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New Mission Campaign Features Strategic Land Protection Fund, Elk Country Endowment and New Communication Programs

Orlando, Florida - The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation announced today "Be the Future of Elk Country" -- a new campaign aimed at protecting and enhancing elk country and raising the bar on the Foundation's future contributions to conservation.

Peter J. Dart, President and CEO of the Elk Foundation, briefed news media and business partners on the new strategy at a luncheon at SHOT Show in Orlando, Florida.

"There is no truer statement in land conservation than 'Once it's gone, it's gone,'" said Dart. "Elk country is vanishing as rapidly as a bull elk that just caught your scent. Our new campaign and strategy is aimed at reducing the loss of critical habitat across North America. But we can't do this alone. We will need the help of our volunteers, our business partners and a continuation of the great relationships we have with state and federal wildlife and land management agencies to make this happen."

Under its "Be the Future of Elk Country" mission campaign, the Elk Foundation has named its strategy to achieve its conservation objectives "Five for the Future." The strategy has identified the following five priorities:

• Permanent Land Protection Program — preserving large tracts of the most important and imperiled habitat.
  
• Conservation Education and Hunting Heritage Program — passing on the passion for conservation and our hunting heritage to future generations.
  
• Elk Restoration Program — restoring elk herds across their historic range through reintroduction and habitat improvement.
  
• Elk Country Endowment — ensuring a future for elk country by ensuring a future for the Elk Foundation.
  

The Elk Country Endowment has been established to ensure the Elk Foundation's conservation work continues forever. As the endowment grows, the Elk Foundation will become self-sustaining and will be able to put more of the money generated annually through donations, memberships and banquets directly into work on the ground.

One of the key components of the Elk Foundations new marketing and communication strategy is Team Elk — a program in which celebrities who also are Elk Foundation members have supported the organization through a series of national print and broadcast public service announcements and advertising. Members of Team Elk who have participated in the marketing blitz to date are: New York Yankees pitcher and baseball legend Goose Gossage, NASCAR legends Richard Childress and Ward Burton, and the amazing Jack Nicklaus from the golfing world.

"We greatly appreciated the time and commitment members of this important program have devoted to raising public awareness of the need to conserve wildlife habitat," said David Parcell, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Elk Foundation.

"Their leadership and the example they've set is an effective way to get the message out that we're doing great work and we need others to join our efforts."

Team Elk advertising and PSAs represent the most recent component of the Elk Foundation's public outreach efforts. The Foundation also reaches out through Bugle magazine and the television series, Elk Country Journal, to celebrate the thrill of the hunt while reinforcing its responsibility to wildlife conservation. In the weeks ahead, the Elk Foundation also will be distributing Opportunity for All, a new DVD about the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation — a landmark educational video that reinforces the fact that hunters were the first conservationists.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's new Strategic Land Protection Fund aims to identify and permanently protect the most critical habitat across the continent.
Once the lands are identified, the Elk Foundation will protect the areas by creating partnerships with public agencies and private landowners, and by using a variety of land conservation tools, such as voluntary conservation easements, cooperative land exchanges, and land purchases.

The growing demand for land, coupled with dwindling financial return for traditional agricultural uses, is forcing many agricultural families to sell their land. Land conversion often means the loss of wildlife habitat. By creating and growing its Strategic Land Protection Fund, the Elk Foundation will not only protect the best of elk country from Alaska to Pennsylvania, it will also conserve irreplaceable open spaces and scenic views, traditional working landscapes and clean water sources. Additionally, it will increase public access and opportunities for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation.

In 2006, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation funded more than 457 new conservation projects in 37 states. But with 2,500 acres of wildlife habitat lost to development and urban sprawl every day, much remains to be done.

Charter members and supporters of "Be the Future of Elk Country" are Bass Pro Shops, North American Hunter and Browning. The Elk Foundation is encouraging all of its business sponsors and partners to support the campaign and join its newest commitment to enhance and protect wildlife habitat.

"In the face of population growth and increased demand for open space, our mission programs, endowment and new public outreach efforts will help us ensure a future for elk and elk country," Dart said.
"We invite you to join the Elk Foundation, support our mission programs and help build our endowment," Dart said. "Together, we can be the future of elk country."

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Missoula, Montana, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat. The Elk Foundation and its partners have permanently protected or enhanced 5 million acres, a land area nearly twice as large as Yellowstone National Park. Nearly 500,000 acres previously closed to public access are now open for hunting, fishing and other recreation. The Elk Foundation has more than 150,000 members, a staff of 150 and 11,000 active volunteers. To help protect wild elk country or learn more about the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, visit www.elkfoundation.org or call 800-CALL-ELK.