LOGAN, W.Va. — West Virginia officials will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 1 to celebrate the opening of a new elk viewing platform and education center at the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area in Holden, near Logan.

The event will start at 11 a.m., and members of the media and public are invited to attend. Parking will be available, according to Brett McMillion, director of the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources.

“We are excited to finally open this viewing platform and provide a new way to learn about West Virginia’s growing elk herd and experience our state’s natural beauty,” McMillion said.

“I want to thank everyone who helped bring this project to life. We believe this facility will attract and benefit wildlife enthusiasts, researchers, and tourists alike, contribute significantly to the local economy, and support our ongoing elk management efforts.”

About the new elk viewing platform

The elk viewing platform is located atop a natural overlook at the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area, which has been the site of the division’s Elk Restoration Project since 2016, when the agency released 24 elk acquired from the Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky.

Since then, the state has introduced 95 elk, comprising 53 from Kentucky and 42 from Arizona. Today, the herd is estimated to have about 130 elk.

From the elk viewing platform, visitors will be able to see sweeping views of the elk management area from an elevated vantage point. A level viewing area is also accessible for those with limited mobility.

The education center, which is still being furnished, will have conference rooms, offices, and other amenities for visitors, volunteers, researchers, and staff, including 3,300 square feet of space designed to meet the unique needs of managing and supporting West Virginia’s growing elk herd.

The March-Westin Company of Morgantown constructed the $6.7 million facility, which was funded by Abandoned Mine Lands grants, state funds, and revenue from hunting and fishing licenses.

History of elk in West Virginia

Elk (wapiti) were once a familiar presence across West Virginia’s high ridges and hardwood valleys, but relentless 19th-century hunting and timbering pushed the animals to local extinction by about 1875, leaving only historical accounts and place-names as evidence of their former range.

Across West Virginia, a number of communities and landmarks carry the name of the elk that once roamed the state’s hills and valleys.

The town of Elk Garden in Mineral County was named for a salty spring where elk gathered, while the Elk River, winding nearly 180 miles through the state, took its name from the plentiful herds once seen along its banks.

In Clarksburg, the Glen Elk Historic District recalls nearby Elk Creek, another waterway tied to the animal’s memory. Even the community of Elkview in Kanawha County reflects this heritage, its name rooted in its location along the Elk River.

According to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, the last native wild elk in West Virginia were extirpated about 1875 near Webster Springs in Webster County.

For more than a century, the Mountain State lacked free-ranging elk, and the species survived in the regional imagination until wildlife managers and lawmakers began to consider restoration in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

The modern comeback began in earnest in 2016 when the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources launched its Elk Restoration Project and released the first animals into the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area.

Subsequent translocations from Kentucky, Arizona, and other sources have supplemented the herd within a state-authorized elk management area that spans several southern counties.

Established by state statute and monitored by biologists and university researchers for genetic, health, and habitat use, the restoration program aims to rebuild a self-sustaining wapiti population while balancing public safety, land use, and tourism objectives.

Elk Tour Tickets Selling Out

Division officials also announced that tickets for elk management tours in October are almost sold out. These four-hour guided tours start and end at Chief Logan Lodge and give visitors a chance to explore scenic areas of Logan County and learn about the state’s elk restoration program.

Tickets are $30 each, and a boxed breakfast or lunch can be added for $15. For tour availability, booking details, and more information, visit WVDNR.gov/elk.