Rep. Dent's bill would manage state's elk herd

A bill that would direct the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Washington State Department of Transportation to conduct an elk management pilot project to reduce elk highway collisions passed the state House of Representatives Thursday.

Rep. Tom Dent sponsored House Bill 1353 to address the growing problem of the Colockum herd in the Kittitas County region.

“This is a huge public safety issue along Interstate 90 and needs to be addressed,” said Dent, R-Moses Lake. “It is only a matter of time before we lose a human life if we do not get some better management tools in pl...