HOLDEN, W.Va. — As the sun dropped behind the distant mountains, the sides of the livestock trailer shook like thunder as one by one the newest additions to West Virginia’s elk herd bounded out the door and into the holding facility of the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area in Logan County.
Members of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, assisted by personnel from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, delivered 17 of the 40 elk the state is due to receive in the weeks ahead from the U.S. Forest Service at their Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in western Kentucky.
“They’ve been handled for the TB test twice before we got there, so they were a little contrary, but we checked on them during the trip and they did okay,” said DNR Elk Project Leader Randy Kelley.
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The agency separated the cows and bulls into two separate holding areas on the Tomblin WMA and will soon open the gate for a soft release. No further testing or quarantine is required, so the new elk will soon mingle with the existing population on the ground on their own.
“The idea is to let them get acclimated and make sure everybody did come through the transportation okay before we turn them loose. Within seven to 10 days we’ll open the gate and let them wander out on their own into the hills of West Virginia,” Kelley explained.
The 17 new elk will be held for a week or so before the gates are opened and they’ll wander into the wild on their own PHOTO: Mark Bias
This was the fourth release of transplanted elk in the DNR’s Elk Reintroduction Project and the first since approximately 60 were brought to the Mountain State from Arizona in 2018. Since then the elk population had been maintaining itself, but growing at a slow rate. The introduction of new animals, some of which are almost certainly bred, will help reinvigorate the population growth according to Kelley.
“Once we find out which of the cows are pregnant, it will help us almost immediately,” he said. “But there is a variety of age structure, they’re not all to breeding age, so if we get six or seven this year, then five more next year, and five or six more the following year who come into breeding age, it will give us about a third more calves in just a short span of time.”
Once they leave the pen, it’s hard to say where the newest members of the West Virginia herd will wind up. The group has been together for a couple of weeks and made the trip together which has grouped them into a loose family unit. Some may break off and stake out new territory on the 35,000 acres of the Tomblin WMA away from the others. But, Kelley added some may fold into the existing West Virginia population and grow the herd that way based on past experiences.
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“They don’t wander far because they don’t have to,” he explained.
It’s anticipated the rest of the 23 elk West Virginia expected to receive will be rounded up and transported in the next couple of months.
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – West Virginia lawmakers continued working as the Saturday midnight deadline approaches.
Senate Action
The Senate passed 12 bills, including one requiring adult content websites to use age verification to block minors. Senators also passed a bill creating a Cold Case Task Force.
House Bill 49-90, targeting gift card crimes, and House Bill 54-37, the Vape Safety Act, also passed unanimously. All four bills now go to the House for concurrence.
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Delegates passed Alyssa’s Law, allowing teachers to wear mobile alert buttons that notify 9-1-1 and trigger a school lockdown in emergencies. The bill is named after a victim of the 2018 Parkland shooting.
Bill 4005, which clarifies jobs prohibited for workers under 16 — including bar work and logging — also passed. Both bills now head to Governor Patrick Morrisey’s desk.
Senate Bill 4 would require bystanders to stay at least 30 feet from first responders.
Senate Bill 75 would allow West Virginia law enforcement to cooperate with officers in bordering states. A bill from the Education Committee would allow teachers with at least 15 years of experience to become certified as school principals.
For more legislative coverage, go to our website at wdtv.com.
The West Virginia Mountaineers (10-3) welcome the Maryland Terrapins (10-5) to Kendrick Family Ballpark Tuesday afternoon the first encounter between the two programs since 2023 and the first meeting in Morgantown since 2018. The first pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. EST and the action will stream on ESPN+.
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The Mountaineers captured their fourth consecutive series of the season after taking two of the three games from Columbia over the weekend. West Virginia sophomore Matt Ineich and senior Brodie Kresser both blasted grand slams during the series. Ineich lifted WVU in game two with a walk-off grand slam in the 10th in game two, and Kresser ignited a 16-1 rout, capping a six-run second inning in the series finale.
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Gavin Kelly leads West Virginia at the plate with a .436 batting average with a Big 12 leading nine doubles. Ineich and senior Paul Schoenfeld has raked in a team-leading 16 RBI apiece, while senior Matthew Graveline has clubbed a team-high three home runs.
On the mound, West Virginia is expected to start sophomore David Hagen. The right-hander has made four appearances on the season, including one start. He last started in the home-opener against Ohio where he pitched two scoreless innings and recorded a strikeout to collect his first win of the season. He holds a 1.00 ERA with five strikeouts on the season.
After starting 3-4, Maryland is 7-1 in its last eight games. The Terrapins won two of three at UNC Wilmington in the season opening series, followed by a midweek win against Georgetown before getting swept at Louisiana. The Terps bounced back with a pair of midweek wins versus Delaware and swept a one-win Wagner team.
Junior Brayden Martin is batting a team-best .443 to go with four doubles and 12 RBI. Redshirt freshman Ryan Costello leads the Terps in home runs (9) and RBI (21) and is third in batting average at .328, while freshman Ty Kaunus has a team-high seven doubles and has .269 batting average.
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Maryland is scheduled to start freshman Nic Morlang. The right-hander has four appearances on the season, including four starts. He allowed five earned runs in his appearances, coinciding with his two starts, in six innings of work. In his last two appearances in relief, He’s allowed one earned run on five hits.
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West Virginia leads the all-time series 8-5, including a five-game winning streak over Maryland.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a series of parties in Morgantown over the weekend.
Morgantown police officers, West Virginia University Police and state police responded to reports of overcrowded parties, underage drinking, physical altercations and multiple injuries.
Morgantown Communications Director Brad Riffie said several citations were issued for open containers and underage consumption.
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Two large parties were dispersed and six arrests were made without incident.
None of the reported injuries are believed to be serious or life-threatening.
The Morgantown Fire Department assisted in the operations.
