Heavy snow in Idaho's Upper Snake River region has prompted the state to feed elk to keep them away from haystacks and cattle.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Heavy snow in southeastern Idaho’s Upper Snake River region has prompted state Department of Fish and Game staff, landowners and volunteers to increase their efforts to feed elk.

The persistent harsh conditions bring elk to lower elevations, often near farms and cattle. Elk can damage haystacks, mix with cattle feeding operations — raising disease concerns — and cause road hazards.

Some 2,500 elk have shown up in the Hamer area north of Idaho Falls since early December, causing a hazard along Interstate 15, a department release said.

A team of Fish and Game staff and landowners formed this month to work on minimizing damage. They started a feeding operation on private land. The department gets hay from local farmers.

“Landowners, assisted by volunteers and staff, have been dealing with these issues day and night,” said Matt Pieron, department regional supervisor.

The landowners continue to work hard “as these elk continue to be a persistent problem for them,” he said. That is partly because their population is above management objectives.

“We will need to engage in additional efforts to help this community,” Pieron said.

The team and the regional Winter Feeding Advisory Committee deemed feeding — always a last option, the department said — necessary to lure the elk away from the freeway and limit their interaction with cattle.

Some elk moved to the feeding site on their own by following a trail of hay. Others were coaxed by people on snowmobiles.

On Jan. 20, “we used snow machines to gently push several hundred more elk from around haystacks and cattle operations toward the bait lines and feed site,” said Josh Rydalch, state wildlife biologist.

Landowners and volunteers have been protecting haystack yards and working to keep elk out of cattle operations.