Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is a conservationist organization, founded in the United States in 1984 by four hunters from Troy, Montana with the mission of ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife, and their habitat. In support of this mission the RMEF is committed to: (1) Conserving, restoring, and enhancing natural habitats; (2) Promoting the sound management of wild, free-ranging elk, which may be hunted or otherwise enjoyed; (3) Fostering cooperation among federal, state, tribal, and private organizations and individuals in wildlife management and habitat conservation; and (4) Educating members and the public about habitat conservation, the value of hunting, hunting ethics, and wildlife management.
Since 1984, the RMEF has protected and enhanced over 4.8 million acres of habitat and ensured public access to more than 480,000 acres. RMEF is especially keen to restore long-absent elk populations, with herds being reestablished in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ontario, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
[edit] Torstenson Family Wildlife Center
In 2002, Bob Torstenson gifted all 95,000 acres of the Double H Ranch outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico and a $4 million endowment to the Elk Foundation. The Double H Ranch, stretching between two mountain ranges—the Datils and the Gallinas—and two portions of the Cibola National Forest, harbors thickly timbered ridges, deep coulees and steep hillsides that shift color with the rising and setting of the sun. At the property’s center is an expansive plain, 80-acre lake and rich wetland. This island in a sea of arid country nurtures elk, deer, pronghorns and quail, which in turn strengthen predators like mountain lions and coyotes.
This combination of size, proximity to civilization and quality of habitat makes the ranch not only rare, but also a significant conservation opportunity. Today, the property is an outdoor laboratory for ecological, wildlife and natural resource study. The RMEF leads an assemblage of conservation organizations, hunting groups, and state and federal agencies committed to healthy landscapes. Land managers work alongside educators, biologists, government employees and volunteers to test new land-management practices. And the cream of the nation's Boy Scouts get to take weeklong off-trail High Adventure Camps on the ranch and engage in hand's-on stewardship.
