Elk NetworkMontana Elk Habitat, Research Bolstered by RMEF Grants

Conservation | May 8, 2017

MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation awarded $414,800 in grant funding to assist habitat stewardship, hunting heritage and research projects across Montana.

“There are many landscapes in Montana in need of active forest management. These grants will improve overall forest health while enhancing habitat for elk and a wide range of other wildlife species,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “Additional funding will assist with research and hunting heritage programs.”

Twenty-seven projects benefit 20,743 acres across Carbon, Custer, Beaverhead, Broadwater, Deer Lodge, Fergus, Flathead, Golden Valley, Granite, Jefferson, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Petroleum, Powell, Ravalli, Sanders, Silver Bow, Stillwater and Wheatland Counties. Four projects are of statewide benefit while another is of nationwide benefit.

RMEF volunteers in Montana raised the grant funding by hosting banquets, membership drives and other events.

Since 1985, RMEF and its partners completed 943 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Montana with a combined value of more than $159.5 million. These projects conserved or enhanced 812,628 acres of habitat and opened or improved public access to 289,532 acres.

Here is a sampling of the 2017 projects, listed by county:

Fergus County—Thin 330 acres of unnaturally dense ponderosa pine stands in the Little Snowy Mountains on the Lewis and Clark National Forest as part of a multi-year effort to restore and enhance year-round elk habitat covering more than 4,000 acres (also benefits Golden Valley County).

Granite County—Remove three miles of barbed-wire fencing and apply noxious weed treatment to 200 acres of property recently protected with RMEF’s assistance on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest to benefit migration and habitat for more than 500 elk as well as moose, deer and other wildlife.

Missoula County—Prescribe burn 1,157 acres of beetle-kill lodgepole pine forests in the Chamberlain-Wales watershed on BLM land within the southwest Crown of the Continent to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and maintain and enhance habitat for elk, deer, moose, Canada lynx and grizzly bear and many other species.

Statewide—Provide funding for ongoing targeted elk brucellosis surveillance and research designed to 1) Determine presence or absence of brucellosis in elk beyond the Designated Surveillance Area; 2) Develop a model to quantify actual elk to livestock transmission risk to understand factors driving variation in level of risk; 3) Quantify the effectiveness of various management actions toward reducing risk of elk-cattle brucellosis transmission; and 4) Complete the ongoing epidemiology portion of the initial targeted brucellosis project.

Montana project partners include the Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Bitterroot, Custer Gallatin, Helena, Lewis and Clark, Kootenai and Lolo National Forests, Bureau of Land Management, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and private landowners as well as sportsmen, government, civic and other organizations.

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

Founded over 30 years ago, fueled by hunters and a membership of more than 220,000 strong, RMEF has conserved more than 7.1 million acres for elk and other wildlife. RMEF also works to open and improve public access, fund and advocate for science-based resource management, and ensure the future of America’s hunting heritage. Discover why “Hunting Is Conservation™” at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK. Take action: join and/or donate.Beaverhead County—Use a combination of prescribed fire and thinning to  remove encroaching conifers from  389 acres of sagebrush grasslands  to improve summer and winter range as well as transitional range for elk, moose and deer in the Wisdom Ranger District on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest; remove and burn encroaching conifers across 100 acres of scattered aspen stands in the Dillon Ranger District on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest; and apply noxious weed treatment across 650 acres of Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and private lands in the Canyon Creek area.

Broadwater County—Treat noxious weeds on 600 acres of backcountry trails in the Elkhorn Mountains on the Helena National Forest and BLM lands in year-round elk and calving habitat.

Custer County—Provide funding for the Custer County 4-H Shooting Sports Club which is in need of targets, CO2 canisters and air rifles designed to fit the frames of youth under the age of 10.

Deer Lodge County—Improve the health of aspen stands across 330 acres in the Wise River Ranger District on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest to improve forage and browse for elk, mule deer, moose and other wildlife.

Fergus County—Thin 330 acres of unnaturally dense ponderosa pine stands in the Little Snowy Mountains on the Lewis and Clark National Forest as part of a multi-year effort to restore and enhance year-round elk habitat covering more than 4,000 acres (also benefits Golden Valley County).

Flathead County—Apply noxious weed treatment along 153 miles of road right-of-ways in the Hubbart Dam area on private timberlands enrolled in Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park’s (FWP) Block Management Program; thin and burn 120 acres of elk winter range on Horse Ridge in the Spotted Bear Ranger District on the Flathead National Forest; and provide funding to assist Kila School in implementing the National Archery in the Schools Program to enhance curriculum by teaching students lifelong skills, commitment, discipline and the science behind the bow and arrow.

