Manitoban elk once wandered all of North Dakota, with vast herds of elk roaming the plains and tributaries of the state. However, increasing settlement devastated the great elk herds, and the last recorded elk hunt took place in 1883 in the Pembina Hills. Now, Manitoban elk are returning, with migrations from Canada to the Pembina River Gorge beginning in the late 1970s. With the desire to support the return of elk to North Dakota, Wildlife Forever stepped to the plate and helped acquire 200 acres of elk wintering grounds and calving areas in the Pembina River Gorge in northeastern North Dakota. “The area is crucial to the survival and future of Manitoban elk in Pembina Gorge,” stated Wildlife Forever’s President Doug Grann. “This area supports one of the largest winter concentrations of Manitoban elk in the U.S.”