Season 2: Episode 51: Restoring Elk in the East—Science, Funding, and the RMEF Mission.

Elk once roamed much of the eastern United States but restoring them has taken decades of science, funding, and collaboration. In this episode, Steven Dobey, Mission Lead for the Eastern Region of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), joins us to explore how elk restoration has succeeded across Appalachia and the Midwest. We discuss the history of eastern elk extirpation, modern restoration efforts, and how states like Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina are managing growing elk populations today. Steven explains how hunters, conservation organizations, and state agencies work together through habitat protection, conservation easements, public access projects, and research, often leveraging Pittman-Robertson funds alongside private donations. The conversation also dives into current challenges, including disease risk (CWD), fragmented private land ownership, wildlife corridors, and balancing human–elk coexistence in the East. This episode highlights how elk restoration benefits far more than elk, improving habitat for deer, turkeys, bears, and countless non-game species. If you’re interested in how wildlife conservation is funded and delivered on the ground, this is a must-listen episode. Learn more: Wildlife Management Institute — https://wildlifemanagement.institute Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation — https://www.stewardsofconservation.org Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation — https://www.rmef.org   #ElkRestoration , #RockyMountainElkFoundation , #wildlifeconservation , #wildlife , #publicland , #habitatprotection , #pittmanrobertson , #HuntersForConservation , #elkhunting , #conservationfunding , #AppalachianWildlife , #connectingwithconservation , #RMEF , #wildlifemanagementinstitute , #outdoorstewards , #wildlifemanagement