RMEF CONSERVES 3,329 ACRES OF ‘BEST OF THE BEST’ WYOMING ELK COUNTRY

MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation worked with conservation-minded landowners, who are also long-time RMEF members, to permanently protect 3,329 acres of critical elk habitat along the eastern front of Wyoming’s Laramie Range.

“This transaction not only protects high wildlife habitat values and thwarts the potential threat of increasing development, but it’s also the first conservation easement in Platte County,” said Blake Henning, RMEF vice president of Lands and Conservation. “The location is significant since subdivisions are in the works less than five miles away. This action may encourage nearby landowners to consider conservation over development as they go forward.”

“Conservation easements can play a key role with willing landowners in conserving the ‘best of the best,’” said Ryan Amundson, habitat extension biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. “This property is one of those key properties.”

Located adjacent to the Medicine Bow National Forest, Bureau of Land Management land and State land, the acreage also provides vital year-round forage, water and shelter for mule and white-tailed deer, pronghorn and other wildlife. The easement also provides connectivity of the public lands and contiguous habitat between summer and winter ranges.

Cottonwood Creek and its tributaries meander through the property creating riparian corridors with cottonwood galleries transitioning to mixed grass prairie and shrub-steppe habitat.

“The open ridges, in combination with the Wheatland area’s famous winds, provide open foraging areas in winter months for all these mentioned species,” added Amundson. “Thank you to RMEF for your efforts in keeping agricultural lands and important wildlife habitats intact in southeastern Wyoming.”

 

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

RMEF is a leading conservation organization that protected or enhanced habitat on more than 6.3 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at http://www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

RMEF TO BOLSTER CONSERVATION LEADERS FOR TOMORROW PROGRAM

MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation formed a partnership with the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation to expand and help fund Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow (CLfT), an established program designed to educate wildlife professionals who do not hunt with an understanding about the important roles of hunting and its impact on conservation. 

“A key element of RMEF’s mission is to enhance our hunting heritage,” said Blake Henning, RMEF vice president of Lands and Conservation. “This partnership allows us to do that by helping expand CLfT into the western part of the country while also assisting program participants with the funding they need to attend.”

CLfT offers five-day workshops designed for top professional leaders and students within the natural resources science and management. CLfT workshops are taught by trained instructors who are wildlife professionals, dedicated conservationists and veteran hunters. Participants are exposed to highly interactive classroom discussions and field exercises that focus on hunting awareness, safety, hunter motivations, and the vital role that hunting plays in wildlife conservation.

“The goal of CLfT is very clear,” says Zachary Lowe, director of CLfT. “We want to identify the current and future leadership of our wildlife resources who do not hunt and provide them with a career-relevant opportunity to learn and experience what hunting is, who hunters are, and how this all directly benefits wildlife and the future of conservation.”

The goal of CLfT is not to recruit or train participants to be hunters. Instead, it is to provide class members with insights and knowledge into why hunting is important from biological, social, cultural, economic and recreational standpoints and ultimately provide for its role in conservation. In return participants have the opportunity to advance their careers, identify better with the hunting constituency, and reinforce the core mission of their state and federal agencies.

“CLfT plays a vital role in the future of hunting recruitment and retention”, says David Windsor, national coordinator for CLfT. “Not because we create a new hunter, but because we work to ensure that agencies and wildlife professionals of the future have a well-developed understanding of hunters and hunting which ultimately powers wildlife conservation.”

“RMEF’s core message of Hunting is Conservation gets to the very foundation of CLfT’s educational approach and forms the basis for their newly launched joint effort to extend CLfT further into the Western US,” added Henning.

“The impact of CLfT Workshops is diverse but powerful as we often hear about how CLfT has changed the professional or personal lives of its participants” says Windsor.

To learn more about Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow, go to www.clft.org.

 

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

RMEF is a leading conservation organization that protected or enhanced habitat on more than 6.3 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at http://www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK. 

RMEF GRANTS AID ELK, ELK HABITAT IN SOUTH DAKOTA

MISSOULA, Mont.—The extensive monitoring of elk to deal with chronic wasting disease, prescribed burning to improve habitat, and various projects to enhance wildlife water supplies and promote hunting heritage are among 2013 efforts funded by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in South Dakota.

The RMEF grants total $71,232 and directly affect Aurora, Brule, Butte, Charles Mix, Custer, Douglas, Fall River, Lawrence, Lincoln, Meade and Pennington Counties. There are also several projects of statewide interest.

