It takes money to carry out meaningful conservation.
When the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation found out about a last-minute chance to conserve 2,600 acres of wildlife habitat in northern Utah, it jumped at the opportunity.
The state of Utah planned to acquire the acreage in the Wasatch Mountains east of Salt Lake City and south of Morgan.
It’s part of a larger critical migration corridor and in a region home to 20,000 mule deer and 2,900 elk as well as moose, mountain lion, wild turkey, greater sage-grouse and many other species.
But the clock was ticking because the land was under imminent threat of development and the agency faced a $1.3 million shortfall in funding.
RMEF found out about the dilemma while routinely touching base with DWR, quickly reported the issue to headquarters which shortly thereafter approved the project and footed the bill for the entire amount.
The transaction enlarges the East Canyon Wildlife Management Area by 2,200 acres and East Canyon State Park by 400 acres, marking a victory for wildlife management, conservation and a big win for new public land and public access for hunting, fishing, boating, camping and other recreational activities.
Since 1984 RMEF has opened or improved public access to more than 1.6 million acres.
To view the sites and boundaries of RMEF land conservation and access projects, turn on the RMEF layer and use the code RMEF when you sign up for your onX subscription to receive a 20% discount.