Volunteers for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation are doing great things! On the Oregon RMEF Facebook page, you can scroll down to a recent project posted on May 9. Here is what it says:
This weekend it all came together, thanks to our RMEF Team and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife! Together, we logged 100+ hours to build buck and pole fencing around Aspen stands – approximately 800 feet over nearly 2 days.
This was the final phase of this project, which started in 2017. Last year, over 2 separate summer weekends, all the required material was cut, loaded, hauled, and unloaded at this project site from another location 2 hours away. We also spent 2 weekends of planting and laying down fence for winter migration.
Perhaps the most interesting part of this project is that in early 2017 Pendleton Chapter members committed to providing 400 hours of volunteer efforts to occur between July 2017 and June 2018 for this project. As a result, ODF&W submitted a grant to access Pittman Robertson Federal Aide for Wildlife Enhancement funding. These Grant dollars are an “in kind” match to volunteer hours logged.
This project included aspen restoration, range land enhancement, and annual maintenance – all of which is a “win” for elk and other wildlife. The outcome of this project will result in significant grant dollars coming back to the agency for the purchase of a much needed capital item, a triple axel heavy duty trailer to haul equipment the agency owns/uses throughout the district.
Congrats and thank you for your efforts to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat.