|
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Awards More Than $416,000 in Grants for Colorado Conservation Projects
Elk Foundation and partners have completed 407 conservation projects with a value of nearly $92.2 million during organization’s history in Centennial State
(Dec. 11, 2006) Colo. — The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation announced it has funded 30 conservation projects this year to protect and enhance habitat in Colorado.
The Elk Foundation has awarded more than $416,000 in grant funding for habitat stewardship and wildlife management projects throughout Colorado in 2006. With partner contributions, the Elk Foundation will have helped funnel over $3 million to conservation efforts in the state this year.
The Elk Foundation and its partners have completed 407 conservation projects in Colorado with a value of nearly $92.2 million since the organization began in 1984. These conservation efforts have had a major impact on elk and other wildlife habitat throughout the state, permanently protecting and enhancing nearly 334,000 acres. Additionally, the Elk Foundation and its partners have opened access to more than 72,000 acres for public hunting, fishing and other recreation in Colorado.
“With more than one-third of North America’s elk population residing in Colorado alone, the state remains one of the Elk Foundation’s top priorities,” said Lance Schul, Colorado senior regional director for the Elk Foundation. “Thanks to the fundraising efforts of our hardworking Colorado volunteers, we are able to help direct considerable resources to conserving the state’s irreplaceable landscapes and wildlife.”
Highlights of recent Elk Foundation-funded conservation projects in Colorado include:
Dolores River - Redburn Flying R Ranch (Montezuma County) – The Elk Foundation helped the Montezuma Land Conservancy purchase a conservation easement on 298.35 acres of important wildlife habitat in the heart of the Dolores River Valley. Located along the Dolores River, the property provides elk calving grounds. This project is part of the larger San Juan Skyway Initiative that is working to permanently protect the scenic, agricultural and recreational amenities of the Skyway, a 236-mile scenic byway in southwest Colorado crossing Montezuma, Ouray, San Juan and San Miguel counties. Elk Foundation funds for this project came from the Dale and Lois Ives Memorial Fund.
School / Radio Pinyon-Juniper Thinning (San Miguel County) – Mow encroaching pinyon-juniper stands within sagebrush parks and mountain shrub communities in order to improve winter range conditions for elk and deer. This area is also within vacant Gunnison sage grouse range and would provide important habitat benefits for its conservation.
Hermosa Drainage Prescribed Burn (La Plata County) – Burn 11,330 acres of prime elk habitat in the Hermosa drainage, around 3.3 miles northwest of Durango. Historically, the project area was heavily used as elk summer range, with some calving areas, transition range and productive winter range. Elk use has declined in recent years due to loss of forage as areas have converted to dense cover.
Red Canyon Noxious Weed Treatment (Pitkin County) – Treat noxious weeds, primarily plumeless thistle, in the Red Canyon Creek Area where noxious weeds are expanding at an alarming rate. The area is remote, with access to weed infestations by four-wheel drive, ATV and horseback only. The area provides important winter and transition habitat for approximately 200 elk as well as mule deer and wild turkey.
Chubb Park Water Development (Chaffee County) – Provide an adequate and dependable source of water during the spring, summer and fall seasons, improve water quality for all animals, and preserve the riparian and lower pastures for the winter grazing range of elk by drilling a well in an area of prime summer and winter elk habitat.
Picketwire Canyon Riparian Enhancement (Las Animas County) – Improve the quantity and quality of elk winter, spring and summer forage along the Purgatoire River riparian corridor, while reducing elk depredation on nearby private lands by encouraging cottonwood sapling growth, planting cottonwood saplings and spot-treating tamarisk patches.
Rabbit Mountain Thinning (La Plata County) – Thinned 582 acres of elk winter range and severe winter range in order to improve elk forage habitat quality and quantity. The project will also reduce the likelihood of catastrophic wildfire that could cause significant losses of valuable habitat for elk and other wildlife, including mule deer, northern goshawk, Merriam's turkey and Albert's squirrel.
Colorado Conservation Initiative
Home to a considerable percentage of North America's elk population, Colorado is also one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S. The Elk Foundation has launched a Colorado Conservation Initiative to help address the mounting pressures felt by the state’s wildlife and their habitat. The primary goal of the initiative’s first phase is to enhance habitat through manipulation projects such as water development, noxious weed control, prescribed burns, and wildlife plantings. The secondary goal is to permanently protect elk winter range and migration corridors.
About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Missoula, Mont., the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat. The Elk Foundation and its partners have permanently protected or enhanced more than 4.8 million acres, a land area nearly twice as large as Yellowstone National Park. More than 480,000 acres previously closed to public access are now open for hunting, fishing and other recreation. The Elk Foundation has more than 160,000 members, a staff of 150 and 10,000 active volunteers. To help protect wild elk country or learn more about the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, visit www.elkfoundation.org or call 800-CALL-ELK.
|