“Chronic wasting disease can have a devastating impact on elk populations in South Dakota so it’s important we remain committed to an intensive program at Wind Cave National Park designed to monitor and remove those that appear infected,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “Funding a prescribed burn will also improve elk habitat in the same region.”

Allen thanked dedicated RMEF volunteers in South Dakota who conducted fundraising projects at their banquets and via membership drives to generate the funding. He also thanked volunteers and members around the nation for their dedication to conservation, elk and elk country.

RMEF grants will help fund the following 2013 projects, listed by county:

Butte County—Provide RMEF volunteer manpower to help install 3/8-inch aluminum cable along a 1/4-mile stretch of fencing on private land to ease movement for the Red Water elk herd and minimize fence damage.

Charles Mix County—Provide funding for a wildlife display at the Cecil and Phyllis Melcher Museum in Platte (also affects Aurora, Brule and Douglas counties).

Custer County—Prescribed burning for 1,986 acres in the southwest corner of Custer State Park, northwest corner of Wind Cave National Park, a portion of Black Hills National Forest lands and a small portion of private land to improve elk habitat by treating encroaching ponderosa pine and cleaning up down and dead woody debris; monitor elk movement in and out of Wind Cave National Park, conduct cow-calf counts to assist management decisions, and take part in CWD monitoring and removal of suspect animals to safeguard the herd; monitor and repair wildlife guzzlers across the  Black Hills National Forest by utilizing RMEF volunteers (also affects Pennington, Lawrence, Fall River and Meade counties); provide funding for a high quality interactive display in Custer State Park focusing on game management and conservation featuring elk, bison, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, antelope and other species to be seen by nearly 2 million visitors annually; and provide funding for the South Dakota Wildlife Federation Conservation Camp that focuses on introducing high school age girls and boys to wildlife, conservation, and other subjects that provide background for careers in wildlife, biology and similar fields.

Lawrence County—Replace and maintain 10 wildlife guzzlers on the Northern Hills Ranger District of the Black Hills National Forest by using RMEF volunteer manpower while also monitoring 14 additional guzzlers (also affects Meade County); and provide RMEF volunteers labor to assist with the clean-up and recycling of scrap metal on an RMEF-held conservation easement.

Lincoln County—Provide the Harrisburg School District with an elk education trunk which contains lesson plans, activities, books, antlers, fur, skulls and other hands-on instructional tools used to offer wildlife and conservation education for educators teaching grades five through eight. (Funding from RMEF’s Torstenson Family Endowment covered this project.)

Pennington County—Enhance and protect three developed springs used by elk, deer and other species by improving fencing while still providing water for wildlife and livestock on the Black Hills National Forest; provide funding to assist members of the South Dakota Senate and House Agriculture and Natural Resource Committees in a tour of South Dakota West River counties to view completed and proposed conservation and outreach projects; provide sponsorship of South Dakota Youth Hunting Adventures, a non-profit organization that pairs youth age 12-16 from the Rapid City area, who do not have the opportunity to hunt, with mentors to learn shooting, conservation education, landowner relations, fishing, camping and other outdoor skills as they head into the field for an antlerless deer hunt; and provide funding for an RMEF sign capping a $10,000 donation to finance an elk display at Outdoor Campus West in Rapid City, an educational facility that serves approximately 10,000 visitors every year.

Statewide—Provide sponsorship of the South Dakota Division of Wildlife Conference, a gathering that offers training, team building and professional development of staff; and replace South Dakota’s RMEF State Leadership Team elk education trunk.

Conservation projects are selected for grants using science-based criteria and a committee of RMEF volunteers and staff along with representatives from partnering agencies and universities. RMEF volunteers and staff select hunting heritage projects to receive funding.

Partners for 2013 projects in South Dakota include South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, the Black Hills National Forest, Wind Cave National Park, local businesses, private landowners, and various sportsmen, wildlife, civic and government organizations.

RMEF’s mission is to enhance the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage. Since 1985, RMEF and its partners completed 196 different conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in South Dakota with a combined value of more than $32.3 million.

 

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

RMEF is a leading conservation organization that protected or enhanced habitat on more than 6.3 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at http://www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

NEVADA’S ELK COUNTRY, HUNTING HERITAGE GETS BOOST FROM RMEF GRANTS

MISSOULA, Mont.—Prescribed burning and other methods to improve elk forage, as well as the installation of wildlife-friendly fencing are among the conservation and hunting heritage projects funded by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in Nevada.

RMEF grants for 2013 total $41,500 and directly affect eight counties: Douglas, Elko, Humboldt, Lyon, Nye, Storey, Washoe and White Pine. They also benefit Carson City.

