When it comes to conservation, you don’t just check a box and move on. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has a long history of continuing to carry out habitat stewardship work on chunks of elk habitat it previously helped to conserve and protect.
Take the V Rock land conservation and access project in southwest Colorado. In early 2024, RMEF worked with a family to acquire and simultaneously convey a privately-owned 160-acre inholding to the San Juan National Forest. Though not large in terms of acreage, it serves a big purpose for migrating elk. It also supplies habitat for mule deer, black bears, wild turkey and other wildlife species.
The ink from the transaction was barely dry, just two months later, when volunteers from the Durango and Pagosa Springs RMEF Chapters joined U.S. Forest Service staffers at the project site for an all-day volunteer project. When all was said and done, the group removed more than a mile of unneeded fencing and boundary signage.
“I think that everyone who helped would agree; the most exciting part of the day was removing the dozens of property boundary signs. No more boundaries for the public, no more boundaries for elk and other wildlife,” said Dan McClain, RMEF regional director for western Colorado. “The U.S. Forest Service and RMEF put a lot of hard work into obtaining this property. We were the fortunate few who were able to take that project to the finish line. It was a great day for conservation!”
(Photo credit: Dan McClain/Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)
