December 12, 2016
Access Elk Country Initiative Supports Hunters, RMEF
MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation salutes its Access Elk Country Initiative partners ALPS OutdoorZ, Bushnell, Gerber, Kimber, Sitka, Winchester, Yamaha Outdoors and YETI Coolers for supporting efforts to open and improve public access.
“We hear over and over from sportsmen and women about the importance of our access work,” said Steve Decker, RMEF vice president of Marketing. “We appreciate the support of our conservation partners who step up financially to bolster our mission.”
RMEF recently rolled over the one million-acre milestone (hyperlink) in access opened or improved. The Access Elk Country Initiative uses acquisitions, exchanges, road and trail projects, relationships with private landowners and other means to secure and improve access to difficult-to-reach public lands and benefit hunting, fishing, hiking and other forms of outdoor recreation.
2016 highlights:
• New Mexico project opens/improves access to 40,000+ acres of public land
• Montana project removes house, expands wildlife management area
• Utah project protects access to 3,800 acres of public land
• New Mexico road easement opens door to 52,000 acres of public land
• Idaho project expands wildlife management area
• Wyoming project improves access to 6,400 acres of public land
• Montana project improves access to 5,500 acres of public land
“We have plenty more work to do. The Access Elk Country Initiative aims for a goal of opening or securing access to 50,000 acres of public lands each year over the next three years,” added Decker.