The Hunt and Fish Blog

MISSOULA, Mont.–Over a million acres worth of conservation impact in Wyoming alone.
That’s the historic milestone that Wyoming volunteers of the Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation hope to reach this year with plenty of hard work and new grants for
wildlife habitat projects across the state.

The RMEF funding commitment for 2012 projects in Wyoming totals $338,006 and affects
10 counties: Albany, Big Horn, Carbon, Converse, Fremont, Lincoln, Natrona, Park,
Sublette and Teton.

Additional research and hunting heritage projects have statewide interest.

“We’re currently about 13,000 acres shy of the 1 million-acre mark in Wyoming, and
this year’s grants should impact a bit over 19,000 acres. So if all the prescribe
burning, forest thinning, weed treatment and other projects go as expected, we
should reach a significant organizational milestone later this year,” said David
Allen, RMEF president and CEO.

Wyoming would become the first state to conserve a million acres with help from RMEF.

Nationally, RMEF passed the 6 million-acre mark in 2011.

RMEF’s mission is to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat.
Since 1985, the organization and its partners have completed 439 conservation and
hunting heritage outreach projects in Wyoming with a combined value of more than
$100 million.

Funding for RMEF grants is based on local membership drives and banquet fundraising
by RMEF chapters and volunteers in Wyoming. Allen thanked RMEF supporters for their
dedication to conservation both in Wyoming and all across elk country.

RMEF volunteers also contribute labor for on-the-ground projects such as removing
old fences, building guzzlers and more.

Allen added, “In addition to the various habitat stewardship and protection efforts
planned for 2012, we’re also funding research to further document impacts of wolves
and other predators on local elk herds. Resulting data will help biologists manage
for more balanced populations in the future.”

RMEF grants will help fund the following 2012 projects in Wyoming, listed by county:

Albany County–Replace 3-1/4 miles of old woven-wire fencing with wildlife-friendly
fencing to improve passage for elk, deer, antelope, bighorn sheep in the Johnson
Creek area of the Thorne/Williams Wildlife Management Area; prescribe burn 190 acres
in the Bald Mountain area of Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest.

Big Horn County–Improve forage for elk by treating cheatgrass and mechanically
thinning and/or prescribe burning 715 acres in the Devil’s Canyon area of BLM land;
provide sponsorship for the Paintrock Hunter Mentor Program to introduce youths to
traditional outdoor recreation and conservation.

Carbon County–Rejuvenate sagebrush, serviceberry and other forage shrubs for elk by
prescribe burning 2,775 acres in the Big Sandstone Creek area of the Medicine
Bow-Routt National Forest; prescribe burn 250 acres to restore aspen stands in the
Little Snake River watershed; treat 200 acres of noxious weeds in the Savage Run and
Platte River wilderness areas of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest (also
affects Albany County); replace three miles of woven- and barbed-wire fencing with
wildlife-friendly fencing in the Pole Canyon area of BLM land; install a wildlife
drinking station (guzzler) in the Bennett Mountain area.

Converse County–Provide sponsorship for the Wyoming 2012 4-H Shooting Sports
Extravaganza to introduce and encourage youth to get involved in traditional outdoor
sports and conservation.

Fremont County–Prescribe burn 551 acres to enhance quality, quantity and
palatability of elk forage in the upper Wind River area of the Shoshone National
Forest; assist with purchased conservation easement to permanently protect 5,130
acres of vital elk habitat between the Thorofare and Wind River drainages; remove
encroaching conifers to restore meadow habitats on 457 acres in the Freak Mountain
area of the Shoshone National Forest; treat 100 acres of noxious weeds, purchase
irrigation materials and install four miles of fencing in the Spence-Moriarity
Wildlife Habitat Management Area; contribute to a purchased conservation easement to
permanently protect 1,225 acres of elk habitat in the Lander Foothills.

Lincoln County–Rejuvenate decadent forage for elk by prescribe burning 1,665 acres
in the North Murphy and Weiner Creek areas of the Bridger-Teton National Forest;
assist with a purchased conservation easement to permanently protect 1,907 acres of
elk winter range near Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and Lost Creek
Wildlife Habitat Management Area; treat 405 acres of noxious weeds using herbicides
and bio-controls (knapweed weevils) in the Greys River area of Bridger-Teton
National Forest.

Natrona County–Thin encroaching conifers to restore mountain mahogany stands on 200
acres of elk habitat in the Lost Creek area of the southern Bighorn Mountains on BLM
land.

Park County–Prescribe burn 70 acres to improve diversity of sagebrush, grassland
and aspen habitat for elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, sage grouse and other wildlife
in the Breteche Creek area of BLM land; replace 6-2/3 miles of old woven- and
barbed-wire fencing with wildlife-friendly fencing on two ranches which provide
important wildlife habitat and access for hunters near Cody.

