RMEF Media RMEF Volunteers Pull Fence to Help Wildlife in Kansas

It’s not often that RMEF volunteers tackle field projects in front of an audience, but that was the case when a half-dozen volunteers joined staff members at Kansas’ Fort Riley Military Base to pull out and roll up three-quarters of a mile of tangled and rusty barbed wire fence.

“Just a few hundred yards away, there were two bull elk standing off at the edge of the timber watching us,” recalls Jacob Zutterman, an RMEF member and volunteer from nearby Wamego.

Old, dilapidated barbed wire fences pose serious risks to wildlife. According to Derek Moon, Fort Riley conservation branch chief, this particular stretch of fence not only threatened to ensnare and injure elk and white-tailed deer, but it also cut off access to cover that provides critical shade for both species during the summer months.

Removing barbed wire fence is hard work under the best conditions. Add warm temperatures, humidity, dust, dense, thorny vegetation and rusty wire, and it can be grueling. But Zutterman says spirits were high among the volunteers—including an 11-year-old and a few who traveled from as far away as Wichita and Kansas City—as they rolled barbed wire and swapped hunting tales last spring.

“If you’re going to drive a couple of hours to participate in a work event that requires good physical labor, you’ve got to have that mindset,” Zutterman says. “You’re not going there for free coffee and donuts. You’re going because you’re a dedicated individual.”

Elk were extirpated from the Sunflower State at the turn of the 19th century. In 1981 Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) reintroduced wild elk to the Cimarron National Grassland, and then to Fort Riley in 1986. Most animals live on and around the military base, but individual elk or small herds can be found roaming throughout Kansas. KDWP permits elk hunting everywhere in the state except for Morton County, and about 900 applicants vie for around 20 permits allotted each year that are divided among military personnel and Kansas residents. Zutterman himself drew a tag in 2020 and killed a nice bull with his muzzleloader at Fort Riley.

The Fort Riley herd, which numbers about 300 animals, is thriving thanks in part to Kansas RMEF chapters that have generated more than $300,000 in funding, which has leveraged an additional $800,000-plus in partner funds. These resources have been applied to more than 40 habitat enhancement, wildlife management and hunting heritage projects on the military base.

RMEF volunteers have done their part on the ground there as well. Previous projects include hand spraying weeds, marking hazards and picking up trash on public hunting grounds, and removing other stretches of dilapidated fence. Their efforts benefit elk, deer, wild turkeys, upland game birds and other wildlife.

Zutterman says for those pulling fence last May, the presence of the bulls added a special touch. “When you get to see the species that you’re helping on site, on the day you are there helping them, it just reiterates that it’s something that’s really cool to be a part of.”