Thanks to Larry Baesler, Jim Glines and a slew of other volunteers, fewer animals are now wandering around Black Hills forests with parched throats.

The two Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation workers have led a volunteer effort to get all of the elk guzzlers in the Mystic Ranger District up and running.

Guzzlers are devices that turn precipitation into drinking water for elk, turkey, deer and other wildlife.

Glines and Baesler have been very successful since the project began in 2006, in part because of cooperation by volunteers and businesses that have donated materials. That includes 10 1,000-gallon tanks recently donated by Rob Harris of Fiberglass Structures in Laurel, Mont., which will give the group a head start on the project this summer.

"We couldn't ask for anything more as far as a total package for support to make this thing move forward," said Baesler, who is the lands program administrator for the foundation. "It's even a little bit further along than I anticipated."

Glines, the president of the local chapter of the foundation, said 6,800 hours were logged last summer from about 60 volunteers. He and Baesler began scouting out the contraptions in 2006 to see which ones needed fixing, but most of the work was done last year.

Most of the guzzlers have a platform that catches water for a large tank below them. The water is then drained into a tub on lower ground from which the animals can drink.

The devices are also surrounded by fencing so livestock can't get into them.

The repair work has involved tasks such as fixing holes or reinforcing the platform, fixing the water tanks and bringing in rock and repairing fences to protect the structures.

Reckless partiers have caused much of the damage to the structures, Glines said, by shooting holes in the tanks, leaving garbage laying around and causing other damage.

He hopes some of the roads leading to the structures will be closed when the new U.S. Forest Service plan is released so the guzzlers will be less susceptible to damage from partiers.

Glines said the foundation has fixed nearly 60 guzzlers, including 42 in the Mystic Ranger District. After finishing a few smaller repairs on the Mystic District guzzlers, the group plans to move on to the Hells Canyon District.

The project began when the foundation volunteered to fix the contraptions and struck up a deal with the Forest Service and Department of Game, Fish & Parks. The Forest Service and GF&P agreed to lend support and some materials for the project and the foundation agreed to do most of the work.

The Forest Service built the guzzlers between 1970 and 2004, but they fell in disrepair and the entity didn't have enough man-hours to go out and repair them.

"You just can't overstate the importance of the work that they do, and we so appreciate it," Forest Service spokesman Frank Carroll said.

Carroll said that having the structures in working order is vital to forest creatures.

"The guzzlers make it possible for wildlife to make use of a much larger area of the forest," he said.

That's one of the reasons Glines decided to do the project. He said providing the extra water sources helps prevent the animals from wandering into private property to look for a drink.

And the animals appreciate their efforts.

"Especially when it gets a little warm, they just like to come and lap a little bit of water and they're happy," he said. "They need water, too, like everything else."

The foundation is always looking for volunteers and businesses to donate materials, Glines said. Anyone who is interested in helping with the project can call Glines at 390-9001.

Contact Ryan Woodard at 394-8412 or ryan.woodard@rapidcityjournal.com