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Nevada Conservation Projects Selected for Elk Foundation Grants

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

MISSOULA, Mont. --(Ammoland.com)-More than 3,900 acres in Nevada are slated to be enhanced for elk and other wildlife as a result of several projects selected to receive 2010 grants from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

The new RMEF funding, totaling $58,330, also includes an education project grant that will benefit schoolteachers and students in Nevada.

“”We’re proud to continue our long tradition of funding outstanding conservation and education projects in Nevada, thanks to our volunteers across the state and their dedicated work in organizing and hosting banquets and other fundraisers over the past year,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “Since 1984, our grants have helped complete 184 different projects in Nevada with a combined value of more than $14.8 million.””

This year’s RMEF grants will help fund the following projects:

Habitat Enhancement
In the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, RMEF grants will be used to help thin 1,500 acres of pinyon-juniper invasion in shrub habitat used as summer range by elk in the White Pine Mountains area; install two 1,800-gallon tanks, water collection devices and wildlife drinking mechanisms to improve two 640-acre sections of the White Pine/Grant-Quinn Range; and prescribe burn 1,000 acres and hand-thin 350 acres to remove conifer encroachment in sagebrush habitat in North Schell Creek area.

Conservation Education
RMEF is providing sponsorship for the Great Basin 2010 Teachers Workshop to help instructors and, by extension, students better understand the wildlife, biology, ecology, geology, archaeology and history of the region.

Another RMEF grant will be used to help with appraisal of a property being considered for acquisition, which would permanently protect habitat and open public access.

Habitat 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. A committee of RMEF field staff and volunteers selects education projects.

Partners for 2010 projects in Nevada include the Bureau of Land Management, Nevada Department of Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, other organizations, agencies and landowners.

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
Snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk country initiative that has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.8 million acres—a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. RMEF also works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

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Elk Research Headlines RMEF Grants in Kentucky

Elk Research Headlines RMEF Grants in Kentucky

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

MISSOULA, Mont. --(Ammoland.com)- A habitat research project using radio tracking devices on 16-20 bull elk in Martin County, Ky., headlines a statewide list of conservation and education projects selected to receive grants from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in 2010.

All together, the new RMEF funding totals $43,250.

“These grants are possible because of the successful banquets and fundraisers staged over the past year by our Kentucky volunteers—most of whom are elk hunters as well as devoted conservationists,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “Since 1984, our annual grants have helped complete 69 different projects in Kentucky with a combined value of more than $6.3 million.”

RMEF also was, of course, heavily involved in the state’s historic elk restoration efforts.

The new elk research project, to be conducted in an area of reclaimed coalmines, will determine the animals’ preferred habitats, movement patterns and survival rates. Results will help refine future management strategies. Partners in the project include the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and the University of Kentucky.

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

• Barren County—Provide sponsorship for The Future of Bowfishing 2010 Youth Tournament to engage youths in outdoor recreation and conservation.
• Floyd County—Build an interpretive kiosk about elk at Jenny Wiley State Park.
• Franklin County—Provide sponsorship for National Archery in the Schools Program two-day archery camp for students in grades 4-12.
• Harrison County—In partnership with Licking River Outfitters, provide hunting opportunities for disabled veterans and terminally ill youths.
• Leslie County—Provide sponsorship for Hayes Lewis Elementary School involvement in National Archery in the Schools Program.
• Letcher County—Provide sponsorship for Letcher County Kids Day to engage youths in outdoor recreation and conservation.

Statewide—Conduct a literature review and publish a document including all existing research on wildlife responses to reclaimed surface mines in the eastern U.S. and Texas. Document will serve as a reference for regulators and wildlife managers; provide scholarships for need youths who would like to attend the Kentucky Conservation Camp, a program to engage students in outdoor recreation and conservation.

Webster County—Provide sponsorship for county schools’ involvement in National Archery in the Schools Program.

Habitat 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. A committee of RMEF field staff and volunteers selects education projects.

Partners for 2010 projects in Kentucky include Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Kentucky State Parks, University of Kentucky, University of Tennessee, other organizations, companies and businesses, schools and landowners.

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
Snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk country initiative that has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.8 million acres—a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. RMEF also works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

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