“We have a long history of commitment to the wildlife and people of Nevada,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “These latest projects will improve habitat and corridor passage which is good news for migrating elk.” 

Since 1985, RMEF and its partners completed 197 different conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Nevada with a combined value of more than $15.4 million. 

“It’s also important to recognize the work by our local volunteers who raised these funds at banquets and membership drives. Because of their dedication that money goes back on the ground in Nevada,” said Allen.

Allen also thanked RMEF chapters and volunteers nationwide for their dedication to conservation all across elk country.

RMEF grants will help fund the following 2013 projects, listed by county and city:

Carson City—Provide sponsorship for the fourth annual Tom Brooks Memorial Youth Fishing Day—a free event that teaches boys and girls about fishing and includes a SAFE (Shooting Access for Everyone) Challenge inflatable target range manned by RMEF volunteers (also affects Douglas, Lyon, Storey and Washoe Counties); and host a SAFE Challenge event at the Western Nevada Calf Camp for 50 youth manned by RMEF volunteers. 

Elko County—Remove and replace 2.5 miles of an old woven sheep fence on private land with a wildlife-friendly 3-strand fence to reduce the hazard to the 370 elk that summer on Ninemile Mountain and the Knoll Creek Mountain Range. 

Humboldt County—Provide funding for improvements to the Humboldt County Shooting Park Firearms Range used by 350+ new hunter education graduates and hundreds of other hunters and sport shooters of all ages each year. 

Nye County—Burn 870 acres followed by aerial seeding within a 18,000-acre project area on Bureau of Land Management lands to reduce pinyon-juniper encroachment and increase the growth of grasses, forbs and shrubs for Butler Basin elk as well as to reduce the risk of future catastrophic wildfire; and provide funding and volunteer manpower to install a guzzler comprised of two 1,800 gallon wildlife drink tanks. 

Washoe County—Provide sponsorship of the three-day Maison T. Ortiz Youth Outdoor Skills Camp dedicated to teaching youth outdoor skills including safety, hunter education, shooting, archery, map reading, fishing, basic survival, first aid, laser safe shot and fly tying skills.

White Pine County—Maintain mountain brush and sagebrush habitat on 150 acres within the southern portion of the White Pine Range or on Ward Mountain in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest by removing encroaching pinyon and juniper trees to enhance habitat for elk, mule deer, sage grouse and other species. 

Conservation projects are selected for grants using science-based criteria and a committee of RMEF volunteers and staff along with representatives from partnering agencies and universities. RMEF volunteers and staff select hunting heritage projects to receive funding. 

Partners for 2013 projects in Nevada include the Nevada Department of Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest and various sportsmen, wildlife and civic organizations.

 

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

RMEF is a leading conservation organization that protected or enhanced habitat on more than 6.3 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at http://www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

RMEF LAUNCHES YOUTH MEMBERSHIP

MISSOULA, Mont.—In an effort to better promote and protect the present and future of conservation, a love of the outdoors and hunting, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation initiated a new youth membership category.

“We remain committed to ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat, and our hunting heritage. And who holds the keys to that future if not our sons and daughters and grandchildren?” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “As far as gifts go, this membership ranks right up there with your first rifle or bow. It will attract, engage and help young hunter-conservationists fall to love with elk, the places they live and the challenge of hunting them.”   

The new RMEF Youth Membership costs $20 per year and is designed for girls and boys age 17 and under. It will offer six digital issues of Bugle magazine, e-newsletters, an RMEF hat, a membership card, member discounts and decals. Members will also have access to social media sites specifically designed for them that include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and a blog to share their photos and videos. There will also be online contests for outdoor gear and other interactive activities. 

Since its founding nearly 30 years ago, RMEF invested in tomorrow’s future by reaching thousands of youth through the sponsorship of quality programs like the National Archery in the Schools Program, 4-H Shooting Sports, state hunter education courses, the Boy Scouts of America, the Future Farmers of America and scores of hunting, shooting, archery, fishing and other outdoor-related camps and programs.

In 2013 alone, RMEF promoted and sponsored more than 200 youth activities and programs across the country and introduced thousands of young and novice shooters to safe, responsible and enjoyable firearm use at nearly 60 SAFE Challenge (Shooting Access for Everyone) events.

“Right now, we’re busy passing on our hopes and dreams and the things we love most to our youth,” said Allen. “Before we know it, though, we’ll be passing on the reins to this next generation of hunters and conservationists. We need to make sure their ranks are strong.”

RMEF welcomes Remington as the first sponsor of the youth membership category.