Statewide–Provide support for University of Wyoming research on elk population
variances related to habitat loss, land use changes, diseases, weather patterns,
predators and other factors; support additional research by University of Wyoming on
factors influencing elk pregnancy rates; provide sponsorship for Wyoming Game and
Fish Department’s Outdoor Recreation Education Opportunities to provide training for
teachers, as well as the agency’s Hunter Education program.

Sublette County–Provide support for research on elk migration patterns, habitat
selection and foraging habits associated with feedgrounds (also affects Teton and
Lincoln counties); treat noxious weeds to improve forage on 400 acres in the Horse
Creek, New Fork and Divide wildfire areas of the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Teton County–Provide support for research on short- and long-term effects of fire
on elk forage and nutrition in the Red Rock wildfire area of the Bridger-Teton
National Forest; provide sponsorship for “Don’t Poach the Powder” education campaign
to highlight importance of seasonal public closure areas to wintering wildlife near
Jackson Hole, Wyo.

Habitat and research projects are selected for grants using science-based criteria
and a committee of RMEF volunteers and staff along with representatives from
partnering agencies and universities. RMEF staff and volunteers select education and
hunting heritage projects to receive grants.

Partners for 2012 projects in Wyoming include the Bureau of Land Management,
University of Wyoming, U.S. Forest Service, Wyoming Game and Fish Department and
other agencies, organizations, corporations and landowners.

SHELL LAKE, Wis.– The Department of Natural Resources has announced that chronic wasting disease, CWD for short, was detected in a wild adult doe found on private property just west of Shell Lake in Washburn County.

Tissue samples have been confirmed as CWD-positive at both the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa. DNR received the final test results late on Friday, March 30.

The 3 1/2-year old doe was euthanized by the Washburn County Sheriff’s Office on a small parcel of private land.

In order to find out if the disease is present in other wild deer in the area, this fall DNR will begin a focused disease surveillance effort within a 10-mile radius around the positive location. “The fall archery and gun deer hunting seasons provide an excellent, cost-effective method to collect valuable samples,” said Kurt Thiede, DNR Lands Division administrator.

This is the first wild CWD-positive deer to be found in northern Wisconsin and within the Ceded Territory where the Ojibwe Tribes maintain harvest and gathering rights.

“No changes are anticipated this fall in the broad framework of the hunting seasons,” said DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp. “We are reviewing today’s news with our wildlife experts and are reaching out to notify the DNR Board, tribal representatives, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Minnesota DNR. In addition, we have relayed this information to Dr. Kroll.”

Under state statutes, DNR is required to enact a ban on the feeding and baiting of deer in any county that is within 10 miles of any captive or free-roaming deer that tests positive for either CWD or Tb.

This CWD-positive deer is within Washburn County and may be within 10 miles of Barron, Burnett and Polk counties. DNR anticipates the ban on baiting and feeding within these counties to take effect this fall.

Thiede noted, “The location of this deer was more than 100 miles from the nearest known cases of the disease in either wild or captive deer. Our field staff will be working with local citizens, registration stations, processors and taxidermists to collect tissue samples to learn if any other sick deer exist near this case.”

In addition, the DNR will begin to implement other steps, such as collecting adult road kill deer to gather additional samples.

CWD is a nervous system disease of deer, moose, and elk. It belongs to the family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases. CWD occurs only in members of the cervid or deer family, both wild and captive. Current information suggests that CWD may be transmitted both directly through animal to animal contact and indirectly from a CWD-prion contaminated environment. Recent studies indicate that CWD prions exist in the saliva, urine, and feces of infected deer.

Governor Walker signed Senate Bill 411 which provides a wolf hunting and trapping season in Wisconsin from October 15th through the end of February. This establishes Wisconsin as the first state to have a wolf hunting season east of the Mississippi.

“With this law, we are opening the door for the DNR to have rules in place for a wolf hunt beginning in October of this year,” Governor Walker said. “The Wisconsin wolf population has grown from about 25 wolves in 1980 to more than 800. The swelling wolf population has created a hardship for many farmers and homeowners. The DNR is ready to put the rules in place that will allow them to reduce the herd to a healthy, sustainable level.”

Governor Walker thanked Sen. Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls) and Rep. Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) for their work on the wolf hunting bill.

There weren’t any big surprises in Dr. James Kroll’s preliminary report about the Wisconsin DNR’S management of the whitetail herd. Dr. Kroll’s study concluded hunters and landowners feel an “intense dissatisfaction” with the Wisconsin DNR and the agency needs a more human touch to rebuild its credibility. Dr. Kroll was quoted as saying “The WDNR has placed an inordinate emphasis on estimating population goals and establishing population density goals (which commonly are not met), while giving much less emphasis to habitat and people”.

