The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation presented Kentucky Senator Robin Webb (D-District 18) with its Excellence in Advocacy Award, which recognizes individuals who help advance RMEF’s advocacy goals and efforts about hunting, wildlife management and natural resource conservation.

“Senator Webb played a vital role in helping clear multiple legislative hurdles to finalize the Ataya-Cumberland Forest Wildlife Management Area project, the largest voluntary conservation agreement in state history that’s in the heart of Kentucky’s elk zone,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “Not only that, she also has a deep and long history of support for Kentucky’s elk population, hunting and RMEF.”

Sen. Webb worked as a coal miner into her mid-twenties before earning a law degree. She attended the 1997 restoration of elk to the Bluegrass State with her entire family, including father Robert Webb, who served as a Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) commissioner. The elk release took place on reclaimed land belonging to a coal mining company she represented as an attorney.

"I’ve gone to Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation banquets since I was a kid,” said Sen. Webb. “They’re always in the room as a credible resource that everyone identifies with, and having credible partners with a good track record enables projects like this to get done. And RMEF is certainly that.”

More recently, Sen. Webb worked closely with colleagues, The Nature Conservancy, RMEF, KDFWR and others to advance two legislative measures that cleared the way for the Ataya project, thus conserving and opening public access to its nearly 55,000 acres.

“I’m not lost for words because I can talk about this all day because it’s my passion,” she said at the recent project celebration. “This is the highlight of my career.”

A self-proclaimed lifelong sportswoman and elk hunter, Sen. Webb also serves as a member of the Kentucky Sportsmen’s Caucus. She added, “I will continue to promote policy that ensures the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage. Thanks dad, for instilling that in me.”

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:?

Founded in 1984 and fueled by hunters, RMEF has conserved more than 8.9 million acres for elk and other wildlife. RMEF also works to open and improve public access, fund and advocate for science-based resource management, and ensure the future of America’s hunting heritage. Discover why “Hunting Is Conservation™” at rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.?