Driving to the coast the other day (20 October 2025), I was a little surprised to see a large Elk (Cervus canadensis) fairly close to the side of the road. We pulled over to take a photo for the record.
I had a vague recollection that an elk had been spotted in western Sonoma County before, so I contacted Brock at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center for an update. He confirmed that a male Elk has been observed off and on in this area for 6-7 years now. (It also looks like it's possible a few others have been spotted in West County.)
With many thanks to Brock for keeping track of and confirming some of the local elk history!
