For the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, conservation is not a one-and-done deal.
To cite one of many examples, RMEF worked with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the City of Missoula, U.S. Forest Service and other partners in the 1990s to conserve and protect about 1,600 acres of habitat on a mountain overlooking the city along the wildlife-urban interface.
Among that acreage is the Mount Jumbo Wildlife Management Area, which supplies important winter range and travel corridors for elk, whitetail and mule deer.
From 2022 to 2025, RMEF, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and hunters provided funding for a habitat stewardship project to thin overly thick stands of Douglas-fir among ponderosa pine.
Overstocked canopy closure thwarted the growth of grasses and shrubs on the forest floor and put the forest itself at a higher risk of wildfire because of all the ladder fuels.
Contracted crews removed smaller trees and encroaching Douglas-fir conifers in favor of larger trees with the highest crowns, creating slash piles burned the following fall.
The result is more vibrant growth of bluebunch wheatgrass, fescues, and a variety of nutritional forbs and shrubs valued by big game but also benefitting black bears, mountain lions, small mammals and birds ranging from grouse and bats to woodpeckers and hummingbirds.
ONE SQUARE MILE A DAY. OVER 10 MILLION ACRES BY 2030.
At RMEF, we’re not just conserving what’s here today, we’re creating what’s possible for tomorrow. That means more access, healthier habitats and a stronger future for all big game.
Join the movement at RMEF.ORG