The American Prairie
Post by Clemson Prairie Ecology Fellow Matt Nelson
The prairies are not something that most people would describe as beautiful; the great expanses of grassland can at times seem never ending, broken up only by a singular hardy tree able to withstand the harsh conditions. To those of us back east when we think of beauty we imagine great expanses of forest and the grand vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains. People travel miles just to see the forest set afire when the leaves begin to change every autumn. The great grasslands of the west don’t have any of this and may not be what someone imagines when they think of beautiful scenery, but these green and grey plains hold a certain type of beauty, a power that instills one with a sense of adventure and the knowledge of just how infinitely small we are in the grand scheme of things.
As we drove along the dirt road that would lead us into the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge I marveled at the scene around us. Just hours ago we had met with Randy Matchett, the senior wildlife biologist for the CMR (for simplicity and my fingers sake I will refer to the Charles M. Russell as the CMR). He is in charge of all research that happens on the refuge, and the real driving force behind all the work that is conducted there, including the reintroduction of black-footed ferrets (Dr. J’s BFF’s). There he gave us copious amounts of maps and instructions, not only on what to do on our current trip but opportunities to help out with research throughout the remainder of the summer. After signing us up as volunteers and handing us the keys to a government vehicle, an enormous Chevy 2500 diesel with a spotlight mounted on top, he sent us on our merry way. With a quick stop at Alberton’s to gather a few supplies to assist in our upcoming days of roughing it, we were finally headed out into the wilderness.
After driving on the aforementioned dirt road for about an hour we came down a small hill to find Ferret Camp nestled in what we would call a miniature valley. Ferret Camp was established as the base for all research that is conducted within the refuge. Volunteers and paid employees will stay here when the weather is good, providing them quick access to the surrounding wildlife. While no five-star hotel, Ferret Camp is quite a comfortable place to find in the middle of nowhere. Upon our arrival we were all a bit apprehensive, staying in a camper with no running water and no electricity other than that generated by solar panels is not what most people would consider comfortable. Once settled in however, you can see how quickly one could become used to it. Even then how many people get to stay right in the center of a prairie dog town?
After settling in to our respective campers we went out to explore the refuge. We drove for a half an hour until we came to the top of a large hill that looked out over the Missouri River. In the distance there were rain clouds, forming two of the most perfect rainbows we had ever seen. It was amazing to know that Lewis and Clark had traveled up that same river in their quest to explore the untamed west.
That night we all cooked our roughing it meals, myself making some soup that quickly grew cold as the temperature and the sun dropped in unison. Ever since coming to Montana I had wanted to see the stars and understand the true meaning as to why it was called ‘big sky’ country. At the ranch it had been cloudy most of the time and even then the light pollution from the coal mine would have outshone many of the stars. So I decided what better place than hours from civilization? The sun did not set fully until around 10:30 pm but as it sank behind a distant hill the stars began to come alive. They appeared as tiny little pinpoints against the blackening sky, sparking suddenly and shining bright from the heavens. Never in my life had I seen so many stars.
The next day we awoke early in order to head out and map the locations of burrowing owls. While the girls were still getting ready, Dr. Jachowski, Nic, and I went out to some of the closer prairie dog towns. We ended up stopped at another hill that overlooked the river and ended up startling a golden eagle that flew only about 30 meters from us. It was there looking out over the river that I saw the symbol of America, a bald eagle flying majestically over the slow moving water. While I didn’t get to see the eagle’s head, there was no mistaking that dark body and the white tail. America had just happened.
The rest of the day was spent driving through each prairie dog town and spotting the burrowing owls. At times they were almost indistinguishable from the prairie dogs that sat upright on their burrows, the owl’s brown bodies blending in to a sea of the little squeaking critters. We also drove into the American Prairie Reserve to see where Nic would be staying and conducting his graduate research. The only bison we saw were way off in the distance, although I think by this point we had all had our fill of bison as they walked through our camp in the Badlands weeks before.
Tuesday evening we all went to bed a little earlier; there were storms rolling in and the wind was bitterly cold. That night was some of the best sleep I had ever had and I awoke the next morning feeling more refreshed than I had in a long time. Wednesday morning was spent with preparations to return back to the ranch, we had thankfully avoided the rain the night before so we wouldn’t be trapped at Ferret Camp for days to come. There was more bad weather on the way though, and we decided it was better to leave sooner rather than later. We loaded our government vehicle and as we pulled away from Ferret Camp I was left with a bit of sadness. Not having the modern amenities we had become so accustomed to had been hard, but it was a small price to pay for being out in one of the nations best kept secrets, the American Prairie.
After driving on the aforementioned dirt road for about an hour we came down a small hill to find Ferret Camp nestled in what we would call a miniature valley. Ferret Camp was established as the base for all research that is conducted within the refuge. Volunteers and paid employees will stay here when the weather is good, providing them quick access to the surrounding wildlife. While no five-star hotel, Ferret Camp is quite a comfortable place to find in the middle of nowhere. Upon our arrival we were all a bit apprehensive, staying in a camper with no running water and no electricity other than that generated by solar panels is not what most people would consider comfortable. Once settled in however, you can see how quickly one could become used to it. Even then how many people get to stay right in the center of a prairie dog town?
After settling in to our respective campers we went out to explore the refuge. We drove for a half an hour until we came to the top of a large hill that looked out over the Missouri River. In the distance there were rain clouds, forming two of the most perfect rainbows we had ever seen. It was amazing to know that Lewis and Clark had traveled up that same river in their quest to explore the untamed west.That night we all cooked our roughing it meals, myself making some soup that quickly grew cold as the temperature and the sun dropped in unison. Ever since coming to Montana I had wanted to see the stars and understand the true meaning as to why it was called ‘big sky’ country. At the ranch it had been cloudy most of the time and even then the light pollution from the coal mine would have outshone many of the stars. So I decided what better place than hours from civilization? The sun did not set fully until around 10:30 pm but as it sank behind a distant hill the stars began to come alive. They appeared as tiny little pinpoints against the blackening sky, sparking suddenly and shining bright from the heavens. Never in my life had I seen so many stars.
The next day we awoke early in order to head out and map the locations of burrowing owls. While the girls were still getting ready, Dr. Jachowski, Nic, and I went out to some of the closer prairie dog towns. We ended up stopped at another hill that overlooked the river and ended up startling a golden eagle that flew only about 30 meters from us. It was there looking out over the river that I saw the symbol of America, a bald eagle flying majestically over the slow moving water. While I didn’t get to see the eagle’s head, there was no mistaking that dark body and the white tail. America had just happened.
The rest of the day was spent driving through each prairie dog town and spotting the burrowing owls. At times they were almost indistinguishable from the prairie dogs that sat upright on their burrows, the owl’s brown bodies blending in to a sea of the little squeaking critters. We also drove into the American Prairie Reserve to see where Nic would be staying and conducting his graduate research. The only bison we saw were way off in the distance, although I think by this point we had all had our fill of bison as they walked through our camp in the Badlands weeks before.
