Restoring Elk Country - Eastern Elk Habitat Enhancement скачать в хорошем качестве

Restoring Elk Country - Eastern Elk Habitat Enhancement

Prior to 1997, there were zero established, wild, free-ranging elk herds in the Appalachian Mountains, except in Pennsylvania. Today, there are growing elk numbers there and in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation worked along state wildlife agencies to supply both funding and volunteer labor from local members in each of those states in support of the restoration and growth of elk herds across the Appalachian range. But getting elk on the ground wasn’t and isn’t the end. Since then, RMEF provided financial support to help expand and open public access to elk range and improve habitat that not only benefits elk but also deer, black bears, wild turkeys, grouse and many other wildlife species. The beat continued in 2024 when RMEF and its partners allocated $2.4 million dollars for more than a dozen habitat enhancement and other conservation outreach projects, especially in the wake of recent hurricane devastation. Among them was creating wildlife water sources, forest thinning, prescribed burning and invasive plant treatment in Kentucky. In North Carolina, restoring meadows, allocating funding for a potential land conservation and access project, and allotting funding for research projects to better estimate elk populations. In Tennessee, setting aside funding to support expanding the North Cumberland Wildlife Area and three treatments on the same landscape to create new and enhance existing wildlife openings. And in Pennsylvania, treatment for an invasive insect that attacks and kills hemlock trees, which are important to elk, deer and other wildlife. Restoring elk country is core to RMEF’s mission of ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage. Since 1984, RMEF helped conserve or enhance more than 9.1 million acres of wildlife habitat.