It’s one thing to make the first move to help protect a landscape. It’s yet another to keep an eye on things and circle back to help make it better.
In 2006, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation worked with landowners to conserve the 314-acre Lick Mountain tract in northeast Arkansas – RMEF’s first-ever voluntary conservation agreement in the state.
Twelve years later, the property became part of the Gene Rush Wildlife Management Area about 90 miles east of Fayetteville and opened to public access.
Over time, the land became overgrown with woody encroachment, overstocked forested areas and invasive plant species, leading to closed canopies, erosion issues and low-quality forage.
In late 2023 and into 2024, RMEF teamed up with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to take action.
Crews applied prescribed burns across 80 acres and created nearly 20 acres of wildlife openings thanks to brush hogging, herbicide treatment, seeding and fertilization.
Dormant season burning across 120 acres removed heavy fuel loads, triggering the growth of native grasses and vegetation that benefit elk, whitetail deer, black bears, small mammals, wild turkeys, songbirds, pollinators and many other species.
Restoring elk country is core to RMEF’s mission of ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage.
Since 1984, RMEF has helped conserve or enhance more than 9.1 million acres of wildlife habitat.