Elk group hosting Valley event

A local chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is hosting its first fund-raising event, a dinner and auction, on Jan. 24.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that has funded the conservation of more than four million acres around the country.

The local chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has 126 members, organizers said, and the fund-raising dinner is the first one in the Valley after years of having them in Anchorage.

"It's a fun way to raise money for habitat conservation," said Mike Sain, a local member of the group. "The organization's mission is to conserve resources, to make sure those resources are there for future generations to hunt."

The organization has funded the acquisition of millions of acres habitat around the country, which in turn, "helps other species that use the range," Sain said, "not just elk. It's a wildlife conservation organization."

The national organization's Web site promotes the work done, citing "the sound management of wild, free-ranging elk, which may be hunted or otherwise enjoyed."

The Jan. 24 dinner is being held at Evangelo's. There will be a live auction, a silent auction, a raffle and games for everyone to play. The banquet will also have a prize drawing exclusively for people who purchase tickets prior to Jan. 15.

Single tickets, which include a meal and one-year membership in the organization, is $65. Couples are $100.

For more information about the group, or to purchase tickets, interested people can call Julie Sain at 376-8085 or Bobbie Adams at 357-2314.

Those who want dinner that evening must purchase tickets before Jan. 21. Orders taken after that date may not be able to purchase a meal at the event, organizers said.