Mule Deer Foundation joins with federal agencies for habitat work

The Mule Deer Foundation has reached agreements with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to leverage millions of dollars for habitat restoration projects across the American West. Agreements with the Forest Service call for allocating up to $60 million over five years for forest health projects to improve wildlife habitats and reduce the severity of wildfires. The BLM has pledged up to $5 million for habitat restoration on sagebrush landscapes and mule deer corridors and habitats.

“This work with the Forest Service and BLM will allow us to greatly increase the scale and scope of MDF’s habitat projects,” said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the Mule Deer Foundation.

The organization is working to address habitat concerns throughout mule deer migration corridors—from summer range in the mountains, which is often managed by the Forest Service, to lower-elevation winter range, which is often managed by the BLM or private landowners. In recent years, it has leveraged $14 million with federal agencies to improve habitat on some 392,000 acres.

Read more from the Mule Deer Foundation.