOSE HAVE BEEN PRESENT IN COLORADO FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

AND THAT IT'S SCIENTIFICALLY INACCURATE TO FRAME MOOSE AS NON-NATIVE.

THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE DISAGREES WITH TAYLOR'S CONCLUSION.

- ONE THING THAT THE PARK HAS BEEN REALLY CONSISTENT ON IS SAYING, WE KNOW THERE'S BEEN MOOSE RARELY IN COLORADO.

BUT WE DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY EVIDENCE OF A SUSTAINED BREEDING POPULATION.

AND EVEN WITH NEW INFORMATION THAT'S BEEN GATHERED, NATIVITY ALONE ISN'T A VERY IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR OUR MANAGEMENT.

FOR MOOSE, I THINK IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT WHETHER THEY WERE LABELED NATIVE OR NON-NATIVE, WE WOULD STILL BE WRITING A MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THEM BECAUSE WE SEE THEM HAVING A MAJOR ECOLOGICAL EFFECT.

- THE REASON THAT I'VE ENTERED THIS DISCUSSION IS NOT BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET THE ACADEMIC NUANCES JUST RIGHT.

IT'S THAT THAT LANGUAGE ENTERING THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE GIVES ME A LOT OF EXTRAORDINARY CONCERNS THAT YOU CAN DO EXTREME-- SORT OF NO-HOLDS-BARRED MANAGEMENT CHOICES, RIGHT?

- AS PART OF TAYLOR'S STUDY, HE POINTS TO INSTANCES WHERE THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HAS REMOVED ANIMALS, THEY'VE LABELED AS INVASIVE IN AN EFFORT TO PROTECT THE ECOSYSTEM.

WHILE ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK SAYS THEY ARE WORKING ON A MOOSE MANAGEMENT PLAN, THEY AREN'T READY TO RELEASE DETAILS.

- IN A LOT OF OTHER PLACES THAT HAVE TACKLED THIS ISSUE, PEOPLE TURN TO THE SAME TOOLS.

SO FENCING IS A COMMON TOOL.

REPRODUCTIVE CONTROL IS A COMMON TOOL.

CULLING IS USED IN SOME PLACES.

THOSE ARE THE COMMON TOOLS THAT WE SEE TIME AND AGAIN.

BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE MANAGEMENT ACTIONS THAT WE TAKE IN THE PARK ARE ON A REALLY STRONG SCIENTIFIC FOOTING BECAUSE THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT WE'LL DO FOR ONE OR TWO YEARS.

THIS COULD BE SOMETHING INFLUENCES THE PARK FOR DECADES TO COME.

- THIS IS ONE OF THE LAST FEW PLACES WHERE WILDLIFE AND NATURAL PROCESSES CAN OCCUR.

AND SO, IT'S IRRELEVANT THAT IF THERE WERE 1 OR 100 MOOSE HERE 500 YEARS AGO OR SOMETHING IN THE VALLEY, LIKE THE WAY THINGS ARE FUNCTIONING, WE'RE LOSING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND CHARACTERISTICS THAT MIGHT TAKE DECADES TO RECOVER IF THEY CAN BE RECOVERED.

- WE DEFINITELY WANT TO PROTECT SENSITIVE ASPEN AND WILLOW COMMUNITIES FROM OVERBROWSING OF MOOSE AND ELK BECAUSE IT CAN TAKE DECADES FOR OVERBROWSED HABITAT.

IT CAN TAKE 30, 40 YEARS TO RECOVER.

- WE'RE VERY PLEASED BY THE EARLY OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT.

YOU'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO SEE SOME OF OUR WILLOW PLANTINGS PRODUCING NEW LEAVES.

SO, IT'S NICE WHEN YOU SEE THE POSITIVE OUTCOME AFTER MANY YEARS.

- ESPECIALLY WITH LARGE CHARISMATIC ANIMALS, IT'S MOSTLY WORKING WITH PEOPLE.

BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT ANIMALS AND IT'S MEANINGFUL FOR PEOPLE TO KEEP THESE ANIMALS ON THE LANDSCAPE, KEEP THEIR POPULATIONS HEALTHY.

- THERE'S A LOT OF SOCIAL ASPECTS OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT, OF WHO WE'RE MANAGING FOR AND WHY, AND EVERYBODY HAS AN OPINION ON WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT.

I MEAN, WE'RE ALL SCIENTISTS AND WE BASE A LOT OF OUR DECISIONS ON DATA.

BUT A BIG COMPONENT OF THOSE DECISIONS IS THE HUMAN ELEMENT.

- I THINK THE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF MOOSE IS THEY'RE ALLOWED TO THRIVE AND NOT COMPETE.

AND SO, TRYING TO FIND A GOOD SOLUTION, BRAINSTORMING AND REALLY FIGURING OUT WHAT'S THE BEST SOLUTION HERE FOR EVERYBODY.

- OUR CLIMATE AROUND US IS CHANGING.

IN 2026, OUR CLIMATE IS DIFFERENT THAN IT'S GOING TO BE IN 2036.

AND MOOSE ARE ADAPTING AND RESPONDING TO THOSE CHANGES.

SO LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, I'M WATCHING WITH CURIOSITY AND HOPE THAT A THOUGHTFUL AND SUSTAINABLE SET OF CHOICES WILL BE MADE HERE.

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