Elk Foundation cuts staff again

MISSOULA – The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has laid off 15 employees and says it will not fill eight other vacant positions.

It’s the third time since 2001 that the conservation organization has laid off part of its Missoula work force. The first time, 33 jobs were affected; the second time, four.

The latest cutbacks were part of a realignment and will help the foundation “balance our mission with the reality of the marketplace,” interim President and CEO Walker S. “Buddy” Smith Jr. told the Missoulian newspaper in a story last week.

The foundation seeks to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat.

While sportsman contributions have maintained, Smith said that much of the federal funding for foundation projects has dried up in the past three to four years.

“The money just hasn’t been coming in,” he said. “This is an effort to get ahead of the curve, and make sure we can fulfill our mission. Our obligation to our members and volunteers is to invest every nickel we can on the ground.”

Between the layoffs late last week and vacancies that weren’t filled, Smith said, virtually every department at the foundation was affected. After the layoffs, Smith said, the elk foundation will have 121 full-time-equivalent positions nationwide. The bulk of them work at the $14 million international headquarters in Missoula, which the foundation moved into November 2005.

“As a whole, everyone took the high road,” Smith said. “These are dedicated, professional people who understand we need to do the best we can with the money we have.”