In the early 1900s, the wildlife of the Valley was considered a magnet for tourists. In order to attract additional visitors, non-native wildlife was introduced. In 1911, twenty-five turkeys were delivered. It was hoped that these birds would prove to be a successful and attractive feature and that a new sport would be created for hunters.
In 1914, as part of a government program to revive the California tule elk population, ten elk from the Miller and Lux Reserve were introduced into Big Basin.
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| California Fish and Game, 1914. |
Tule Elk, a distinct subspecies of elk found only in California, were thought to have been extinct in the 1870s, but in 1874 a pair were discovered on the ranch of Henry Miller in the Central Valley and his protection of the pair is credited with the survival of the subspecies. An additional four arrived in the park in 1915.
By 1916, three of the elk, including the finest in the herd, had been killed and a reward of $100 was offered to anyone who could provide information that would lead to an arrest. It was difficult to keep the elk constrained in their coral and they wandered quite far. In October 1916, an elk was spotted twenty miles up the coast, on the Gianoni Ranch, feeding in a meadow with a herd of cattle.
In 1920, a single elk from a herd of forty in the Del Monte Forest was transported to Big Basin. The entire herd was to be moved to other locations because of the havoc they were causing to Pebble Beach homeowners' gardens. Eventually the Big Basin herd died out.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, a dreadful disease struck the Valley's grey squirrel population. The disease left the animals blind and unable to find food. A year-round hunting ban was put in place and by 1933, it was believed that there were none left here. In 1937, pioneer conservationist Herman Irwin for the San Lorenzo Valley Chamber of Commerce, surveyed the squirrel population and found just fifteen individuals, none south of Ben Lomond. The chamber was eager to see the population revived to provide an attractive feature "for the strolling visitors and vacationists."
In March 1940, five grey squirrels were imported from Montana and in May, three pairs of "healthy balls of fur" were delivered to Warden Powell for Big Basin State Park, where they promptly chased the only known native "high into a towering redwood tree."
In 1935, the then president of the San Lorenzo Valley Chamber of Commerce, Frank Pimentel, investigated introducing bears into the park "to amuse the visitors." Pimentel realized he should consult park warden Fred Moody. He reflected, "maybe the bear and the deer wouldn't get along together."
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