In the northeastern area of Michigan’s lower peninsula, signs will soon be posted to warn drivers on M-33 of the massive elk roaming back and forth across this state trunk highway, where a herd has bedded down on one side.
This December, five elk have been struck by vehicles in this woodsy area within a two-week period, and three of them were killed, Michigan Department of Transportation says.
So MDOT is erecting permanent elk crossing signs in the area between Onaway in Presque Isle County and tiny Atlanta, which is known as the Elk Capital of Michigan, in Montmorency County.
Jon Sklba, a Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer assigned to Presque Isle County, helped lead the drive to get the signs posted. He says a herd of about 20 elk are bedding on one side of the highway and have been crossing over for food sources. Sklba says he expects the herd to remain in the area for the foreseeable future.
Having three elk killed within only two weeks is definitely out of the ordinary, he says.
