{"id":18838,"date":"2012-09-12T16:53:33","date_gmt":"2012-09-12T16:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/162.217.168.59\/?p=18838"},"modified":"2023-03-22T15:57:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T19:57:55","slug":"sfi-recognizes-participants-in-kentucky-elk-restoration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forests.org\/fr\/sfi-recognizes-participants-in-kentucky-elk-restoration\/","title":{"rendered":"SFI Recognizes Participants in Kentucky Elk Restoration"},"content":{"rendered":"

MILWAUKEE, WI<\/strong> \u2013 Three organizations that worked to restore herds of Rocky Mountain elk to their historic ranges in\u00a0eastern Kentucky received a major conservation award from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative\u00ae (SFI\u00ae) today.\u00a0The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, and Molpus Timberlands\u00a0Management, LLC received the SFI Leadership in Conservation Award at SFI\u2019s annual conference, The Future is\u00a0Decided Now.<\/p>\n

Rocky Mountain Elk had virtually disappeared from their historic ranges in Eastern Kentucky until 1997 when Kentucky\u00a0Fish and Wildlife, supported by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation released seven elk and restored elk habitat on two\u00a0million acres (800,000 hectares) in eastern Kentucky. Years earlier than expected, the goal of 10,000 animals in\u00a0sustaining herds has been achieved, leaving a legacy for future generations. This year, as many as 50 of the elk were\u00a0trapped and shipped to Missouri and Virginia for restoration projects in those states.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen our client bought 55,000 acres (22,000 hectares) of timberland in eastern Kentucky in 2007, we certified our\u00a0client\u2019s land to the SFI Standard, which includes requirements for wildlife management and recreation access on our\u00a0lands,\u201d said Mark R. James, Property Manager for Molpus Timberlands Management. \u201cThat standard helped us enhance\\\u00a0the land as high-quality habitat for elk and other species.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the kind of restoration effort SFI and its partners value and encourage,\u201d said Eli Weissman, Senior Director of\u00a0Conservation Partnerships for SFI. \u201cOur standard requires that program participants promote and maintain wildlife habitat\u00a0and support recreational opportunities. Many of the projects funded through our conservation grant program help forest\u00a0landowners enhance wildlife habitat. We estimate three million hunters, anglers and outdoors enthusiasts enjoy access to\u00a0nearly 200 million acres of SFI-certified forests across North America.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proud of the collaborative efforts that brought elk back to the hills of Kentucky, and are honored to be recognized\u00a0by SFI for our work,\u201d said Jonathan W. Gassett, Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.\u00a0\u201cForest certification programs like SFI make an important contribution to our efforts to conserve wildlife habitat and\u00a0support recreation. Through this project, we have not only restored habitat to support sustainable populations of elk, but\u00a0we have also restored an elk hunting tradition to eastern Kentucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to leave an elk country legacy for future generations,\u201d said M. David Allen, President and CEO of the nonprofit\u00a0Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. \u201cWe will succeed as long as we have partners like the State of Kentucky, and the\u00a0support of companies like Molpus Timberlands, who are SFI-certified.\u201d<\/p>\n

Continued funding for the project comes from elk license lottery application fees, license fees and matching federal funds\u00a0from license sales\/hunting purchases. Owing to the success of the project, hunting provides critical benefits to the\u00a0management of the elk herds, such as direct management for managing herd population and providing critical biological\u00a0data on herd metrics, health monitoring, and disease testing. Last year, 800 elk hunting permits were issued in the 16-<\/p>\n

county restoration zone in southeastern Kentucky and 1000 permits will be offered in 2012.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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