Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke received the Excellence in Advocacy Award from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation at a ceremony at the organization’s Missoula headquarters, recognizing his work on public lands, wildlife habitat and America’s hunting heritage.
RMEF president and CEO Kyle Weaver and chief conservation officer Blake Henning presented the award. Zinke is only the third elected official to receive the honor, following Montana Sen. Steve Daines, who received it in 2021.
“RMEF has been one of the strongest conservation partners in Montana and across the West, and I’m honored to receive this award,” Zinke said. “From keeping public lands in public hands to improving elk migration corridors and restoring healthy forests, we share a belief that conservation works best when hunters, landowners, states, tribes, and federal managers are at the table.”
“Congressman Zinke has proven time and again through legislative leadership and action that he is committed to real conservation and America’s public lands,” Weaver said. “His work crafting and advancing critical legislation resulted in impactful conservation outcomes, making him an invaluable ally to hunter-conservationists throughout our nation.”
The partnership between Zinke and RMEF stretches back to his first term in Congress, when they worked together on federal forest management reforms that helped shape provisions in the House-passed Fix Our Forests Act. Zinke also worked with RMEF to oppose the sale of public lands and protect funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
During his tenure as Interior Secretary under President Trump’s first term, Zinke signed Secretarial Order 3362 in 2018, directing federal agencies to prioritize projects improving winter habitat and migration corridors for elk, mule deer and pronghorn through partnerships with states, private landowners and conservation organizations. The initiative remains a major RMEF priority and laid the groundwork for ongoing migration corridor work across the West.
Building on that effort, Zinke introduced the bipartisan Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act to strengthen voluntary, state and tribal-led efforts to conserve big-game migration corridors and improve habitat connectivity. RMEF hosted the original rollout of the legislation at its Missoula headquarters.
Zinke and RMEF have also collaborated on the Public Lands in Public Hands Act, the Wildlife Road Crossings Program Reauthorization Act and the Grizzly Bear State Management Act. RMEF endorsed the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus co-founded by Zinke, creating a platform for conservation-minded legislators to build on their shared priorities.