RMEF KidsHunting Heritage Programs

RMEF helps people of all ages, backgrounds and interests, experience and understand wildlife and wild places. We also help create a thriving, dedicated community of hunters, well-equipped with outdoor skills, shooting skills, hunting ethics and conservation principles.

There are a number of ways to educate the Youth through various RMEF programs. Project WILD Workshops and Elk Trunk Tool Kits provide resources to educate kids in the classroom while a field trip to the Elk Country Visitor Center provides a high-quality learning experience for all.

Elk Country Explorers

Welcome to RMEF’s nationwide community of young members, hunters and conservationists. If you enjoy the outdoors, wildlife and adventure in elk country, you’ve come to the right place!

Join us—membership is just $20! If you’re a student age 17 or under, this RMEF membership category is just for you.

To join, click the link below and ask a parent or legal guardian to complete the form, or call (800) 225-5355 Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m-5 p.m. Mountain Time.


Wildlife Leadership Awards

The mission of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage. Included in the hunting heritage part of this mission is supporting the education and development of wildlife professionals grounded in the North American Model of Wildlife Management.

The RMEF Wildlife Leadership Awards (WLA) scholarship program was established in 1991 to "recognize, encourage and promote leadership among future wildlife management professionals." The awards are presented to undergraduate wildlife students, and currently provide a $5,000 scholarship and a one-year membership to RMEF.

All application materials must be submitted via e-mail by April 14, 2023.


Inside the RMEF Visitor Center

Elk Country Visitor Center

Step into Elk Country at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's Elk Country Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is more than just a museum; it’s an experience that reveals the beauty, diversity and importance of elk country across North America. Open year round and admission is free.


Workshop in progress

Project Wild Workshops

Project WILD spreads the word about conservation and the environment by teaching teachers and providing high-quality conservation education materials through topic-specific WILD guides. Educators attend a workshop, where they participate in up to 15 activities from the WILD guides that are cross-referenced with state and national education standards; receive training in how to use the program’s instructional resources; receive curriculum and lesson plans for use in their classrooms; and typically get the opportunity to prepare and present an activity and/or lesson plan to other workshop participants.

To order your own copy of the WILD About Elk curriculum guide, visit the Project WILD website.


Kid with an elk trunk

Elk Trunk Tool Kits

We recognize that hands-on educational experiences better draw youths’ attention and leave a more lasting impression. “Elk Trunks”—tool kits containing lesson plans, activities, books, antlers, fur and skulls, among other things—provide elk education materials to conservation educators teaching grades 5 through 8.

Kit contents include an elk hides, deer and mountain lion hide pieces, deer and elk antlers, various scat replicas, deer and elk track replicas, elk calls, elk skull replica and various media illustrations as well as lesson guides for 8 different topics.

Elk Trunk Application

Please complete this brief application for consideration of an elk trunk for your classroom or organization:

    Has your organization received previous support from RMEF for another event or project? YesNo
    Are you submitting this for someone else? YesNo
    Will participants have the opportunity to earn their hunter education certification? YesNo