Tule Elk Viewpoint

Developed by the Inter-Agency Committee on Owens Valley Land and Wildlife, this viewpoint above the Tinemaha reservoir gives tourists a chance to see a herd of Tule Elk. Not indigenous to the Owens River Valley these dwarf elk rather come from the San Joaquin Valley and coastal areas where the introduction of cattle nearly drove them to extinction. Legislators realized the danger of extinction and gave them protection in 1873. Although the elk began to recover, their raiding of crops was considered to be a nuisance by San Joaquin Valley farmers. 55 animals were transplanted to the Owens Valley in 1934. The herds flourished on protected Los Angeles land and in Inyo National Forest and have been transplanted back to other parts of the state.