Other issues brought up in the report are the DNR’S unsuccessful management techniques of Chronic wasting dieses (CWD) and inadequate research on the effects predators are having on the whitetails. Dr. Kroll’s final report due at the end of June will have suggestions on how to deal with the problems the preliminary report points out. Dr. Kroll complimented the Wisconsin DNR on their professionalism and willingness to cooperate with the study.

MISSOULA, Mont.—Yesterday, August 3, 2011, will go down as one of the better days in a decade-long battle for science-based wolf management.

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation leaders are encouraged by progress on two fronts.

A federal judge upheld Congress’ recent delisting of wolves in Idaho, Montana and other parts of the West. And the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced an agreement on wolf management plans in Wyoming.

Both developments help clear the way for state management hunts needed to control burgeoning wolf populations. In some areas, elk calf survival rates are now too low to sustain herds for the future.

“We’re encouraged by these positive steps toward managing wolves as part of overall conservation objectives,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “This is forward movement in our fight to make sure that all states, from the Pacific Northwest to the Great Lakes, have the authority to manage fully recovered species like wolves.”

“Real on-the-ground science is the big winner in all of this, as there is no doubt that wolves are recovered and should be managed like all other wildlife. To date, no one has shown science to dispute this fact,” he added.

Allen thanked sportsmen and conservationists for their patience through the endless lawsuits that have kept America’s historically successful system of wildlife management stymied in courts.

But he also cautioned, “Until the wolf problem is fixed permanently, we’re likely to see appeals, more legal antics and frivolous lawsuits by extremist groups who literally make their living by suing the federal government—and creating crises where there are none, for the purpose of raising funds.”

Allen said RMEF will remain diligent as plaintiffs consider taking their case to higher courts. RMEF also will continue to urge lawmakers for nationwide delisting measures, and advocate for updating and modernizing delisting language within the Endangered Species Act.

MISSOULA, Mont.—A new forest stewardship project in Idaho is showcasing a Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation national program built to deliver conservation while boosting local economies.

Acting as a nonprofit partner with the Salmon-Challis National Forest, RMEF is overseeing a project to thin overgrown forest, improve habitat for elk and other wildlife, and reduce wildfire risk on 570 acres in the Hughes Creek area of Salmon, Idaho.

RMEF’s job is ensuring that conservation objectives are met and subcontracting with local companies to do the actual work.

For payment, subcontractors trade some of their services in exchange for goods—namely, the wood products harvested as part of the stewardship project. Forest Service funding as well as grants from other sources, such as the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, cover the balance.

In addition to restoring the forest to a more natural condition, “One of the best things about the Forest’s arrangement with RMEF is the contracting process is more flexible and can take into account values that include, but are not limited to, price. Our community and local Forest Service need people in this valley who are capable and willing to work in the woods at a decent living wage. Hughes Creek is an effort to fix a system that felt broken to a lot of us,” said Gina Knudson of Salmon Valley Stewardship.

Knudson is part of the Lemhi County Forest Restoration Group, a collaboration of governments, industries, conservationists and homeowners concerned about the health of local forests. Together they designed the Hughes Creek Fuels Reduction Project.

Dale Kerkvliet of RMEF said, “The grassroots instigation and the continued support and active involvement of these partners has been contagious. Our shared vision is utilizing local talent and resources to make this watershed more resilient to wildfire—and more accommodating to elk.”

Habitat conditions in Hughes Creek have diminished over time in the absence of fire. Conifers have encroached into meadows and noxious weeds have become established. Forest thinning followed by prescribe burning will improve forage quantity and quality.

Similar conditions and potential remedies may be found all across the 194,000-acre North Fork Ranger District of the Salmon-Challis National Forest. In 2010, forest officials entered into a 10-year agreement with RMEF to oversee forest stewardship projects. The Hughes Creek project is the first to get underway.

RMEF’s Habitat Stewardship Services program, under the direction of Kerkvliet, is developing similar agreements and projects with other federal agencies and local communities across the West. Montana and Wyoming also have seen early successes.

In 2003, Congress authorized the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to enter into stewardship contracts and agreements with groups like RMEF, “to achieve land management goals for the national forests that meet local and rural community needs.”

The “community needs” part of the objective is especially meaningful for Dave Melton of Bighorn Outfitters, one of the local subs awarded a contract in the Hughes Creek project.

He explained, “I’m sure glad to be able to bid on work here in Lemhi County and keep our crew here in town. Otherwise, they may have to leave home to find work in North Dakota like many others have already done in these though times.”