MISSOULA, Mont. — The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners contributed $541,893 in grant funding to support wildlife habitat enhancement, scientific research, hunting heritage and other projects in Pennsylvania. RMEF directly granted $48,722 that leveraged an additional $493,171 in partner funding.

“These grants help maintain and enhance wildlife habitat in the core of Pennsylvania’s elk range,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “They also assist a dozen different conservation and outdoor projects including youth hunts, recreational shooting squads, hunter education, field days and other activities.”

Fifteen projects benefit Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Cameron, Centre, Chester, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Lancaster, Lehigh, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Montgomery, Montour, Philadelphia, Potter, Sullivan, Washington and Westmoreland Counties. There are also two additional projects of statewide benefit.

There are 14,474 RMEF members and 29 chapters across Pennsylvania.

“We salute our volunteers who organize and host banquets to raise this vital funding that goes back on the ground to further our mission in Pennsylvania,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “They also assist researchers and take part in other on the ground volunteer activities.”

Since 1991, RMEF and its partners completed 524 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Pennsylvania with a combined value of more than $27.8 million. These projects protected or enhanced 27,957 acres of habitat and opened or improved public access to 10,189 acres.

Below is a sampling of Pennsylvania’s 2021 projects, shown by county.

Cameron County

• Create 15 acres of herbaceous habitat on previously timbered land and maintain 79 acres of established openings with mowing, fertilizing and seeding on State Game Lands 14, the heart of Pennsylvania’s Elk Management Area.

Clearfield County

• Enhance a newly-created 23-acre herbaceous opening by applying lime, fertilizer and then seeding to establish wildlife forage. Forest openings in the Moshannon State Forest benefit elk, black bear, turkey, white-tailed deer, ruffed grouse, American woodcock, songbirds and other wildlife.

Elk County

• Provide funding to conduct a study using location data from GPS-collared elk to support the development of habitat models that identify elk habitat selection patterns (also benefits Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, McKean, Lycoming and Potter Counties).

Statewide

• Provide funding for the Pennsylvania Naturalist Program, which builds a corps of volunteers who provide education, outreach and stewardship toward the conservation of natural resources.

Go here to view a full list of Pennsylvania’s 2021 projects.

Project partners include the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and various other conservation, business and civic organizations.

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

Founded more than 37 years ago and fueled by hunters, RMEF maintains more than 225,000 members and has conserved more than 8.2 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.