MISSOULA, Mont. — Thanks to the conservation action taken by a family that appreciates the wildlife values of its land, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation closed its fourth land protection project in Wyoming so far this year.
“We salute the Grzybowski family for working with us to permanently protect habitat that is so crucial for elk and other wildlife,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “This conservation easement ensures that nearby development pressure will not spread to this landscape.”
The 432-acre property is located in the Little Laramie River watershed just east of the Snowy Range Mountains and provides year-round habitat for elk and moose as well as important winter range for elk and mule deer.
This project is adjacent to two conservation easements totaling 2,091 acres completed earlier this year by RMEF, landowners and partners. Three additional conservation easements completed in prior years by RMEF and other land trusts, as well as interspersed state and federal parcels, knit together a protected landscape of more than 11,000 acres.
Additionally, the easements in the Little Laramie Valley protect essential lands for mule deer within Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Sheep Mountain Mule Deer Initiative area, and provide crucial winter range and key transitional habitats as mule deer move across the private lands to summer in the national forest.
In March of this year, RMEF worked with the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments, and additional partners to protect 4,350 acres of wildlife and riparian habitat within the Grand Canyon of the Black Hills near the South Dakota-Wyoming border.
In total, the four projects completed so far in 2020 permanently protect 6,873 acres of habitat and open or improve public access to 12,620 acres.
About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
Founded more than 36 years ago, fueled by hunters and a membership of nearly 235,000 strong, RMEF has conserved more than 8 million acres for elk and other wildlife. RMEF also works to open and improve public access, fund and advocate for science-based resource management, and ensure the future of America’s hunting heritage. Discover why “Hunting Is Conservation™” at rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.