Judge Upholds Decision On Elk Thinning In Rocky Nat'l Park

DENVER (AP) - A federal judge has upheld a decision by the National Park Service to use sharpshooters to thin overpopulated elk herds in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The group WildEarth Guardians filed a lawsuit in 2008 alleging the Park Service didn't fully consider an option to reintroduce sterile gray wolves to Colorado to cull the herds.

The Denver Post reports U.S. District Judge Marcia Krieger ruled last week that park officials took a "hard look" at that option before ruling it out. The Park Service had said it determined a self-sustaining wolf population wouldn't be feasible without support from other agencies.

The final judgment was entered in court Monday.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)