Washington Hunter
Well-known member
I'm sure many have heard about this, but for those who haven't, the ranch owner Bob Torstenson passed away in May 2002 and an 80,000 acre conservation easement was donated to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. This is what we need all over the west! All of us should join the RMEM, The Mule Deer Foundation, and/or the Nature Conservancy to help support and fund these types of projects.
Conservation Groups Unite
Two of America’s top big-game conservation groups are leading an effort to pool resources, expertise and enthusiasm to permanently protect and utilize a pristine 211-square-mile landscape in west-central New Mexico. Renowned for its wildlife populations, especially its quality bucks and bulls, the Double H Ranch is now a collaborative conservation project spearheaded by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Mule Deer Foundation.
The ranch, also known as the Torstenson Family Wildlife Center, was gifted to the Elk Foundation when owner Bob Torstenson of Pecatonica, Ill., passed away in May 2002. Among the first orders of business was drafting legal documentation to ensure the future of the ranch’s habitat. Torstenson’s family trust donated a conservation easement to the Elk Foundation, which has extensive experience in permanent land protection. The easement will stay with the land, forever restricting certain kinds of development on more than 80,000 acres. The document permits responsible agriculture, conservation education activities and other land uses compatible with protecting wildlife, habitat and aesthetic values.
In late December, the easement was signed and recorded by the Torstenson family trust and the Elk Foundation. Once the deed to the ranch is formally transferred to the Elk Foundation, the conservation easement and the annual oversight and enforcement authority that comes with it will be assigned to the Mule Deer Foundation.
At that point, the Double H Ranch conservation partnership between the two organizations will be official, but joint excitement over permanently protecting wildlife habitat across such a large portion of New Mexico has already begun. In fact, other non-profit organizations—National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club, Quail Unlimited, and others—are being invited to join the Elk Foundation and Mule Deer Foundation in a collaborative conservation and youth education effort.
“This kind of teamwork between organizations was part of Bob Torstenson’s vision for the future of conservation. It really doesn’t matter where your hunting or wildlife interests lie, because we all stand together as conservationists. The most important thing is getting involved in land and habitat conservation at the highest levels,” said Mule Deer Foundation President and CEO Terry Wayne Cloutier.
Jon Fossel, Elk Foundation interim president and CEO, agreed. “Most conservation groups have established histories of partnering on projects, but nothing on such a grand scale. The Elk Foundation is extremely proud to be entrusted with the great responsibility of overseeing the Double H Ranch, and we’re pleased to partner with Mule Deer Foundation to ensure the future of the habitat. And we’re both thrilled at the idea of joining with other conservation groups to utilize this land for the purposes that Bob envisioned.”
The ranch, valued at $17.5 million, consists of 95,696 deeded acres plus a 39,433-acre New Mexico State Land Office lease, for a total of 135,129 acres. In addition to gifting the property to the Elk Foundation, Torstenson also left a $4 million-cash endowment to ensure the best possible stewardship of the property into the future. The gift was among the largest ever given to any conservation organization, and the largest in Elk Foundation history.
Rockford, Ill., attorney Jan Ohlander, Torstenson’s friend and estate executor, described the unique vision that became a catalyst for new cooperation between the two conservation organizations. “Bob was, foremost, a family man, but he was also an extraordinarily talented businessman. As a hunter he was proud of the contributions that American sportsmen have made to preserve our outdoor heritage. He believed large tracts of unbroken land are slipping away. He wanted other landowners to consider protecting wild landscapes for future generations. Bob wanted the Double H Ranch to be both an inspiration and a challenge to the Elk Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, and other conservation organizations to expand their vision and capabilities for protecting larger and more critical chunks of habitat,” he said.
The ranch is located in the arid high-country of west-central New Mexico between Magdalena and Datil, a two-hour drive southwest of Albuquerque. The Double H Ranch has long been celebrated for its large-antlered elk and mule deer. Other species present include pronghorn antelope, mourning dove, scaled quail, Gambel’s quail, Mearns quail, Merriam’s wild turkey, waterfowl and shorebirds.
The Elk Foundation is leading discussions of future plans for the property. A dedication ceremony is planned for summer. Hunts for trophy elk and mule deer will be offered later this year through auctions and raffles, with proceeds earmarked for ranch programs. Details about these opportunities will be released later in 2003. Further into the future, the Torstenson Family Wildlife Center could become a center for conservation education and outdoor learning, a showplace for land-use practices, and a destination for experiences in wild country. These kinds of activities, along with specific habitat management plans, could be shared by local, state, national and international conservation organizations. Although public access is restricted, plans are being developed to allow outdoors enthusiasts to enjoy this unique land.
The Double H Ranch project is the second major partnership between the Mule Deer Foundation and Elk Foundation in the past year. During 2002, the two organizations teamed with Boone & Crockett Club as founding partners of the “CWD Alliance,” a collaborative effort to provide responsible information about chronic wasting disease.
Working together in an ambitious campaign called “Pass It On,” the members, volunteers and partners of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation are conserving elk country at a pace exceeding 1½ square miles per day. Their organizational goal is to reach 5 million total acres—an area more than double the size of Yellowstone National Park, and larger than the State of Connecticut—in 2005. Emphasizing permanent land protection and habitat stewardship, the Elk Foundation’s state-of-the-art mapping technology focuses the work in crucial elk winter range, summer range, migration corridors and calving grounds. To help “pass on” an elk country legacy for future generations, visit www.elkfoundation.org or call 800-CALL ELK.
<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 02-17-2003 21:44: Message edited by: Washington Hunter ]</font>
Conservation Groups Unite
Two of America’s top big-game conservation groups are leading an effort to pool resources, expertise and enthusiasm to permanently protect and utilize a pristine 211-square-mile landscape in west-central New Mexico. Renowned for its wildlife populations, especially its quality bucks and bulls, the Double H Ranch is now a collaborative conservation project spearheaded by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Mule Deer Foundation.
The ranch, also known as the Torstenson Family Wildlife Center, was gifted to the Elk Foundation when owner Bob Torstenson of Pecatonica, Ill., passed away in May 2002. Among the first orders of business was drafting legal documentation to ensure the future of the ranch’s habitat. Torstenson’s family trust donated a conservation easement to the Elk Foundation, which has extensive experience in permanent land protection. The easement will stay with the land, forever restricting certain kinds of development on more than 80,000 acres. The document permits responsible agriculture, conservation education activities and other land uses compatible with protecting wildlife, habitat and aesthetic values.
In late December, the easement was signed and recorded by the Torstenson family trust and the Elk Foundation. Once the deed to the ranch is formally transferred to the Elk Foundation, the conservation easement and the annual oversight and enforcement authority that comes with it will be assigned to the Mule Deer Foundation.
At that point, the Double H Ranch conservation partnership between the two organizations will be official, but joint excitement over permanently protecting wildlife habitat across such a large portion of New Mexico has already begun. In fact, other non-profit organizations—National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club, Quail Unlimited, and others—are being invited to join the Elk Foundation and Mule Deer Foundation in a collaborative conservation and youth education effort.
“This kind of teamwork between organizations was part of Bob Torstenson’s vision for the future of conservation. It really doesn’t matter where your hunting or wildlife interests lie, because we all stand together as conservationists. The most important thing is getting involved in land and habitat conservation at the highest levels,” said Mule Deer Foundation President and CEO Terry Wayne Cloutier.
Jon Fossel, Elk Foundation interim president and CEO, agreed. “Most conservation groups have established histories of partnering on projects, but nothing on such a grand scale. The Elk Foundation is extremely proud to be entrusted with the great responsibility of overseeing the Double H Ranch, and we’re pleased to partner with Mule Deer Foundation to ensure the future of the habitat. And we’re both thrilled at the idea of joining with other conservation groups to utilize this land for the purposes that Bob envisioned.”
The ranch, valued at $17.5 million, consists of 95,696 deeded acres plus a 39,433-acre New Mexico State Land Office lease, for a total of 135,129 acres. In addition to gifting the property to the Elk Foundation, Torstenson also left a $4 million-cash endowment to ensure the best possible stewardship of the property into the future. The gift was among the largest ever given to any conservation organization, and the largest in Elk Foundation history.
Rockford, Ill., attorney Jan Ohlander, Torstenson’s friend and estate executor, described the unique vision that became a catalyst for new cooperation between the two conservation organizations. “Bob was, foremost, a family man, but he was also an extraordinarily talented businessman. As a hunter he was proud of the contributions that American sportsmen have made to preserve our outdoor heritage. He believed large tracts of unbroken land are slipping away. He wanted other landowners to consider protecting wild landscapes for future generations. Bob wanted the Double H Ranch to be both an inspiration and a challenge to the Elk Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, and other conservation organizations to expand their vision and capabilities for protecting larger and more critical chunks of habitat,” he said.
The ranch is located in the arid high-country of west-central New Mexico between Magdalena and Datil, a two-hour drive southwest of Albuquerque. The Double H Ranch has long been celebrated for its large-antlered elk and mule deer. Other species present include pronghorn antelope, mourning dove, scaled quail, Gambel’s quail, Mearns quail, Merriam’s wild turkey, waterfowl and shorebirds.
The Elk Foundation is leading discussions of future plans for the property. A dedication ceremony is planned for summer. Hunts for trophy elk and mule deer will be offered later this year through auctions and raffles, with proceeds earmarked for ranch programs. Details about these opportunities will be released later in 2003. Further into the future, the Torstenson Family Wildlife Center could become a center for conservation education and outdoor learning, a showplace for land-use practices, and a destination for experiences in wild country. These kinds of activities, along with specific habitat management plans, could be shared by local, state, national and international conservation organizations. Although public access is restricted, plans are being developed to allow outdoors enthusiasts to enjoy this unique land.
The Double H Ranch project is the second major partnership between the Mule Deer Foundation and Elk Foundation in the past year. During 2002, the two organizations teamed with Boone & Crockett Club as founding partners of the “CWD Alliance,” a collaborative effort to provide responsible information about chronic wasting disease.
Working together in an ambitious campaign called “Pass It On,” the members, volunteers and partners of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation are conserving elk country at a pace exceeding 1½ square miles per day. Their organizational goal is to reach 5 million total acres—an area more than double the size of Yellowstone National Park, and larger than the State of Connecticut—in 2005. Emphasizing permanent land protection and habitat stewardship, the Elk Foundation’s state-of-the-art mapping technology focuses the work in crucial elk winter range, summer range, migration corridors and calving grounds. To help “pass on” an elk country legacy for future generations, visit www.elkfoundation.org or call 800-CALL ELK.
<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 02-17-2003 21:44: Message edited by: Washington Hunter ]</font>
