Cheatgrass is much more than an annoying plant with discarded seeds that burrow their way into your socks.
It’s downright unhealthy for elk and other wildlife.
Why? Cheatgrass outcompetes and overpowers native forage for water and nutrients, allowing it to spread across the landscape and replace that native vegetation.
That’s why the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation recently completed a 10-year cheatgrass treatment program in the Devil’s Canyon area of west-central Wyoming.
Over that time, RMEF provided nearly $130,000 toward the effort and leveraged nearly two and a half times that amount in partner funding for prescribed burns and herbicide treatments.
The goal is to restore, maintain or enhance quality habitat for elk, bighorn sheep and other wildlife.
More than 95 percent of RMEF’s 227,000 members are hunters.
Funded and supported by hunters, projects like this one highlight how #HuntingIsConservation.