|
 Rocky
Mountain Elk Foundation
Mission: Ensure the future of elk, other wildlife and their
habitat.
The energy and enthusiasm of more than 150,000 Rocky
Mountain Elk Foundation members can be felt when visiting
the newly-opened Elk Country Visitor Center in Missoula. It
is far more than a beautiful space. It’s a testament to the
long hours, dedication and commitment of the thousands of
Elk Foundation volunteers, the organization’s staff and
partners who have worked hard over the past 22 years. It is
amazing that the Elk Foundation has achieved so much in such
a short time. The simple numbers are astounding; more than
4.5 million acres of important elk habitat have been
protected by the Elk Foundation. The Pass It On campaign
raised $298 million and protected or enhanced 1.8 million
acres of elk country in the past five years. Topping it off
are the organization’s new facilities, including the Elk
Country Visitor Center, which is expected to draw more than
100,000 people each year, and new office space houseing 90
of the foundation’s 140 employees. The two-year construction
project to complete the facilities ended in November with a
public grand opening and dedication.
Jim Gladen, Vice President of Lands and Conservation, is
quick to point out the importance of the Elk Foundation’s
mission statement: To Ensure the Future of Elk, Other
Wildlife and their Habitat. “This one statement tells
everything about what we do.” offers Gladen. The goal is
simple enough but the reality of the challenge the
foundation faces is numbing. For all their success, the fact
remains that 2,500 acres of elk habitat are lost daily in
the United States.
What does an organization do to accomplish the mission of
preserving land that is quickly vanishing? The first thing
to do is use science to determine the most critical land to
protect. Identifying the places that can help elk the most
and can be accomplished most efficiently is an important
part of the foundation’s work. Once locations have been
identified, the Elk Foundation can concentrate its efforts
on habitat protection and enhancement projects. This doesn’t
mean the foundation walks in and buys the property. What it
does mean is that land owners, state and federal groups and
other concerned individuals work in partnership with the
foundation to facilitate protecting the land. In many cases,
the Elk Foundation can purchase land more easily than
government agencies. It then holds the property until it can
be transferred to public ownership.
“Protecting habitat is more important than creating more
public land”, says Gladen.
The options are varied and may mean the property is kept by
the land owner, but an easement is placed on the land to
prevent future development. Another option is to negotiate
public access and provide funding for enhancement projects
on important private property. It could also mean
negotiating a sale, and transfer the land into public
ownership. In each case, the land is being protected with
the goal of protecting habitat that might otherwise be lost
to development.
An example of habitat protection recently occurred in the
Elkhorn Mountains south of Helena. The Iron Mask property
was close to being sold and privately developed when the Elk
Foundation stepped in.
“We just got it”, exclaims Gladen, emphasizing how close the
property came to being sold for development. Not only is it
prime elk habitat, the land is also home to bighorn sheep
and pronghorn antelope. One of the keys in this transaction
was the partnerships needed to make it work. The
Conservation Fund, Senator Conrad Burns, the Bureau of Land
Management and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks were all
involved in making this acquisition possible.
In the Eastern United States, the Elk Foundation is working
with local organizations to fund feasibility studies on the
relocation of elk into their historic range. The Elk
Foundation bases its decisions on science-based management
and offers its expertise and funding abilities when states
are considering bringing elk back to their original habitat.
“We try to present the information and science that will
allow people to make up their own minds”, states Gladen. The
foundation is also helping with projects that include mine
land reclamation in Kentucky and Tennessee, and selective
logging operations on land in Oregon and other states.
Projects like these enhance habitat not only for elk but
other wildlife.
The Elk Foundation is committed to providing its members and
the general public an opportunity to become connected with
its mission. The most obvious example of reaching out to the
public is the new Elk Country Visitor Center. Life-like
murals on the walls show the variety of habitats elk thrive
in. The diorama is a visual teaching tool of elk that
explains, through a variety of interactive displays, how elk
and other animals that share the same habitat. Young and old
alike can touch and feel their way around the hands-on
wildlife displays which are engaging and make learning a lot
of fun.
 Val
Delaney, who played a key role managing the construction and
transition into the new facility, is a great example of the
enthusiastic energy characteristic of people involved with
the Elk Foundation. Delaney points out some of the extensive
planning that went into the Visitor Center as we tour the
displays.
“These all follow the three-thirty-three rule when it comes
to people visiting a display. Some people will spend three
seconds, some will spend thirty seconds, and finally a few
will spend three minutes. The goal is to have something that
each group can learn from when visiting the display.”
These principles are seen throughout the visitor center as
bold headlines introduce concepts like, “The “Seven Sisters”
Hold the Key to Wildlife Conservation”, or “Heroes of the
North American Conservation Movement”, and “What Hunting
Means to Me”. Visitors can then choose to read the
additional information, touch the examples set before them,
listen to recordings that are available or continue to move
through the displays.
Another important part of the center is the way that hi-tech
and low-tech displays are mixed together. For individuals
comfortable with a computer, touch screen monitors create an
interactive experience that allows users control over the
information they are accessing. For anyone who doesn’t care
to engage a computer, the hands-on area by the diorama is
perfect for learning about elk, their neighbors, and the
places where they live in an effective, low-tech way.
“One of the important goals of the Visitor Center is to help
people see what is happening in their own backyards”,
mentions Delaney. With the touch of a button on a computer
monitor, information emerges for visitors, telling them the
amount of habitat the Elk Foundation has protected or
enhanced in every state.
The Visitor Center was designed with an extensive area
dedicated to visiting exhibits. Currently, the early black
and white photos of celebrated Forest Service photographer,
K.D. Swan, are on display. Swan’s photos capture the early
years of our National Forests and the people working and
playing within them.
At the Visitor Center and through a wide range of programs,
the Elk Foundation is involved in a variety of activities to
educate individuals about the value of conservation and the
need to pass our hunting heritage on to future generations.
Just a few of the programs designed to achieve these goals
are the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program, hunter education
workshops, archery training, and 4-H Shooting Sports.
The Elk Foundation recognizes that it has accomplished a
great deal in just over two decades since the organization
began in Libby, Montana. But if the next 20 years are to
bring comparable success – in a world in which open land is
more desirable each year – the organization’s relationship
must remain strong with its membership, with the general
public and with its conservation partners.
The energy and commitment within the Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation give you the impression, the folks who work there
will do everything they can to make that happen.
For more information about the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
you can phone 406-523-4545 or 800-CALL-ELK or visit their
website at www.elkfoundation.org. Visitor center hours from
January 3rd to Memorial Day are 8am - 5pm Monday through
Friday and 10am - 5pm on Saturday. The center is closed
Sunday.
|
