A Balance Somewhere in the Middle
These past few days in Montana we have traveled to Phillips County in the northeastern part of the state, a drive that also took us to the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. This excursion afforded us the opportunity to meet with the agricultural side of the county, and also with the conservation and wildlife side. During my time here in Montana, I have always felt an underlying struggle between ranchers and those concerned that ranching may be destroying the rangeland ecosystem. Both sides are very passionate about their mission and their goals in life. At first glance, both sides seemed to be extremes, very one-sided in their views. However, after looking closer, I realized that there is plenty of overlap in the middle where both parties could come together, and where they often do come together. I myself cannot come to one conclusion or another – I simply feel torn after hearing both sides and understanding both points of view.
Talking with the Robinson brothers, who own/lease a 60,000-acre ranch in Phillips County, I feel was the closest I will ever come to meeting authentic, hard-working cowboys. These men ranch and work the land that their father worked before them. It was inspiring to see the two brothers break the increasingly common practice I have heard since being here in the West – that younger generations are returning to their families’ ranches or farming operations less and less. Another aspect that struck me about them was the fact that they also genuinely enjoy having wildlife coexist with their cattle on their ranch. Jim Robinson frequently remarked how much he enjoyed seeing elk pass through, along with antelope, mule deer, and even the occasional moose. It was inspiring to view, in person, a ranch where wildlife is not only tolerated, but encouraged.
As we continued the conversation with Jim and Clyde Robinson, the topic of the American Prairie Reserve (APR) came up. The question was asked as to how the brothers, and perhaps even the agricultural community of Phillips County in general, felt about the APR and what they are currently trying to do. The Robinsons were very straightforward in their answer – they simply stated that they and the APR were different from each other. As Jim Robinson stated, “The legacy of the APR is to build a multi-million acre wildlife reserve. Our legacy is to feed the world”. This answer was to the point and I did not feel as though the brothers were trying to skew our opinions of the APR in any way at all. They left us to our own devices to draw our own conclusions.
The next day we met with the American Prairie Reserve’s manager in Phillips County, Damien Austin. Although I had heard mixed opinions on the APR the day before, I came into the meeting with an open mind. After all, they are conserving a huge part of our country for future generations to see. However, the issue still remains of needing to feed the world’s growing population; and the APR wants to amass approximately 3.5 million acres of land. They are currently working on buying the land of private ranchers to fill in the gaps where they still do not own land. Their idea is a noble one, but I believe there is some place in the middle where both sides of this issue can come together.
I think it would be wonderful to have 3.5 million acres devoted to prairie conservation for generations to come. However, I have the utmost respect for the Robinsons and their ranching operation and for all the other agricultural pillars in the Phillips community. Both roles these two sides play are extremely important. There must be a balance somewhere in the middle – both sides can see that. I left my time in Phillips County feeling torn and seeing both points of view. Both the land and people of Montana have had such a profound effect on how I view these issues. I hope that one day there might be a steady balance between these two parties of conservation and agriculture.
