Oregon Family Partners With Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to Protect Roosevelt Elk Coastal Habitat
| April 9, 2007 |
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| Oregon Family Partners With Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to Protect Roosevelt Elk Coastal Habitat |
| Family Donates 106-Acre Conservation Easement Near Siletz River (April 9, 2007) Missoula, Montana — The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has teamed up with a conservation-minded family living along the central Oregon coast to conserve critical habitat for Roosevelt elk. The habitat is located along the Siletz River near the town of Siletz, about 20 miles north of Newport, Oregon. The area is migratory corridor for elk, and contains old-growth timber and native forage preferred by elk and other animals. Ben and Debbie Hogevoll donated the conservation easement to protect wildlife habitat and prevent residential development. The easement will protect the land for the benefit of elk and other wildlife forever. “The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is very pleased to accept this donated conservation easement from Ben and Debbie Hogevoll to protect important habitat for Roosevelt elk,” said Mike Mueller, Elk Foundation Lands Program Manager. “This is one of the first conservation easements negotiated by the Elk Foundation to benefit Roosevelt elk along the Oregon coast.” The Elk Foundation recently kicked off its Coastal Roosevelt Elk Conservation Initiative to focus more resources on conserving habitat and raising additional funds to benefit Roosevelt elk. The Hogevoll family’s conservation easement provides a great beginning for the program, Mueller said. “Debbie and I realized how important our property is in providing habitat for this magnificent animal, and we made a decision to conserve the land to ensure that elk staying on the land and passing through are protected,” Ben Hogevoll said. Swede French, regional director for the Elk Foundation, based in the Portland area, has been familiar with the property for years. He said about 20-30 elk use the land year-round and the Elk Foundation was impressed by the time and resources the Hogevolls have committed to managing their land to benefit wildlife. “Roosevelt elk are rare compared to Rocky Mountain elk, and in the face of development in this rapidly-growing coastal area, the Hogevolls have set an example for others to follow with their generosity and commitment to conservation,” French said. Conservation easements are voluntary private land protection agreements negotiated between private landowners and land trusts such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Land protected by conservation easements stays in private ownership. This conservation easement was a generous donation of the residential and subdivision rights of the property to the Elk Foundation. The conservation easement does not provide for public access unless the landowners grant permission. About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation |
