Ten years after the successful restoration of elk to their historic Virginia range, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is accepting applications for its first elk hunting season through March 30.
“Instituting the first-ever managed elk hunt a mere decade after restoration is an indicator that the state’s elk herd is growing, sustainable and healthy. In short, it marks a conservation milestone for Virginia,” said Mark Baker, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation board of directors chair. “We salute and congratulate DWR on successfully executing its elk management plan, and for establishing a hunt that will generate significant funding to ensure the future of elk in Virginia.”
In addition to providing both funding and volunteer support that led to Virginia’s initial elk restoration in 2012, RMEF also made key contributions to successful restorations in Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Dating back to 1990, RMEF and its partners completed 1,299 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in the above-mentioned states that conserved 146,467 acres of elk habitat.
“As in the past, we remain committed as an organization going forward to working alongside our state agency partners in supporting and growing elk populations throughout the East and across the country including here in my home state of Virginia,” said Todd Walker, RMEF board member from McLean.
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Chris Graham
