There’s something to be said for getting out on the ground and getting your hands dirty. Earlier this summer, about 70 Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation volunteers gathered some 140 miles south of Salt Lake City for the annual state rendezvous.
Among other things, the group teamed up with the US Forest Service and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to build a couple of new wildlife water sources on Fishlake National Forest. So, that’s exactly what they did. Now, water will be available for elk, mule deer and many other wildlife species in a particularly arid part of Utah elk country.
“We recognize the importance of working with agency partners to accomplish this critical conservation,” said Ron Camp, RMEF Utah regional director. “When we work together, great things happen. Thanks to Team Utah for getting it done!”
While RMEF volunteers have become somewhat expert in building water guzzlers, due to years and years of doing so, their positive influence goes way beyond water.
There’s also something to be said for the benefits that come from chapter banquets volunteers plan and host to generate important fundraising dollars that are put back on the ground. Thanks, in part, to their support, RMEF and its partners completed 858 conservation and hunting heritage projects in Utah dating back to 1987. The combined value of that work is more than $184.2 million, Plus, those projects conserved or enhanced more than 1.4 million acres of habitat and opened or improved public access to 32,136 acres.
Below are several brief examples of projects bolstered by funding generated by Utah’s RMEF volunteers.
In 2024, RMEF funding supports ongoing wildlife research, conservation and habitat restoration work.
In 2023, RMEF funding supported wildlife crossings and mentored hunts for disabled veterans and first-time youth hunters.
In 2022, RMEF funding supported efforts to capture bighorn sheep in Nevada and relocate them to Utah.
In 2021, RMEF funding supported a middle school curriculum that taught 6th graders about hunter safety, shooting, archery and taxidermy.
In 2020, RMEF funding supported work to help restore and improve a creek watershed.
We could go on and on, and do so with a long, detailed list, but let’s just say there’s something said for just plain getting stuff done. And that’s exactly what RMEF volunteers do in the Beehive State.
(Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)