In northeastern Oregon, RMEF volunteers continue to lead the charge to protect young aspens from hungry elk. During the summer months, elk and deer seek out aspen groves for shade and protection. Twigs and bark also provide important browse during the winter when grasses lie buried beneath snow. In the spring, elk and deer nibble tender leaves and chomp sprouting shoots down to nubs.

In June 2025, RMEF member Tim Campbell and volunteers from the Pendleton Chapter set a total of 500 feet of buck-and-pole fence around a young aspen stand. A weekend was set aside for the project, but the volunteers completed it in a day and a morning, camping at Elk Flats Trailhead.

“Because of the group’s skillset, determination and experience in constructing this type of fence, once we get rolling we are very efficient and can put up a lot of fence in short order,” Campbell said.

This was just one of many aspen enclosures the group has raised across the Umatilla National Forest over the past decade. Each enclosure is designed to be temporary, allowing young aspen shoots to grow tall enough to be out of reach of adult elk and deer while still granting access to calves, fawns and other wildlife for shelter. Eventually the fence will be removed.

“Ultimately we do want the elk and other wildlife feeding on the aspen once the stand is self-sustaining again,” said Terry Reynolds, wildlife biologist for the Umatilla National Forest who collaborates with Campbell on the volunteer efforts.

The project area is off the beaten path, bordering the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness Area. The group, working alongside Reynolds and other current and retired U.S. Forest Service (USFS) staff, constructed A-frames and erected 45 sections of fence, each measuring 10 to 12 feet long.

“When it is time to pack up and go home, it is very clear that we left our mark and our efforts will make a difference in elk country,” Campbell said.

During the weekend, volunteers also took time to appreciate the beautiful landscape they work so hard to conserve. Deciding to take a drive in hopes of finding a mountain goat spotted by USFS employees near the work site, Campbell and his team stumbled across wildlife, but not what they expected. Hidden in the trees stood seven branch-antlered bull elk—a fitting reward for a hard day’s work.