February 10, 2014
RMEF Tops $725,000 in Grants to Advance Science of Wolves
MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation topped $725,000 in grants and pledges to advance the science of wolves, wolf interactions with elk and other wildlife, and wolf management overall.
The $726,724 overall total includes more than $260,000 in grants in just the past five years, more than any other five-year period in RMEF history. Nearly all of these contributions funded independent research by universities, state and federal wildlife conservation agencies and tribal agencies.
“RMEF contributed to a tremendous body of scientific work with wolves over the years,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “Today’s leading wolf experts, including those directly involved with wolf reintroductions since 1995, continue to say that restored wolf populations can and should be managed like other wildlife—and that’s the policy that RMEF strongly supports.”
RMEF also awarded and an additional $214,500 in grants specifically for wolf management activities.
“To properly and effectively carry out science-based management practices, it is critical that state agencies recognize and understand predator-prey relationships and wolf populations,” said Allen. “These grants help those agencies gain a more thorough knowledge of wolves and wolf behavior so they can better implement their approved predator management plans.”
To see RMEF’s position on wolves and wolf management, click here.
Since launching in 1984, RMEF contributed more than $7.8 million to various research and management studies. Evaluating elk habitat, using radio telemetry to measure herd movements and habitat preferences, developing computer models to assist with elk management, and measuring the effects of chronic wasting disease, habitat loss, weather and predators are among the many scientific areas advanced by RMEF funding.
Sample projects recently funded by RMEF:
2013— Research on the influence of climate and predation on elk survival across the Northwest.
2013— Funding provided for wolf management activities in Idaho, Michigan, Montana and Wyoming.
2012— Research on the Blue Range wolf recovery area, elk habitat use and predation in New Mexico.
2011— Research on three-year study regarding elk calf survival, recruitment and cause-related mortality in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley.