Elk NetworkUtah DNR Strikes Back at Environmentalist Claims

Conservation | February 14, 2018

Seeking to dispel half-truths promoted by an environmentalist group, the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released a video that shines a more complete light on a habitat treatment called chaining.

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance initiated a smear campaign focused on the chaining process itself and not the positive effects that come from its use.  Those positive outcomes and subsequent follow-up treatments include reseeding, the growth of drought-resistant native plants, improved water flow of springs and streams, how restored vegetation reduces the severity of catastrophic wildfires and how wildlife is returning to healthy, sustainable landscapes. Since 2016 alone, active, hands-on management improved nearly 1.5 million acres of Utah watersheds and wildlife habitat.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is actively involved with the DNR and other partners in providing funding for on-the-ground habitat stewardship work in Utah and around the nation. In fact, since 1987, the RMEF and its partners completed 602 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Utah with a combined value of more than $82.7 million. These projects protected or enhanced 1,149,692 acres of habitat and opened or improved public access to 23,970 acres.

Go here to learn more about Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative.