Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation holds annual banquet
<p>Joe Bratz of Paradise peruses the items up for auction during the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation annual banquet in Plains on Saturday.</p>
PLAINS – The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation held their annual fundraiser banquet on Saturday at the Sanders County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Plains. The event raises money for the RMEF, a conservation group that promotes the sustainability of elk habitat through land management, herd restoration and research.
About a hundred community members participated in the event that included a silent auction, dinner and a raffle. Items up for bid included several varieties of firearms. A Smith and Wesson 1911 model handgun, a Winchester 300 series rifle and a Henry rifle were among the guns up for auction at the event.
Other items up for bid included gift baskets, original works of art and clothing items complete with RMEF hats. A wide variety of hunting equipment was also available. Backpacks, rifle sights and scope covers intermingled with other camouflage items adorning the tables that lined the hall.
Regional Director for Western Montana and Northern Idaho Jared Wold said the fundraiser was the premier event for the RMEF in this area. Wold said that while the money raised at the Sanders County fundraiser may not necessarily stay in the area, more money than ever is being spent on local projects.
“I think last year we raised $17,000 with this banquet,” said Wold. “This year we are spending more money in Sanders County than any other county in Montana. We will be spending well over $30,000 to $40,000 on things like weed reduction, prescribed burns and thinning projects.”
The RMEF undertakes projects such as weed reduction and prescribed burns in an effort to protect elk habitat. According to Wold, over 6.3 million acres of land have been aided by the RMEF. The RMEF aims to permanently safeguard migration routes, breeding grounds and the wide range of traditional elk territory.
“We want to ensure the future of our hunting heritage,” said Wold. “We want what is best for the elk and that they have a healthy, stable environment to live on. We want to make sure elk have a healthy and happy place to live for this generation and all generations to come.”
The RMEF was founded in 1984 by four hunters from Troy, MT. The area the RMEF has helped to conserve is larger than Yellowstone, Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite and Rocky Mountain national parks combined. The RMEF has also helped restore elk populations in multiple states around the country.