LA GRANDE — Oregon hunters have the chance to win a bull elk hunt on the Zumwalt Prairie while supporting Eastern Oregon University’s Speel-Ya Native American Student Council thanks to The Nature Conservancy.

The organization sets aside four bull elk and two buck deer Landowner Preference tags each year for nonprofit group raffles, according to Eastern’s public information representative Michael Dakota. Zumwalt Prairie Preserve steward J. Johansen nominated Speel-Ya this year to receive one of the tags.

“I thought it would be a really good fit,” he said.

The Native American Student Council will raffle the LOP bull elk tag on April 11 at 4 p.m. in the Hoke Union Building at Eastern La Grande campus. The raffle drawing will be streamed live on the EOU Native American Program Facebook page.

The Native American Student Council will raffle the LOP bull elk tag on Friday, April 11, at 4 p.m. in the Hoke Union Building at the EOU La Grande campus. The raffle drawing will be streamed live on the EOU Native American Program Facebook page.

Only 300 tickets are available and must be purchased ahead of the raffle drawing. Tickets cost $100 a piece. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 541-962-3463 or email raffle@eou.edu.

Johansen, a 2014 graduate and former Speel-Ya member, said these tags and hunts are very popular. This makes the raffle a great opportunity for hunters to snag a coveted tag while allowing the student organization to raise money.

The winner, who must be an Oregon resident and at least 18-years-old, will receive a three-day guided hunt on the Zumwalt Prairie Preserve in the fall of 2025. They can bring up to two guests on the trip.

The Nature Conservancy owns and manages the Zumwalt Prairie and aims to protect the diverse and sensitive native species on the preserve in Wallowa County. Portions of the 33,000 acres are open to the public.

Proceeds from the raffle will go toward funding educational opportunities for students, said Pepper Huxoll, Speel-Ya’s advisor and coordinator of the university’s Native American, Indigenous and Rural Programs.

The student organization works to raise awareness, educate and promote the culture of Native American people through collaboration with other groups on campus. Speel-Ya organizes several events on campus each year, including programming during Native American Heritage month in November and the annual Indian Arts Festival Powwow and Friendship Feast.

Members of the Native American Student Council are deciding how to utilize the funding, Huxoll said, in part because they won’t know how much money was raised until the ticket sales are finalized. If all 300 raffle tickets are purchased, the organization will receive $28,000 — $30,000 minus the $2,000 to cover the cost of the guide for the winner’s trip.

The students are excited for the opportunity and have floated multiple ideas, Huxoll said, including traveling to other Powwows or cultural events and attending conferences. She added that this will help build community and camaraderie.

“It just opens up so many different doors,” Hoxoll said.