Moose sightings on the rise on the Front Range
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- Created on Sunday, 05 September 2010 21:25
- Written by Nathan
Department of Wildlife
By LAURA SNIDER, BOULDER DAILY CAMERA
In March 1978, 12 moose from Utah's Uinta Mountain Range were released into North Park between Walden and Kremmling on the Western Slope.
A year later, another dozen -- this time from Wyoming -- were released, and in the decades sense, the North Park moose population has exploded, spreading from one marshy forest to another, quietly taking over new territory and delighting unsuspecting hikers.
In recent years, the moose have forged the Continental Divide and, apparently, taken a shine to Boulder County.
Moose have now been spotted across most of the western part of the county from Allenspark to south of Nederland, according to Ron Stewart, director of the county's Parks and Open Space Department. And while it's more common to see a moose in the mountains, the animal has occasionally made it down to the plains as well, sometimes passing through town.
"We've had a couple now come down into Longmont in the last couple of years," said Jennifer Churchill, spokeswoman for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. "I don't know if there's a moose highway or something -- they seem to be following some sort of drainage."
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