Elk are thriving in the reclaimed coal country of Kentucky and Tennessee, so it only seems natural to consider the rugged mountains of West Virginia as an expanded habitat. Elk herds in Northern Pennsylvania offer an exciting hunting opportunity and have created an entire tourist industry, based on the animals. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has stepped up to the plate with a hefty donation to move the process along. Here’s the latest from the Charleston Daily Mail.

Elk herds have thrived in Kentucky and should do well in the Mountain State.
Elk herds have thrived in Kentucky and should do well in the Mountain State.

Reintroduction of elk in West Virginia received a significant financial boost, but it’s still unknown when exactly elk will roam freely in the Mountain State.Representatives with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation — a nonprofit dedicated to supporting elk populations across the country — on Sunday afternoon presented a $50,000 seed grant to the state Division of Natural Resources at the quarterly meeting of the Natural Resources Commission. The DNR applied for the grant last fall.“We believe that the restoration process is reason in and of itself for the elk foundation to support reintroductions,” said Bill Carman, a regional director for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. “We look forward to great things from West Virginia in the future.”