Mule Deer Foundation Receives $750,000 Grant from North Dakota Industrial Commission to Improve Big Game Connectivity

The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) is excited to announce the approval of a $750,000 grant from the North Dakota Industrial Commission’s Outdoor Heritage Fund. This generous grant will support our efforts to enhance big game connectivity and reduce habitat fragmentation in western North Dakota. The commission approved this funding as part of the Outdoor Heritage Fund matching grants program, which is entirely funded by oil and gas production tax revenue.

Every year, thousands of people enjoy hunting, watching, or photographing elk, deer, moose, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn as they traverse North Dakota. However, one of the most significant challenges these animals face is the presence of fences. While fences are essential for managing livestock, marking property boundaries, and protecting natural resources, they can also impede wildlife movement, causing stress, injury, and even death.

The primary goals of this project are to make fences safer for big game passage, increase landscape permeability and to reduce habitat fragmentation. Over the next five years, we aim to modify or construct over 60 miles of wildlife-friendly fencing, facilitating safe movement and improving habitat connectivity for big game species in western North Dakota.

Collin Smith, MDF’s Director of Private Lands Projects, stated, “Making fences safer for big game passage and reducing habitat fragmentation are the objectives of this project. By working with our partners, MDF will identify, and assist interested private landowners with technical and financial assistance to remove, modify, or construct new fences to wildlife-friendly designs.”

We sincerely appreciate the North Dakota Industrial Commission for their unwavering support of the Mule Deer Foundation and their dedication to conserving mule deer and other wildlife across North Dakota. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our conservation partners for their matching funds, which are crucial in making this project a reality.

About the Mule Deer Foundation:
The Mule Deer Foundation is the only conservation group in North America dedicated to conserving mule deer and black-tailed deer and their habitat. MDF is a strong voice for hunters, wildlife management, and conservation policy issues.  To join MDF and get involved in your state go to http://muledeer.org or call 1-801-973-3940.