 

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

RMEF is leading a conservation initiative that protected or enhanced habitat on more than 6.3 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at http://www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

RMEF GRANTS TO BENEFIT IDAHO’S ELK POPULATION, HABITAT AND WOLF MANAGEMENT

MISSOULA, Mont.—Grants and funding provided by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will go toward the reestablishment of healthy elk habitat and populations, and directly bolster wolf management practices in Idaho. 

The RMEF grants and additional funding total $223,943 and directly affect Bear Lake, Blaine, Bonneville, Boundary, Caribou, Clearwater, Idaho, Latah and Shoshone Counties. There are also several projects of statewide interest.

“It’s no secret elk populations and habitat declined over the last few decades in north-central Idaho. RMEF is stepping up funding and research efforts and working with our partners to address improvements,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “We are also increasing our efforts to assist and strengthen the state’s wolf management program.” 

Allen also thanked RMEF’s Idaho volunteers for their dedication with banquet activities and membership fundraising drives for raising the grant funding which stays on the ground in their home state.

RMEF grants will help fund the following 2013 projects, listed by county:

Bear Lake—Treatments to prevent the expansion of noxious weeds within two areas covering 150 acres on the Montpelier and Soda Springs Ranger Districts of the Caribou National Forest (also affects Caribou and Bonneville counties).

Blaine County—Prescribed burning on 2,400 acres in the Upper Little Wood River area of the Sawtooth National Forest to improve elk winter range by reducing the density and competition from smaller trees and promoting the growth of large Douglas fir trees, expanding and regenerating aspen stands, and providing a more diverse sagebrush community.

Bonneville County—Provide funding for a video highlighting the importance of the Tex Creek Wildlife Management Area (TCWMA) for elk and other species that will be used as part of effort to secure a TCWMA mitigation trust fund in perpetuity. To see the video, visit the URL below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=byuLuyhThV4

Boundary County—Prescribed burning on 800 acres within the Deer Creek drainage, a tributary of the Moyle River, on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest to improve habitat and winter and summer elk range as part of a multi-year project that also benefits mule and whitetail deer, moose and grizzly bears.

Clearwater County—Provide extensive landscape restoration of early-seral habitat in north-central Idaho’s Clearwater Basin to restore healthy forage and elk populations (also affects Idaho County); and implementation of a monitoring program in the Clearwater Basin to increase habitat and elk populations by establishing a land use habitat matrix to be used as the foundation for management and monitoring of elk, applying the new OR-WA elk nutrition and habitat models, and capturing and collaring wild elk (also affects Idaho County). The project includes funding from the Torstenson Family Endowment, which is used solely to further RMEF’s core mission programs of permanent land protection, habitat stewardship, elk restoration and hunting heritage.

 

Idaho County—Prescribed burning to improve forage quality on 800 acres of Bureau of Land Management land within the Bally Mountain Vegetation Management Project area; and provide funding for noxious weed treatment on 160 acres to enhance forage for elk on private land protected with an RMEF-held conservation easement above Clear Creek.

Latah County—Provide funding for the RMEF Palouse Whitepine Chapter to host an Outdoor Dream Foundation moose hunt for a 12-year-old boy from Utah born without a left ventricle in his heart.

Shoshone County—Prescribed burning to create or enhance 2,000 acres of winter and summer habitat in the Upper Coeur d’Alene River Basin on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest as part of a multi-year effort positively affecting nearly 13,000 acres.

Statewide—Provide funding to the Idaho Sportsmen’s Caucus Advisory Council –an association of approximately 30 hunting, fishing and trapping organizations in Idaho– which reviews issues in the legislature, Idaho Game and Fish, IDGF Commission and other agencies that affect sportsmen and women while dealing with Chronic Wasting Disease, game farms, habitat concerns, fishing and hunting access, big game tag availability and other issues; offer $50,000 in funding assistance to IDGF for Idaho’s wolf management efforts, and provide funding for the Idaho Coalition of Land Trusts which is a group of 19 separate nonprofit land trust organizations and two local and state government-sponsored programs working on private land conservation and voluntary conservation agreements throughout Idaho.

Conservation projects are selected for grants using science-based criteria and a committee of RMEF volunteers and staff along with representatives from partnering agencies.

Partners for the 2013 projects include the Caribou, Idaho Panhandle and Sawtooth national forests, as well as the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, Nez Perce Tribe, Idaho Coalition of Land Trusts, various sportsmen’s organizations and a private landowner.

Since 1985, RMEF and its partners completed 425 different conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Idaho with a combined value of more than $52 million.

