Big Sky Outdoor News & Adventure

Conservation Agreements Protect Wildlife Habitat – Colorado Division Of Wildlife

STONEWALL, Colo. – The Colorado Division of Wildlife has reached an agreement with the Torres family of Las Animas County to protect 2,387 acres of valuable wildlife habitat.  Five parcels southwest of Stonewall have been placed in conservation easements that will permanently protect the land from being sub-divided and fragmented.

The Torres Conservation Easements will protect critical habitat for deer, elk, bear, turkey, and a multitude of other wildlife species.  The land includes elk calving areas, deer winter range, denning sites for bears, strutting grounds for wild turkey, and habitat for dozens of species of birds and other wildlife.

The Torres parcels are located in a transition zone between alpine, aspen, and Ponderosa Pine habitat; and will ensure preservation of an important elk migration corridor.

“This land is a prime area for wildlife.  We are pleased to know it won’t be chopped up by buildings and roads,” said Marvin ‘Glen’ Torres of Trinidad.  “Conservation easements are a great way to keep the land the way it is,” he said.

“The Torres family should be commended for the legacy they will leave to future generations,” said Bob Holder of the Division of Wildlife.  “It is particularly satisfying to know that JL (Louie), Kelly, Glen, and Robert Torres had the strength, courage, and foresight to establish these conservation easements.  Their efforts are a shining example to other small landowners that conservation easements are a viable option to protect their land and legacy.”

By combining funds collected from habitat stamp sales with grants from Great Outdoors Colorado and other sources, the DOW has permanently preserved approximately 75,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat since 2007 – including nearly 21,000 acres opened to public access for hunting and fishing.

DOW acquisitions and easements have protected critical habitats for sensitive species like sage-grouse, and preserved important winter range and migration corridors for deer and elk.

Conservation easements allow people to continue to use the land they own for existing practices like farming or ranching, but in the event the landowner sells, the new owners are bound by the stipulations of the conservation easement as well.

A nine-member citizen’s committee appointed by the Governor oversees the DOW habitat stamp program.  Proposals are reviewed and ranked according to wildlife benefits, public access, and cost.

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Division of Wildlife

Elk Foundation Grants to Benefit 19 Utah Counties – Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
MISSOULA, Mont.—Nineteen Utah counties are slated for wildlife habitat conservation projects using $262,462 in new grants from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

The 2009 RMEF grants will affect Cache, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Kane, Millard, Piute, Rich, San Juan, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington and Wayne counties.

All grants are funded by proceeds from Utah hunting permits sold at RMEF fundraisers.

“Thanks to our volunteers across Utah who helped drive the 2008 fundraisers that made these grants possible. When Elk Foundation banquets, auctions and other events transform into on-the-ground conservation work, it’s payday for all of our supporters who are passionate about giving something back to the outdoors,” said David Allen, Elk Foundation president and CEO.

Elk Foundation grants will help fund the following Utah projects, listed by county:

Cache County—Use herbicide to treat weeds and then reseed 255 acres of elk and mule deer range at Millville Wildlife Management Area.

Daggett County—Remove and mulch 390 acres of pinion-juniper to restore sagebrush habitat for elk in the Diamond Mountain area on BLM land; burn, chain and reseed 200 acres of winter range for elk and mule deer at Middle Fork Wildlife Management Area.

Duchesne County—Thin ponderosa pine forest to improve vegetative diversity and big game forage on 450 acres in Dry Gulch area of Ashley National Forest.

Emery County—Mechanically treat 1,000 acres to promote understory growth for elk, sage grouse and other wildlife in the Wildcat Knoll area of Manti-La Sal National Forest.

Garfield County—Rejuvenate meadows and aspen stands within ponderosa pine forest by prescribe burning 1,000 acres near Ahlstrom Hollow in Dixie National Forest; repair and replace sections of an exclosure fence to protect an emerging aspen stand near Antimony Creek in Dixie National Forest.

Grand County—Remove encroaching conifers and restore 2,115 acres of sagebrush communities in the Cedar Camp area.

Iron County—Prescribe burn and reseed 1,000 acres to reduce pinion-juniper and improve riparian habitat for elk and other wildlife in the Cottonwood Canyon area of Dixie National Forest.

Kane County—Repair wildlife drinkers by replacing underground storage tanks in Dixie National Forest.

Millard County—Remove pinion-juniper overgrowth to restore habitat for elk on 614 acres in the Canyon Mountain area of Fishlake National Forest; increase forage on elk winter range by treating 750 acres of encroaching conifer in the Kanosh Bench area of Fishlake National Forest; improve wildlife forage by treating 1,050 acres of pinion-juniper near Pahvant Mountain on BLM land; enhance grasslands by treating conifer on 837 acres near Pahvant Mountain on Fishlake National Forest.

Piute County—Partner with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to acquire 400 acres of crucial elk and deer winter range in the Kingston Canyon area.

Rich County—Restore a 35-acre aspen stand by prescribe burning and fencing in the Otter Creek area of BLM land.

San Juan County—Hand cut, pile and burn brush, and then aerially reseed 1,650 acres to improve habitat for elk and other wildlife in the Little Baullie Mesa area on BLM land; treat and reseed 53 acres of habitat in the Peters Canyon area on BLM land; thin 612 acres of encroaching conifer to improve forage for elk and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildlife east of La Sal on BLM land; use no-till range drill to re-vegetate 18 acres of crucial winter range for elk in the Upper Pack Creek area.

Summit County—Restore native browse and forage for elk and other wildlife by disking and reseeding 300 acres of elk winter range near Harris Canyon in the Henefer-Echo Wildlife Management Area.

Tooele County—Remove encroaching conifer to rejuvenate sagebrush and browse for elk on 1,400 acres n the Deep Creek Mountains on BLM land.

Uintah County—Reduce lodgepole pine density and increase vegetative diversity by prescribe burning 815 acres of elk habitat in Ashley National Forest; treat noxious weeds and cheatgrass, and then reseed native grasses, forbs and shrubs, on 153 acres in the Big Park area on BLM land; aerially reseed 80 acres to improve habitat for a variety of species in the Johnson Draw area; remove conifer and seed 555 acres in the Book Cliffs area on BLM land.

Utah County—Treat and prescribe burn 1,000 acres of oak-maple habitat to improve habitat for elk and other wildlife in Uinta National Forest.

Wasatch County—Aerially and ground spray and reseed 932 acres of knapweed to improve habitat for elk and other wildlife in the Wallsburg Wildlife Management Area.

Washington County—Remove encroaching pinion-juniper and aerially reseed native grasses and forbs to improve habitat for elk on 600 acres in the Eight Mile Bench area of Dixie National Forest.

Wayne County—Improve 4,298 acres of big game winter range by prescribe burning, mechanical thinning and reseeding in the Thousand Lake Mountain area of Fishlake National Forest.

To date, partners for 2009 projects in Utah include Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, other agencies, corporations, landowners and organizations.

Since 1984, the Elk Foundation and its partners have completed more than 285 conservation projects in Utah with a value of more than $27 million.

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
Snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk country initiative that has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.6 million acres—a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. RMEF also works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

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