BENEZETTE Viewing the brilliant colors produced by fall foliage and hearing the piercing shrill of a bull elk bugling brings thousands of visitors each year to Pennsylvania's elk range.

In any given year an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 people visit Elk County to view and photograph elk and visiting the Elk County Visitor Center outside Benezette during the two-month span between Labor Day and Halloween, but this is no given year. So far as the state's elk herd is concerned this is as historic year as it marks the 100th anniversary of efforts to restore elk to Pennsylvania, and in commemoration of that landmark anniversary, special events are planned each weekend through Columbus Day at sites on the elk range.With the added attractions and overall excitement because of the anniversary, Pennsylvania Game Commission executive director Carl Roe said to estimate had many people may visit Elk Country this year. He did say, however, that based on reports from field staff that this year there seems to be more interest than usual surrounding bugling season."If you've ever made a trip to the elk range in autumn and been a part of those enormous crowds, it's hard to imagine you could add more excitement to the mix, but that seems to be the case this year," Roe said. "With the anniversary going on, and events taking place each weekend, things are building to a fever pitch."Those who make weekend trips to the elk range this fall will have an opportunity to take part in several tours of State Game Lands in hopes of seeing elk or hearing them bugle. Some tours are by vehicle and others are by bicycle and go farther off the beaten path. There are also performances by Van Wagner, an award-winning educator and musician, which tell the story of the elk's comeback in Pennsylvania, and otherwise celebrate the state's rural heritage.On display is the corral trap used in the PGC to capture elk and expand the overall range of the herd through Columbus Day. And, as always, there are programs and exhibits for all age groups at the visitor center.Different events are scheduled on different weekends at different times. A full schedule of events is posted on the homepage of the PGC website at

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/ by clicking on the button labeled "100th Anniversary PA Elk Restoration."Roe said that while those making the trip to the elk range this year will be treated to something extra with these events, the elk themselves remain the real attraction."There's really nothing like the display of a bull elk moving in at close range and piercing the brisk morning air with a cloud of vapor and an ear-splitting bugle," Roe said."With the herd now containing more than 850 animals living in parts of five Northcentral Pennsylvania counties, there's as broad a chance as ever for visitors to take in those sights and sounds."It's a remarkable contrast to the era of more than a century ago, when elk found themselves eliminated from their natural range in Pennsylvania and the rest of the Northeast. That turnaround is a reason for celebration, and 100 years later, there's no arguing that elk restoration here in Pennsylvania has been about as successful as could possibly be expected and is something every Pennsylvanian can be proud of."Historically, elk inhabited much of Pennsylvania, but as more of the state was settled, the elk population declined. By the late 1800s, Pennsylvania's elk were eliminated from their last stronghold in areas around Elk County, and by the time the PGC launched an effort to reintroduce elk to Pennsylvania, the animals had been gone from the state for about 50 years.Between 1913 and 1926, the PGC released 177 elk into Pennsylvania's wilds, and the elk that live here today are the progeny of those animals. A three-year trap-and-transfer program launched by the agency in 1998 expanded the elk's range from 350 to 800 square miles, allowing the herd to grow.An aggressive management of habitat for elk also has helped to boost the number of elk, and steer elk into areas where they are less likely to have conflicts with people, and today, Pennsylvania's elk herd contains between 850 and 900 animals living in parts of Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Potter and Clearfield counties in the Northcentral part of the state. A century after the first reintroduction efforts began the elk's restoration represents one of the great successes in wildlife conservation history.