 

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

RMEF is leading a conservation initiative that protected or enhanced habitat on more than 6.3 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at http://www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

RED HILL DEDICATION CEREMONY (LEWISTOWN, MONT.)

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation invites members of the media to attend a dedication ceremony on site of the Red Hill project on Wednesday, October 23. RMEF recently purchased a 40-acre parcel of private land in Fergus County for $190,000 that will improve public access to nearly 18,000 acres of the Lewis and Clark National Forest in the Big Snowy Mountains for hunters and others to enjoy. RMEF offered the parcel to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) for $50,000, in effect donating the remaining balance of $140,000 to FWP which will manage the land for hunting and other recreational enjoyment.

Who will attend:  Members of the public, RMEF President/CEO David Allen, FWP Director Jeff Hagener, landowners, hunters, federal, state, local and business representatives

When:   Wednesday, October 23 at 3 p.m.

Where:  22 miles south of downtown Lewistown on Red Hill Road/Route238. (See attachments. Google maps hyperlink for smartphones:  http://goo.gl/maps/Huo8w.)

In case of inclement weather, the location will shift to the FWP office located at 215 W. Aztec Drive near the Lewistown airport.

FWP is currently working at the site to provide an access road, parking lot and a trail to Forest Service land. Opportunities will be available to take photos/video, conduct one-on-one interviews and walk the trail to the Lewis and Clark National Forest.

“This strikes at the heart of what RMEF is all about,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “We are committed to opening more land for hunting and other year-round recreational public access and now the gate is open for hunters to more easily access thousands of acres of elk country previously almost impossible to reach.”

Video and still images of the Red Hill project are available upon request

 

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

RMEF is leading a conservation initiative that protected or enhanced habitat on more than 6.3 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at http://www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

RMEF EXPANDS CONSERVED ELK HABITAT IN COLORADO

MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation worked with it partners and a private landowner to protect an additional 237 acres of elk habitat in northern Colorado. The property represents the third phase of conserved lands between RMEF and the Flying Diamond Ranch. When combined with previous work by the RMEF, Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife on the Flying Diamond Ranch in Routt County, 1,928 acres of the 3,095-acre ranch are now permanently protected. 

“This transaction is a testament to the continuing commitment to elk, elk country and conservation by the Adams family,” said Blake Henning, RMEF vice president of Lands and Conservation. “Thanks to their cooperation and passion, this conservation work permanently protects the agricultural, wildlife and habitat values of the property.”

The ranch is a year-round cattle operation that lies just a few minutes outside of Steamboat Springs off State Highway 131 on the high northern ridges of Thorpe Mountain in the Yampa River Valley. The newly protected lands are highlighted by a mile of Oak Creek, floodplain pastures, Gambel oak and sagebrush. More than 200 cow-calf pairs graze on the ranch during the summer months. The ranch also provides summer and winter range for elk, and habitat for black bear, mountain lion, bobcat and mule deer. Wildlife species of concern on the property include the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, the greater sage grouse, and the northern leopard frog.

Since this conservation easement prohibits any subdivision or development, it protects a ‘million dollar’ vista at the southern entrance to the Yampa Valley.

“The Adams family is proud to participate in the conservation of open space that has long been a vision of the residents of Routt County. We thank the Purchase Development Rights Program (PDR) and the Board of County Commissioners for choosing the Flying Diamond Ranch for this conservation effort,” said John Adams.

Rural subdivision currently encroaches the property from the east and the north while conservation easements are already in place to the west and south. Other neighboring protected land includes parcels held by the Bureau of Land Management, two state wildlife areas, a state park, and four private ranches with conservation easements protecting an overall area of more than 17,000 acres.

Partners in the Thorpe Mountain conservation easement include the residents of Routt County, the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust, the Purchase Development Rights Program, and the Board of County Commissioners.

RMEF’s mission is to enhance the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage. That holds very true in Routt County alone where RMEF funds totaling $146,596 conserved or enhanced nearly 26,000 acres of land since 1988. Statewide, RMEF and its partners completed 572 conservation and hunting heritage projects with a combined value of more than $147 million since 1987.

 

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

RMEF is leading a conservation initiative that protected or enhanced habitat on more than 6.3 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at http://www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

 

NEW MEXICO ELK HABITAT ENHANCED THANKS TO RMEF GRANTS

Forest thinning, prescribed burns, wetland restoration and water creation projects to improve elk habitat, as well as research to enhance forage, and sponsorship of multiple hunting heritage projects, highlight 2013 grants from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for the state of New Mexico.

