Bobcat Company Names 2014 Create and Conserve Contest Winner

Source: www.TurfMagazine.com

WEST FARGO, N.D. – Keith Fortin, of Whitehall, Montana, experienced the ultimate land transformation after he was named the 2014 Create & Conserve contest winner. Bobcat Company, along with partners Rick and Julie Kreuter—co-hosts of the hit television show “Beyond the Hunt” on The Outdoor Channel—selected Fortin as this year’s winner and visited the property to help re-establish native plant species, encourage healthy new growth and develop the land for sustainable future.

This was the second year of the Bobcat Create & Conserve Contest and Habitat Event, and video of the winning project can be seen at bobcat.com/landing/createandconserve.

Over a week, Fortin’s self-contained land—situated just east of the continental divide—was transformed with the help of several Bobcat machines. A Toolcat utility work machine, four Bobcat utility vehicles, an excavator with a thumb and two compact track loaders, as well as a variety of attachments, were used to create a conservation plot, install 1,800 feet of irrigation to water the conservation plot, dig a pond adjacent to the plot and remove dead trees that could be used as firewood. The conservation plot and pond portions of the project will provide another food and water source for wildlife, including elk, moose, bears, mountain lions and deer.

The Bobcat Create & Conserve Contest and Habitat Event were created in 2013. Entrants are asked to describe their ideal land transformation project that supports conservation. Bobcat Company selects the winning entry and—with help from Rick and Julie Kreuter, and other partnering sponsors—supplies equipment and other prizes, and manpower to complete the project.

Partnering sponsors include: Burris, Yeti, Stealth Cam, DU-HA, Big Green Targets, Epic, PSE, Tru-Fire, Redneck blinds, Hornady, American Hunter, Innerloc and Walker’s.