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Powell Couple Wins Conservation Award

By Jeaneane Payne

Conservationists from six states, including a Powell couple, have been honored as top volunteers or welcomed aboard as new directors for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Terry and Jane Lewis of Powell, TN are members of the RMEF Royal Blue Chapter. These RMEF members host fundraisers, turkey hunts for wounded warriors and other events on their property in the Cumberland Mountains. They're also very involved in area habitat enhancement projects including the Cumberland habitat enhancement initiative, Hatfield Knob Elk Viewing Area and more. As president of the Campbell Outdoor Recreation Association, Terry also helped secure 600,000 acres of public land for elk habitat.

The volunteers were recognized during the annual RMEF convention, which concluded March 6 in Reno, Nev.

"Volunteers are the backbone of a conservation movement that is making a real difference for elk and other wildlife," said Jeff Cade, immediate past chairman of the board for RMEF. "But we're impacting more than just habitat. We're also ensuring a future for the experiences and lifestyles and values of an elk hunter."

Volunteers for two RMEF chapters received extra-special honors in Reno. The RMEF Three Rivers Chapter in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 2010 became the organization's first chapter to reach $3 million in total fundraising. And the RMEF Tucson (Ariz.) Chapter was honored as the highest single-year fundraising chapter in RMEF history at $359,785.

Chairman's Awards are given each year in recognition of outstanding RMEF volunteers. Recipients are chosen by their peers from each of four regions. Each recipient has been selected as an inspiration to other volunteers and whose dedication to the RMEF mission exceeds all expectations.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is about snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk country initiative that has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.9 million acres—a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. RMEF also works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

Published March 15, 2011

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