ThinkingAfield.org

MISSOULA, Mont. — Western landscapes recently impacted by wildfires are receiving $7.8 million in forest restoration treatments.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation allotted $330,000 in 2023 grant funding to help recover habitat for elk, mule deer, moose, pronghorn antelope, sage grouse, turkey and other wildlife, upping its overall 2021-2023 commitment to $1.6 million. Those funds helped leverage $6.2 million from RMEF’s conservation partners.

“Healthy forests mean healthy habitat. These active forest management projects positively affect elk and scores of other species,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “We recognize this would not happen without the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, state and county agencies, private landowners and other partnerships.”

Habitat enhancement projects include invasive weed treatment, planting native grasses and shrubs, aspen restoration, conifer thinning, fence removal and/or replacement with wildlife-friendly fencing, riparian restoration and repairing or constructing wildlife water sources.

As of today, there are 41 wildfire restoration grants awarded to 10 states from 2021 through April 2023 with work continuing through 2025. Below is a list of the most recent 2023 projects slated to receive support. Read more

Ask many hunters across the country what their bucket list hunt is, and it would probably be a western big game hunt for elk, mule deer, or pronghorn. The vast landscapes these animals call home, with high-elevation forests and seemingly endless sagebrush sea, present the challenge and excitement for a dream hunt. These landscapes also define the lives of big game animals that must migrate across vast distances through the seasons to fulfill their habitat needs.

Hunters and westerners in general have long recognized that the deer they see in the sagebrush flats in mid-winter will be gone once spring unveils the newly sprouting forage in higher elevations. As the “green wave” moves up the hillside each spring, so too do the big game species as they follow the food that sustains them. They head to high elevations to fawn or calve, staying in the high country through the summer months before making the same trek back down. The advent of GPS wildlife collars has unveiled an even more detailed story about the life cycle of big game species, and the vulnerable habitats along their migration routes.

For decades, state fish and wildlife agencies have been at the forefront of managing big game populations, utilizing funds through the sale of hunting licenses as well as excise taxes paid by manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and archery gear through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Fund. But the West is booming, and new housing construction, energy development, and increased traffic on roads coupled with wildland fires and the wide swing of drought to heavy snowpack, are all affecting big game populations.

Five years ago, the Department of the Interior’s Secretarial Order 3362 was signed to support state efforts to identify and improve big game migration corridors and seasonal ranges. According to the Department, direct funding to implement the Order over the last five years included $6.4 million for research and $2.5 million for mapping support to state fish and wildlife agencies. In addition, $20 million was directed toward habitat conservation and enhancement through a grant program coordinated by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The new funding and focused attention have been invaluable to rapidly ramp up conservation efforts, however, states emphasize how important Pittman-Robertson funding has been to help them work with partners to implement big game habitat connectivity projects. Read more