The RMEF grants total $104,972 and benefit 16 counties: Bernalillo, Catron, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Lea, Lincoln, Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Socorro and Taos. There are also projects of statewide and national interest.

“New Mexico boasts some quality elk country and elk hunting and that will only improve after a series of RMEF-backed habitat enhancement projects are carried out around the state,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “Several guzzler projects will also provide much-needed water for wildlife in an arid part of the Southwest. 

Since 1985, RMEF and its partners completed 278 different conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in New Mexico with a combined value of more than $20.9 million.

“We have more than 4,800 members in New Mexico. It is thanks to them, especially our dedicated volunteers who raise funds through banquets and membership drives, that these funds are raised and put back on the ground in their home state,” added Allen.

Allen also thanked RMEF chapters and volunteers around the nation for their dedication to conservation all across elk country.

RMEF grants will help fund the following 2013 projects, listed by county:

Bernalillo County—RMEF’s Albuquerque Chapter volunteers purchased youth door prizes and assisted with rifle and bow instruction at the New Mexico Outdoor Expo which exposes families to rifle, pistol and shotgun shooting, as well as archery, trapping, fly tying and casting, riding, ATV and other outdoor activities. Fifteen chapter members also completed a two-day hunter education course to become certified instructors.

Catron County—Thin 1,500 acres of ponderosa pine and pinyon/juniper encroaching on historic grassland areas, improve watershed conditions, regain forage for  grazing wildlife lost to encroaching trees and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires on the Gila National Forest.

Cibola County—Mechanically thin 2,000 acres on the Cibola National Forest as part the multi-year Bluewater Ecosystem Management project to conduct restoration treatments on more than 30,000 acres in the Zuni Mountains.

Colfax County—Provide funding for a start-up clay shooting team at Raton High School that includes training youth in handling, maintenance, safety and shooting proficiency. RMEF members to assist with instruction, coaching, range safety and score-keeping.

Curry County—Provide funding to help offset the equipment and supply expenses for the Eastern New Mexico Young Guns program; provide funding for the Clovis Bowhunters Youth Bow Adventures program which offers monthly archery instructional shoots for Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H and FFA youth age 17 and under in eastern New Mexico; and provide funding for the Curry County 4-H program which offers monthly instruction for Girls Scouts, Boy Scouts and 4-H members.

De Baca County—Provide funding for the De Baca County 4-H program that offers youth age 9-19 the opportunity to learn  firearms skills, safety and competition.

Lea County—Help purchase equipment to launch the Lea County 4-H archery program to get youth interested in shooting sports and outdoor activities; and provide funding to purchase shell bags, shotgun shells, ear plugs, choke tubes, safety vests, ammunition, clays and other supplies for the Lea County 4-H shooting sports program. 

Lincoln County—Deepen one existing wetland and create four small wetlands of various shapes and sizes totaling six acres on the top of Grindstone Mesa on the Lincoln National Forest to provide essential year-round wildlife drinking sites and develop critical habitat for a variety of wildlife species; provide sponsorship of the Lincoln County 4-H shooting sports program that gives youth age 9-19 the opportunity to learn responsibility, sportsmanship, self-discipline and skills; and provide funding for the Friends of Future Farmers of America 3-D Shoot to assist the winning New Mexico Forestry and Agriscience students from Capitan to attend the national competition in Louisville, Kentucky.

Los Alamos County—Provide funding for the Los Alamos Invitational Youth Clay Competition that includes participants from Farmington/Aztec (San Juan County), Espanola (Rio Arriba County), Penasco/Taos (Taos County), Mora (Mora County), and Los Alamos (Los Alamos County). The event also hosts an RMEF SAFE Challenge display.

Rio Arriba County—Replace four non-functional  guzzlers and install five new trick tanks with 5,000-gallon storage tanks, catchment aprons and pipe fencing around the structures to provide year-round water for elk and other wildlife across 162,000 acres of the Jicarilla Ranger District on the Carson National Forest; and mechanically treat 959 acres as part of a larger thinning and prescribed burning effort to improve forage availability, palatability and nutritional value to the Maquinita area of the Tres Piedras Ranger District on the Carson National Forest.

Sandoval County—Fund research to determine the response of elk to large-scale restoration treatments relative to topography, vegetation characteristics (type, canopy cover, fire history), restoration treatment type, time since restoration and the quality and quantity of key forage resources using a combination of remote sensing of elk and on-the-ground data collection to help guide future treatments to enhance forage on the Valles Caldera National Preserve (also affects Rio Arriba County).

