It was, in the beginning, called "a crazy idea." Yes, people love elk ... to watch, hunt and even as a menu item, but would they support an organization that would, in essence, benefit elk and other wildlife while supporting hunting?
Crazy?
That was 23 years ago, and today, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is one of the most successful wildlife conservation and hunting groups in the country.
The foundation has more than 150,000 members in 550 chapters, a staff of 15 and a volunteer list with more than 10,000 names. In 2006, the group funded 457 projects in 37 states. In Utah alone it has been involved in more than 250 different projects over the years. All total, it has funded 5,250 projects in 49 states and eight Canadian provinces and has protected or enhanced more than 4.8 million acres of wildlife habitat. Its financial contributions reach into the millions of dollars, more than $22 million in Utah alone.
Once current projects have been completed, the RMEF will have been responsible for improving and/or helping to acquire for the good of wildlife more than a million acres in Utah.
"Who would have thought it would ever reach this level," said Bill Christensen, Utah district manager for the wildlife group. "A lot has been accomplished over the years; a lot more will be accomplished in the future."
Not the least of which will involve helping to reseed those large summer burn areas in Utah. Livestock can be fed; wildlife can't. They must survive on what's available, which in some of the big-game wintering areas isn't much.
A harsh winter could put wildlife in those areas in serious jeopardy.
"Several wildlife groups will join with the governor in an attempt to reseed key areas," he noted. "There's no way possible to reseed everything. So, can we all work together on this project? The answer is yes. Then, the second question is, is there enough seed? The answer there is no, not for all we want to do. We can all start putting in our orders now for the seed we need for these key areas. That much we can do."
It was in 1984 that four men — Bob Munson, Dan Bull, Bill Munson and Charlie Decker — sat down in the small town of Troy, Mont., and asked: "Can you imagine life without elk and elk hunting?"
A few months later they launched the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Before the end of the year there were 2,500 registered members.
Utah opened the 15th chapter of the foundation in 1987.
The RMEF's first project was a $450 grant to study the elk in Yellowstone National Park. The following year the group made its first land acquisition — 16,400 acres in Montana.
The first national convention was held in the Salt Palace in 1988. It drew more than 32,000 people, which remains the record for convention attendance. That same year, Anheuser-Busch donated $500,000 to the organization.
"That donation moved us to a whole new level," said Christensen. "It made it possible for us to really get involved in a lot of very worthwhile projects."
This included the first Utah project, the purchase of about 400 acres of important wildlife habitat in an area north of Logan.
"It was not a particular big project," continued Christensen, "but it was an important wildlife management area, especially for big game.
"Go there now and you'll see a lot of very expensive homes. So buying and preserving that piece of land has become all the more important."
The next big project in Utah involved the chaining of roughly 3,000 acres in the Indian Peaks area to remove old growth in order to allow for new wildlife habitat.
One project that drew the ire of locals involved the introduction of elk in the San Juan-Elk Ridge area.
"Back in 1988," he noted, "there was a lawsuit brought to stop the transplant of elk. We supported the transplant, and elk were eventually moved into the area.
"That area, now, is prime elk habitat. A lot of the landowners who fought us back then are glad it happened. Several now have landowner permits for this area that they are selling for $20,000 to $30,000. It's safe to say that now they like having elk."
Over the years, the RMEF has also supported a number of studies and research projects, several of them directed at the Hardware Elk Ranch southeast of Logan.
"In all of the project, though, our number one priority is still habitat enhancement, projects like aspen rejuvenation, pinyon-juniper treatment, reseeding and water projects."
Christensen has been involved with the foundation almost from its inception. He chaired the first fund-raiser in 1986, hosted the first Utah banquet in 1988 and was instrumental in bringing the first convention to Salt Lake City.
The first field director for RMEF was, in fact, Bill Geer, former director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Christensen was the second.
Among the 550 chapters, 14 are located in Utah. The Salt Lake chapter was recognized this year for achieving the largest net revenue.
In its review of top projects, two happened here in Utah.
One was the Book Cliffs Conservation Initiative, which impacted more than half a million acres. It involved partnering with several groups and organizations to acquire four ranches in the Book Cliffs area that were deemed critical to wildlife.
The second project involves getting easement rights to 7,300 acres along the road connecting East Canyon with Jeremy Ranch, which, again, was seen as critical wildlife habitat.
With help from the RMEF, rights were purchased and the property was retained for grazing and wildlife rather than being turned into a housing project.
"One thing that has taken us to where we are today is we are very easy to partner with. We realize we are not the only game in town and not the only group working to benefit wildlife. We like to share credit and help in solving problems," said Christensen.
"It has made it possible for us to be involved in a lot of areas. In all this time, though, our focus has never changed ... to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat."
E-mail: grass@desnews.com