Elk NetworkVolunteers Get to Work in Oregon Elk Country

General | August 12, 2022

Below is a post from the Oregon Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Facebook page.

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation volunteers from Oregon and Washington have been busy getting their boots dirty and helping enhance and improve elk country in NE Oregon.

In 2015, the Grizzly Bear Fire Complex in NE Oregon charred nearly 83,000 acres. As landscapes begin a natural recovery process after fire, Aspens often struggle because of the pressure from elk and other ungulates.

Recently, five RMEF volunteers from the Pendleton, OR chapter and two more from the Walla Walla, WA chapter, alongside four Umatilla National Forest Service staff, decided to make a weekend out of it and camped, swapped stories, food, and built 400-feet of buck and pole fencing around an Aspen stand in the burn area. This remote project location speaks volumes of the RMEF volunteers willingness to contribute valuable time and resources.

At the end of the weekend, this group declared mission accomplished with a tally of 77 hours by RMEF volunteers and 38 hours by Umatilla National Forest staff. In addition, everyone logged an additional 6 hours of travel time – 3 hours each way (of which 2 hours was slow travel via gravel Forest Service roads).

Awesome work team! Thank you for all you do for elk and other wildlife habitat.

(Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)