Banking On Grass: How Prairie Conservation Supports Ranchers and Wildlife
Post by Clemson student Ansley Callahan Traveling through Montana, I have found myself struck by the vastness of the prairie. The rolling hills and grasslands seemed endless on either side of the road we trekked, and it was easy to imagine the once-present massive herds of bison. Watching out of the window, I began thinking about how the prairie has changed over time and what it takes to sustain it today. While the land may look natural, it is shaped by countless management decisions that influence everything from plant communities to wildlife habitats. Our visit to The Nature Conservancy's Matador Ranch offered a chance to see how conservation and agriculture can work together to sustain this landscape. The Nature Conservancy's mission is not merely to preserve land by excluding people, but to find ways for people and nature to flourish together. This ideology was evident throughout our visit and challenged some of my previous assumptions about what conservation looks like ...
