The Chehalis chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is calling on local women to “saddle up” and “leave the men folk at home” as it prepares to host its new ladies night fundraising event.
The Wild West-themed 21-and-over event is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. at the Jester Auto Museum and Event Center on Saturday, Sept. 20. Proceeds from the event will support the RMEF in its conservation and advocacy efforts. The event will feature dinner and drinks along with games and a chance to win a host of raffle and auction prizes, ranging from fishing trips and Washington coast getaways to jewelry and brand new firearms.
“Claim your spot faster than a jackrabbit on a date,” reads the event announcement. “Don’t just be there — be fierce, be fun, be frontier fabulous.”
The event marks the local chapter's second major fundraising event this summer after it hosted its yearly banquet at the auto museum outside Chehalis in July. According to RMEF Regional Director Preston Cockrell, the event is currently the only one of its kind in the state this year and is an opportunity for local women to get involved in RMEF and its conservation efforts.
“This event creates a welcoming space where women can come together, support each other, and share in the mission of conservation,” Cockrell said. “With the men volunteering behind the scenes, it’s truly a night that highlights teamwork, camaraderie, and the power of women uniting for a cause.”
Tickets for this month's ladies night event start at $40 and can be found under the events page of the RMEF website or at https://tinyurl.com/594cvkzn.
Those looking to purchase tickets can also reach out to the Chehalis chapter ticket chair Sandy Yannish at Sandyyannish@msn.com or over the phone at 360-508-0234.
The RMEF is a national conservation, advocacy group and non-profit that advocates for the protection of elk and elk habitat across the U.S. The group is also known for its wide support from hunting communities.
According to the foundation, the Chehalis chapter is one of 23 local chapters in Washington state and one of 13 on the western half.
The Chehalis chapter, in recent years, has been one of the most productive chapters of the national group, listed at 25th in fundraising efforts in 2022 out of the more than 400 chapters across the country. The chapter was also featured in a video commissioned by the national office in 2023 showing the importance of the local chapter. That video is available at https://tinyurl.com/mj6y5auj.
According to Cockrell, money raised by local chapters supports the foundation in conservation work, advocating for more public access, funding grant programs and working with federal and state agencies.
“The money goes directly back into the ground and the community — protecting habitat, improving public access, funding critical conservation science — including research on TAHD, or hoof rot disease, which impacts about 70% of elk herds in Southwest Washington — and ensuring our hunting heritage is passed on to future generations,” Cockrell said.
According to a news release from the organization, it provided just over half a million dollars in funding to conservation efforts across the state in 2024. Those projects also received funding from other conservation groups representing more than $4 million in funding for projects designed to protect and improve habitat for elk, mule, black-tailed deer, moose and more.
According to the release, that funding supported local efforts to remove thousands of pounds of invasive English Ivy in south Lewis County.
Cockrell added that the foundation funded approximately $135,000 in hunting heritage grants to groups in Southwest Washington this year and another $278,000 in habitat grants to fund seed planting, prescribed burns and more.
The RMEF was originally founded by four men from Northwest Montana in 1984 as a way to advocate for and protect elk populations across the United States. According to the group's website, the four men wanted a way to advocate for elk the same way other groups advocated for ducks, turkeys and other wild species. Just a couple of years later in 1986, the organization offered its first grant to fund a prescribed burn on a plot of land in the Kootenai National Forest in Montana.
Since its foundation, the group has spread far and wide and today boasts more than 400 active local chapters across the state. The organization continues to fund grants across the country that, according to the non-profit’s website, helped to fund more than 500 projects in 2024.