San Juan County—Provide funding for the San Juan County 4-H program, one of the largest in the state at 279 participants, that includes shotgun, .22 rifle, .22 pistol, compound archery, recurve archery, air rifle and air pistol.

San Miguel County—Conduct prescribe burning on up to 200 acres of mixed conifer and ponderosa stands already thinned and piled or broadcast seeded on the Santa Fe National Forest as part of a project targeting 8,800 acres over 10 years within the Gallinas Watershed.

Socorro County—Replace an existing 2,200-gallon metal catchment with a 4,700-gallon galvanized water storage unit and install a one-acre pipe rail livestock exclosure to aid an elk herd of 100-250 approximately 15 miles west of Socorro; and install a new 4,700-gallon wildlife water development within the North San Mateo landscape approximately 50 miles southwest of Socorro; and five RMEF Albuquerque Chapter volunteers assisted with maintenance of two wildlife trick tanks and the construction of livestock exclosure fencing on the Mount Taylor Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest.

Statewide/Nationwide—Provide funding via RMEF state grants from New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas to assist the Military Warriors Support Foundation with a wounded warrior hunt filmed by the RMEF Team Elk TV show.

Taos County—Thinning of 200 acres on Cerro Montoso within the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument to improve habitat for big game species. Work also includes the installation of two water catchment structures to provide water sources for wildlife and improve the overall distribution of big game species; and provide funding via RMEF’s Torstenson Family Endowment to purchase an RMEF Elk Education Trunk for the Taos Young Guns, a comprehensive youth hunter education challenge program that focuses on teaching youth the shooting disciplines, outdoor skills, and knowledge to become responsible and ethical hunters.

Conservation projects are selected for grants using science-based criteria and a committee of RMEF volunteers and staff along with representatives from partnering agencies. RMEF staff and volunteers select education projects to receive grants and hunting heritage projects to receive funding.

Partners for RMEF’s 2013 New Mexico projects include the Carson, Cibola, Gila, Lincoln and Santa Fe National Forests, as well as the Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, and various government, state, wildlife, business and volunteer organizations.

 

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

RMEF is leading a conservation initiative that protected or enhanced habitat on more than 6.3 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at http://www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

Wisconsin’s Elk Country, Hunting Heritage Get Lift from RMEF Grants

MISSOULA, Mont.—Grants provided by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will fund projects designed to expand elk range, increase forage, improve elk management, monitor elk calf recruitment and provide sponsorship of multiple hunting heritage programs and events benefitting 28 different counties in Wisconsin.

The grants total $65,940 and positively affect these counties:  Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Dodge, Jackson, Juneau, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lincoln, Marathon, Monroe, Oneida, Pierce, Price, Racine, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Washburn, Waupaca, Winnebago, and Wood. There are also several statewide projects.

“Wisconsin reintroduced elk 18 years ago but the animals have only expanded 10 percent beyond their initial territory,” said Blake Henning, RMEF vice president of Lands and Conservation. “These grants will improve forage on the Clam Lake Elk Range and also assist with the translocation of elk to other areas within the 1,600 mile range.”

Since 1985, RMEF and its partners completed 249 different conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Wisconsin with a combined value of more than $6.3 million.

“It’s important to understand that the funds generated for these projects come from our hard working volunteers in Wisconsin. They raise money through banquet fundraising and membership drives,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “They are making a difference in enhancing the future of elk and elk habitat in their own state. To them we say ‘Thank you!’”

Allen also thanked RMEF chapters and volunteers around the nation for their dedication to conservation all across elk country.

RMEF grants will help fund the following 2013 projects, listed by county:

Ashland County—Improve elk forage habitat on 741 acres of the Chequamegon National Forest within the Clam Lake Elk Range via mowing, hand clearing and aspen regeneration projects (also affects Sawyer County); train high school students to monitor the “Butternut” elk subgroup by using radio telemetry equipment and collecting data for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a cost effective effort to support Wisconsin’s elk management efforts; provide funding and volunteers for annual effort to find, collar, and take measurements of calves to better monitor the health and size of the elk population; and provide funding to pay for electricity fees to run the kiosk at the Clam Lake Elk Visitor Center.

Barron County—Provide funding to help introduce the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) through summer school with a goal to infuse it into the Rice Lake Area School District’s Physical Education curriculum.

Burnett County—Provide funding and volunteer effort from RMEF Lake Country Chapter to assist with shooting, archery, fishing, orienteering, pack mules and other demonstrations at the annual Coyland Creek Youth in the Outdoors Day.

