Wildlife management areas (WMA) are stretches of land set aside, protected and conserved for wildlife, fish, plants and trees to live and thrive. They may also serve as important winter range and migration corridors for elk, mule deer and other big game. Plus, state wildlife agencies manage them for outdoor recreational activities like hunting, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing and trapping. But what it those WMAs need a little love?
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGFD) manages more than 200 WMAs totaling greater than 220,000 acres. One of them is the Schotzko Wildlife Management Area in the southeast part of the state near Lemon, not far from the South Dakota border.
A relatively new WMA covering 320 acres of grassland, it also featured more than one mile of dilapidated woven-wire fencing and posts, old wooden shelters and scrap iron. Volunteers with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces with several NDGFD staffers to change that for the better. They spent a fall 2025 day cleaning up the old farmstead. Two skid loaders made the process go a little faster as the crew filled an entire dump trailer with scrap.
“Our volunteers stepped up big time,” said Justin Larsen, North Dakota RMEF regional director. “Projects like this although small, strengthen the partnership we have with North Dakota Game and Fish, and build lasting relationships across our chapters volunteers.”
And thanks to their efforts, wildlife of all shapes and sizes are now able to more easily and safely make their way across the landscape.
(Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)