Granite County—Remove three miles of barbed-wire fencing and apply noxious weed treatment to 200 acres of property recently protected with RMEF’s assistance on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest to benefit migration and habitat for more than 500 elk as well as moose, deer and other wildlife.

Jefferson County—Provide funding to replace 9,900 feet of damaged fencing on private property, enrolled in FWP’s Block Management Program and borders federal, state and additional private lands to assist elk and deer migration on the north end of the Elkhorn Mountains.

Lincoln County—Prescribe burn 2,369 acres to increase forage and enlarge existing forage openings for wildlife in the Three Rivers Ranger District on the Kootenai National Forest as part of a multi-year, landscape level project south of Troy.

Mineral County—Prescribed burn 275 acres of elk winter range in the 5-Way area approximately six miles east of St. Regis to improve forage and year-round habitat for elk, mule and whitetail deer and black bears.

Missoula County—Prescribe burn 1,157 acres of beetle-kill lodgepole pine forests in the Chamberlain-Wales watershed on BLM land within the southwest Crown of the Continent to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and maintain and enhance habitat for elk, deer, moose, Canada lynx and grizzly bear and many other species; and thin and prescribe burn a combined 953 acres in the Ninemile Ranger District on the Lolo National Forest to improve more than a century of fire suppression that led to the degradation of winter and summer wildlife range; thin and burn 199 acres of overstocked Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine on the Blackfoot- Clearwater Wildlife Management Area (BCMA); thin 150 acres of encroaching conifers on the BCMA to enhance forage for elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep; plant 3,500 bitterbrush seedlings in year-long elk and mule deer habitat impacted by the 2006 Packer Gulch Wildfire near Bearmouth on BLM land; and provide funding for the Leave No Weeds educational program.

Petroleum County—Prescribe burn 2,500 acres to restore natural vegetative conditions and reduce stand densities to increase forage and browse for elk and other wildlife on BLM land in the Missouri River Breaks.

Powell County—Remove encroaching conifers across 490 acres in the Pintlar Ranger District on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and on private land as part of landscape-scale watershed restoration work to benefit shrubland, grassland and aspen stands serving as elk winter range east of Deerlodge.

Ravalli County—Thin 300 acres and prescribe burn 4,781 acres of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir in the West Fork and Sula Ranger Districts on the Bitterroot National Forest to improve forage quality on elk and other wildlife winter range, reduce disease and insect infestation, reduce landowner/wildlife conflicts by drawing wintering elk from private lands and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

Sanders County—Prescribe burn at varying intensities across 387 acres to create a diversity of successional stages in the Cabinet Ranger District on the Kootenai National Forest south of Trout Creek

Silver Bow County—Treat noxious weeds across 1,956 acres on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge, BLM and Fleecer Mountain Wildlife Area as a multi-year effort to reestablish native vegetation.

Stillwater County—Treat noxious weeds t across 1,000 acres on the Custer Gallatin National Forest, state and private land within the Upper Stillwater River Watershed (also benefits Carbon County).

Wheatland County—Prescribe burn 700 acres on the Lewis and Clark National Forest in the Little Belt Mountains to remove conifer encroachment and bug-killed fuel loads while encouraging forage production for elk and other wildlife.

Nationwide—Provide funding to benefit the Jack Creek Preserve Foundation’s two summer camps for teenagers ages 12-18 which offer a variety of outdoor skills such as hunting ethics and behavior, conservation and wildlife habitat knowledge, equipment care, dressing game skills and much more.

Statewide—Provide funding for ongoing targeted elk brucellosis surveillance and research designed to 1) Determine presence or absence of brucellosis in elk beyond the Designated Surveillance Area; 2) Develop a model to quantify actual elk to livestock transmission risk to understand factors driving variation in level of risk; 3) Quantify the effectiveness of various management actions toward reducing risk of elk-cattle brucellosis transmission; and 4) Complete the ongoing epidemiology portion of the initial targeted brucellosis project.

Provide funding for the Montana Association of Land Trusts (MALT) which promotes and supports excellence in private voluntary land conservation across Montana through leadership, collaboration, education and outreach; provide funding to assist FWP’s K9 program which assists game wardens with detecting illegal activities, track and apprehend poachers and quickly locate crucial evidence at poaching crime scenes; and provide funding for the Be Bear Aware Campaign to offset the cost of bear avoidance safety materials, bear spray training handouts and participating in local events.