February 19, 2015
RMEF Rockets into Fourth Decade of Conservation Work
MISSOULA, Mont.—Fresh off celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation enters its fourth decade of existence with record membership for the sixth straight year, another four-star charity rating for transparency and accountability, and topping more than 6.7 million acres of land protected or enhanced.
“2014 was a stellar year filled with many accomplishments. It’s a reflection of the dedication provided by our hard-working volunteers and the support from our members,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “While it’s important to pause for a moment to recognize that, we will keep our foot on the gas pedal and focus our efforts going forward on better carrying out our mission to ensure the future of elk, elk country and our hunting heritage.”
2014 highlights:
• Celebrated 30th anniversary including 30 Years of RMEF Volunteers
• Improved 135,000 acres of elk habitat in 22 states toward an overall lifetime mark
of more than 6.7 million acres
• Completed 625 habitat enhancement, hunting heritage and other conservation
outreach projects bringing lifetime number of projects to 9,278
• Opened or secured access to 61,817 acres toward an overall lifetime mark of more
than 769,000 acres
• Received a four-star rating—the highest possible—from Charity Navigator for the
sixth consecutive year which positions RMEF among the top three percent of all
charities rated by the service
• Provided more than $1.6 million in Torstenson Family Endowment funding for
RMEF’s four core mission programs
• Assisted with elk restoration efforts in Wisconsin and finalized efforts to augment
elk herds in Virginia
• Sixth consecutive year of record membership, totaling 205,249 as of
December 31, 2014
• Record attendance of 28,000 at inaugural Hunter Christmas Exposition
• Topped 200,000 Facebook followers
RMEF banquet activities are already underway in many locations across the country with hundreds more scheduled throughout the remainder of the year.
“Thanks to the efforts of our volunteers and their fundraising abilities, we expect to raise and apply significant funds toward our core mission programs of permanent land protection, habitat enhancement, elk restoration and hunting heritage,” added Allen. “We look forward to doing great things for elk and elk habitat in 2015 and will again cap off the year in December with our annual Elk Camp national convention and Hunter Christmas Exposition in Las Vegas.”