Chippewa County—Co-sponsor firearms safety and shooting instruction at Women on Target clinic at the Bloomer Rod and Gun Club.

Dodge County—Provide funding to purchase start-up equipment for NASP at Horicon High School and Mayville High School.

Dunn County—Co-sponsor firearms safety and shooting instruction at Women on Target clinic at the Menomonie Rifle and Pistol Club.

Kenosha County—Provide funding for the Central Falcons trap and skeet team to participate in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation and the Southeastern Wisconsin Youth SCTP Trap Shooting Conference; and provide funding to help purchase more equipment for the archery program at Trevor-Wilmot Grade School.

Marathon County—Provide funding to assist instructors with the Weston Hunter Safety program for bow and rifle (also affects Lincoln and Wood Counties); and provide funding to foster a greater appreciation for and understanding of hunting, fishing and trapping, for youth and adults at Marathon County Sporting Heritage Youth Day (also affects Lincoln and Wood Counties).

Monroe County—Provide funding for the Camp Douglas Sportsman’s Club Youth Trap Shooting League which offers youth age 10-17 the opportunity to learn how to handle a firearm safely and in a controlled environment (also affects Juneau, Jackson and Wood Counties); and provide funding for ammunition, transportation and program promotion of the Tomah Warrens Shooting Alliance, a shooting clay club for youth that qualified for nationals in its first year of existence. 

Oneida County—Provide funding for the Rhinelander Youth Outdoor Heritage Day which encourages youth to pursue hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities.

Pierce County—Provide funding to pay for targets and pellets at the Second Annual Pierce County 4-H Shooting Sports Western Gateway Shoot, a national qualifying event that drew members from across the state and featured competitions in archery, air rifle, air pistol, .22 rifle, .22 pistol, shot gun and wildlife ecology (also affected St. Croix County and statewide interests).

Racine County—Provide funds to pay for supplies for students ranging in grades 4-12 in the Burlington Area School District to participate in the SCTP and the Southeastern Wisconsin SCTP Trap Shooting Conference.

Sauk County—Provide funding to help purchase NASP equipment for the Wisconsin Dells Parks and Recreation Archery Program (also affects Juneau, Columbia and Adams Counties).

Saywer County—Improve 618 acres of northern Wisconsin elk habitat by implementing prescribed burns and mowing within the state’s expanded elk range with a goal to restore double digit annual elk population growth, and improve habitat for wild turkeys, sharptailed grouse, woodcock, ruffed grouse, black bear, white-tailed deer and other wildlife (also affects Price and Rusk Counties); assist with translocation of 12 to 20 elk per year for the next three winters to spur population growth and range throughout the state’s 1,600-square-mile elk zone (also affects Ashland, Bayfield, Price and Rusk Counties); and provide funding for Hayward Outdoor Youth Day which provides youth an opportunity to learn about archery, fishing, outdoor cooking, plant identification, dog training, BB gun shooting and trapping.

Statewide—Provide funding for annual Wisconsin Outdoor Education Expo, a free event that includes hands-on activities for 4^th and 5^th graders to learn about archery, fishing, sporting dog events and firearms safety in order to foster a better appreciation for wildlife and wild places; and help cover the cost of printing the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources hunting regulations manual.

Washburn County—Provide funding to help purchase a NASP start-up kit for Spooner Middle School.

Waupaca County—Provide funding for purchasing start-up NASP equipment at Clintonville School District.

Winnebago County—Provide funding to assist with upgrades to the parking lot, path, shooting line, berms, targets, sheds, arrow quivers, bow hangers and other site amenities at the Neenah Parks & Recreation Outdoor Archery Range.

Wood County—Provide funding for RMEF Yellow River Basin Chapter to attend the Lindsay Youth Fair and assist with helping youth foster an appreciation for elk, elk biology, conservation and outdoor activities such as animal displays, fishing, shooting, and hunter safety instruction; and provide funding for approximately 105 boys and girls age 8-9 enrolled in the Central Wisconsin 4-H Shooting Sports program which offers training in air pistol, air rifle, archery and wildlife ecology (also affects Clark and Marathon Counties).

Conservation projects are selected for grants using science-based criteria and a committee of RMEF volunteers and staff along with representatives from partnering agencies. RMEF staff and volunteers select education projects to receive grants. RMEF volunteers and staff select hunting heritage projects to be funded.

Partners for 2013 Wisconsin projects include the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Chequamegon National Forest, RMEF volunteers and other government, state, wildlife, business and volunteer organizations.

 

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

RMEF is leading a conservation initiative that protected or enhanced habitat on more than 6.3 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at http://www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.