Mule Deer Foundation Receives $250,000 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund Grant for Habitat Projects
The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) announced today that the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund is providing $250,000 for habitat restoration and enhancement projects in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Washington. The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund grant will support MDF’s efforts to improve big game migration corridors and seasonal ranges through post-fire restoration efforts, invasive weed control, fence removal and modification, juniper removal, and other important habitat restoration efforts. Projects will focus on priority areas identified in state fish and wildlife agency action plans developed in response to Department of the Interior Secretarial Order 3362, Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big Game Winter Range and Migration Corridors.
“The Mule Deer Foundation appreciates the continued partnership with the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund to help us improve habitat for our western deer,” said MDF President/CEO Joel Pedersen. “The grant we received last year was leveraged almost 4:1 through funding from our chapters and additional partners—this put more than $590,000 on the ground for projects in priority mule deer migration corridors and winter ranges. The increased funding for this year’s projects will make an even bigger difference and will expand to include pre- and post-fire forest restoration work in California.”
Funding provided through the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund in 2020 was used for a variety of projects across six states. Post-fire habitat restoration in eastern Washington and western Colorado allowed for reseeding and planting shrubs in burned areas, invasive weed prevention, repairing or replacing fences and water sources, and much more. These projects will continue, and additional support will be available for post-fire restoration in southern Idaho. In addition, the new funding will continue a project in northeastern Nevada, in partnership with the Nevada Department of Wildlife, to remove invasive juniper in a priority mule deer area that is home to about 10,000 deer. Fence modifications in eastern Montana and eastern Idaho will be coordinated as well as a noxious weed treatment in the Lemhi Valley in Idaho. New this year will be a significant contribution to a landscape forest resiliency project on the Plumas National Forest in California.
“The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund activates more than 200 million passionate sportsmen and women who round up their purchases at our stores to help advance conservation,” commented Bob Ziehmer, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Senior Director of Conservation. “We’re grateful for the generosity of our customers and are proud to utilize this funding to support the Mule Deer Foundation’s conservation projects for the benefit of mule deer and many other wildlife species.”
“MDF’s Migration Corridors and Winter Range Initiative has allowed us to increase the amount of work we do for mule deer conservation with the help of our partners. The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund grant will ensure MDF remains a leader on western deer conservation and give MDF the ability to complete high priority on-the-ground conservation projects for mule deer habitat and other wildlife,” concluded Steve Belinda, MDF’s director of conservation programs.
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About the Bass Pro Shops Cabela’s Outdoor Fund
Under the visionary leadership of founder Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s is leading North America’s largest conservation movement. Together with our partners in conservation, we’re positively shaping the future of the outdoors through donations, grant-making and advocacy. The 501c3 Outdoor Fund raises funds to support conservation efforts by activating more than 200 million passionate sportsmen and women rounding up their purchases in Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s stores and online.
