Elk at Highlands Falls

It is not uncommon to see fox, bear, osprey, beaver, and even otters at Highlands Falls.  The unique environment here at the club plays host to many different kinds of animals.  The club can now claim a new tenant, elk.  Over the weekend, club member Bob Trevathen took these pictures of an elk on #11 and #12.

Elk in front of #11 green.

 

Elk had been missing from the mountains of western North Carolina for two centuries before their 2001 reintroduction into the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.  Their numbers are thought to be over 160 today.

While this is not the first sighting in the area, it is definitely the first sighting here at the club.  It is also one the southernmost confirmed sightings of elk in the wild.