OREGON In the dark coastal forests of central Oregon, Roosevelt’s elk have some ethereal company in the hankering for lush meadows. Threatened Oregon Silverspot butterflies depend on foggy, windy and salt-sprayed openings along the coast to find early blue violets, which they use as a host for their larvae. To benefit both winged and hoofed wildlife, the Elk Foundation recently helped fund seeding, mowing and fertilizing of more than 250 acres of coastal meadows in the Siuslaw National Forest. Other species such as bald eagles and western pond turtles should benefit as well. (photo by Erin Sullivan/Woodland Park Zoo)

CALIFORNIA
With help from the Elk Foundation, the USFS installed two 1,800-gallon wildlife guzzlers in a parched area within the Klamath National Forest. Providing reliable water sources in these areas will reduce elk crossing Highway 97, a major truck route, in search of water.

IDAHO
Chainsaws, helicopters and a good dose of fire restored natural conditions at Dworshak Reservoir in northern Idaho. The Elk Foundation partnered with the Army Corps of Engineers, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Potlatch Corporation and Reggear Tree Farm to enhance more than 1,000 acres of elk winter range. After loggers selectively thinned small-diameter trees, helicopters with mounted drip torches lit a prescribed fire, creating a mosaic of tree cover and brushy openings ideal for elk, deer and moose.

SOUTH DAKOTA
When the Homestake Mining Company closed its doors and started liquidating its properties, the Elk Foundation stepped up to help coordinate transfer of 822 acres of lush meadows near Deadwood to the Black Hills National Forest. But the commitment didn’t end there. Wildlife managers found that cattle and elk were loving Tillson Spring on the new public land to the point of ruin. A dilapidated fence enclosing two acres was no longer protecting the sensitive riparian area, so the Elk Foundation helped fund construction of an 8-foot fence surrounding eight acres so vegetation could recover and the health of the watershed improve.

TENNESSEE
Elk Foundation volunteers from the Appalachian Chapter spearheaded a program to lure five lucky youngsters away from their video games and into the woods for the Sullivan County Youth Deer Hunt. After Wal-Mart and the Elk Foundation chipped in $100 of hunting gear for each participant, hunter safety instructors escorted four boys and one girl on their first deer hunt. Several sightings, a case of buck fever and one doe on the ground later, the youngsters left with a new appreciation for the outdoors and a healthy case of the hunting bug.

WYOMING
As a part of the Forest Service’s “Don’t Poach the Powder” program, the Elk Foundation once again helped pay for 264 winter wildlife closure signs near Jackson, Wyoming. During the winter, elk and other ungulates must conserve every ounce of energy, but recreationists on foot, skis or snowmobiles can cause animals to hoof it toward the next county, thereby wasting precious calories. In the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the Forest Service has instituted winter wildlife closures to protect elk during this sensitive time of year. Because of a lack of knowledge about where the closures are and why they’re in place, recreationists have not fully complied. In 2003, 2006 and now again in 2008, the Elk Foundation partnered with Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the National Elk Refuge and many other groups to better inform the public through signs, media outreach and field patrols.