MISSOULA, Mont. — The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners allocated $85,773 in grant funding for habitat enhancement and hunting heritage projects in Minnesota. RMEF directly granted $20,093 that leveraged an additional $65,680 in partner dollars.

"This work positively impacts habitat for elk, moose, deer and other wildlife across more than 1,000 acres in seven different counties. It also helps youth and adults alike better experience and understand hunting, conservation, recreational shooting and the outdoors." said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer.

There are more than 7,400 RMEF members and 19 chapters in Minnesota.

"We appreciate our volunteers who worked hard to generate this funding so it can go back on the ground in the state they live," said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO.

Below is a list of Minnesota projects benefitted by 2021 funding, shown by county.

Kittson County

• Establish and maintain quality forage plots across 50 acres within select wildlife management areas (WMA) and private lands in the Karlstad area. 

Marshall County

• Shear 500 acres of over-mature brushland to trigger the resprouting of early successional new growth within the Thief Lake WMA (also benefits Beltrami County).
• Sheer 500 acres of brush within the Grygla, Moose River, Thief Lake and Wapiti WMAs and create five miles of firebreak to prepare units for future prescribed burning.

Nicollet County

• Provide funding and volunteer manpower to support the 2021 Minnesota Outdoor Youth Activity Day for nearly 200 boys and girls to learn about conservation and take part in more than 40 hands-on skills including archery, trap and muzzleloader shooting, bowfishing, cooking and more.

Scott County

• Provide funding for a three-day mentored pheasant hunt workshop for women including instruction in shotgun basics and safety, working with dogs and other skills (also benefits Le Sueur and Pine Counties).

Statewide

• Provide funding to assist the 2022 Minnesota State High School Clay Target League Trap Shooting Championship. More than 340 high school teams and 8,000 student athletes are expected to participate.

Since 1990, RMEF and its partners completed 226 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Minnesota with a combined value of more than $5.3 million. These projects conserved and enhanced 80,423 acres of habitat and opened or improved public access to 943 acres.

Project partners include the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as well as conservation, hunting and other organizations.