The Montana Experience
Post by Montana Summer Program Student Caroline Guerry
Over the past three weeks I’ve been exposed to the northern Great Plains and all associated with it. It was the experience of a lifetime and I am so grateful to all of those that have made it possible for me. Our objective for this course was to explore the great planes and in doing so, learn about its wildlife as well as ranching and how the two interact and effect each other. It was exciting to see all of the issues and hot topics that we had been studying all semester first hand.
We began at the American Prairie Reserve where we spent our days searching for wildlife and learning about the ecology of the Great Plains. We drove to all parts of the reserve and saw all that it had to offer, and at the same time we learned more about the APR and its mission to restore the grasslands of the Great Plains. Their goal is to create reserve that is over three million acres in order to allow the grasslands to return to their natural state. It was interesting to see their management strategies and how they plan to reach their goal. The staff and everyone associated with the APR are extremely motivated and dedicated to restoring the grasslands. They work hard every day to educate others about the grasslands as well as manage the lands that they have already acquired. I cannot image the amount of time and effort that has already been spent on this project, however it is worth it because once the project is complete there will be a huge piece of the Great Plains that will forever remain native grassland. Overall, visiting the American Prairie Reserve was a fantastic experience. I was able to see wildlife and vegetation that I had never been exposed to before, learn about a new ecosystem that was previously unfamiliar to me, and meet some amazing and intelligent people who are who are working to restore the Great Plains.
Dr. Lascano led our next section of the course, which was based on ruminant nutrition, and how land must be managed in order to have the healthiest and highest quality animal possible. During this section we were able to see the other side of the Great Plains, which are the properties that are used for raising beef cattle, and are not necessarily managed for wildlife. We spent some of our time in a makeshift classroom learning in detail how a cow’s stomach works and all that goes into making sure that they have the highest quality forage possible. We also spent time with ranch owner Terry Frost who shared his knowledge of cattle farming and showed us his facilities. It was eye opening to see the difference between the first and second section. While we were learning about beef cattle ranching, I constantly had wildlife in the back of my mind. I found myself wondering how certain things on the ranch affected the surrounding populations of species such as deer, elk, and even bison on the more flat rangelands. In some instances, ranchers manage their land and cattle in a way that either does not affect, or can benefit wildlife. However some don’t seem to think this is necessary, or see wildlife as a nuisance rather than a resource. Throughout this section of the course I learned that management strategies that can benefit both cattle and wildlife are difficult to master and that balance between all elements is key.
Our third section, led by Dr. Scott, was closely related to the previous section. Except this time we were exposed to different perspectives of the same management strategies. We were able to speak with a private forester who took us around the Segar’s property and showed us where he would apply different stand management practices in order to fit the unique landscape. It was interesting to see the different challenges faced by both a private forester, as well as a forester that worked for the federal government who we had met earlier in Dr. Lascano’s section of the course. We also visited Fort Keogh and Montana State University where we met with many amazing and intelligent men and women who research different topics and issues in the field of rangeland management and animal science. We were luck to see first hand the work that they do on a daily basis and how it has benefited beef cattle production as well as ranching in general. It was amazing to see just how much work goes into the making of these management practices and how they are developed and tested.
Our last section of the course was with Dr. Jachowski. The objective of this section was to tie together all the other sections so that we could see exactly how rangeland management and wildlife management interact with one another. Our first day of the section was learning about the herd of wild horses that are in the Prior Mountains. We met with a biologist who showed us the area and told us how they manage the herd. The next day we went to the Belknap Reservation where we met with two biologists that worked one the black-footed ferret and bison projects there. We spoke to them about their careers and they told us that they were only funded through grants, which lasted a few years at a time. I had no idea that people we able to do the kind of research they were doing without a larger amount of funding and it was eye opening to see people dedicated to a cause that they truly care about. Our last day of the course we went out just outside of roundup to meet up with a sage grouse biologist and some technicians who were working on a project to conserve habitat for sage grouse. They walked us through some of the measurements that they take in order to see if a habitat can support a population of sage grouse. This section really made me think about how all of the people who work on this land have to interact with each other, and how important it is to look at an issue from a different perspective.
Overall, this course was an amazing experience. I learned so much about the Great Plains, grasslands, ranching, wildlife, and myself. I’ve learned that knowledge is power, but understand and being able to listen to others and how they feel can make all the difference. Thank you to everyone who made this possible for us, and all of those who took the time to speak with us. It was an experience that I will never forget and I hope to return to the Great Plains again some day.
Over the past three weeks I’ve been exposed to the northern Great Plains and all associated with it. It was the experience of a lifetime and I am so grateful to all of those that have made it possible for me. Our objective for this course was to explore the great planes and in doing so, learn about its wildlife as well as ranching and how the two interact and effect each other. It was exciting to see all of the issues and hot topics that we had been studying all semester first hand.We began at the American Prairie Reserve where we spent our days searching for wildlife and learning about the ecology of the Great Plains. We drove to all parts of the reserve and saw all that it had to offer, and at the same time we learned more about the APR and its mission to restore the grasslands of the Great Plains. Their goal is to create reserve that is over three million acres in order to allow the grasslands to return to their natural state. It was interesting to see their management strategies and how they plan to reach their goal. The staff and everyone associated with the APR are extremely motivated and dedicated to restoring the grasslands. They work hard every day to educate others about the grasslands as well as manage the lands that they have already acquired. I cannot image the amount of time and effort that has already been spent on this project, however it is worth it because once the project is complete there will be a huge piece of the Great Plains that will forever remain native grassland. Overall, visiting the American Prairie Reserve was a fantastic experience. I was able to see wildlife and vegetation that I had never been exposed to before, learn about a new ecosystem that was previously unfamiliar to me, and meet some amazing and intelligent people who are who are working to restore the Great Plains.
Dr. Lascano led our next section of the course, which was based on ruminant nutrition, and how land must be managed in order to have the healthiest and highest quality animal possible. During this section we were able to see the other side of the Great Plains, which are the properties that are used for raising beef cattle, and are not necessarily managed for wildlife. We spent some of our time in a makeshift classroom learning in detail how a cow’s stomach works and all that goes into making sure that they have the highest quality forage possible. We also spent time with ranch owner Terry Frost who shared his knowledge of cattle farming and showed us his facilities. It was eye opening to see the difference between the first and second section. While we were learning about beef cattle ranching, I constantly had wildlife in the back of my mind. I found myself wondering how certain things on the ranch affected the surrounding populations of species such as deer, elk, and even bison on the more flat rangelands. In some instances, ranchers manage their land and cattle in a way that either does not affect, or can benefit wildlife. However some don’t seem to think this is necessary, or see wildlife as a nuisance rather than a resource. Throughout this section of the course I learned that management strategies that can benefit both cattle and wildlife are difficult to master and that balance between all elements is key.
Our third section, led by Dr. Scott, was closely related to the previous section. Except this time we were exposed to different perspectives of the same management strategies. We were able to speak with a private forester who took us around the Segar’s property and showed us where he would apply different stand management practices in order to fit the unique landscape. It was interesting to see the different challenges faced by both a private forester, as well as a forester that worked for the federal government who we had met earlier in Dr. Lascano’s section of the course. We also visited Fort Keogh and Montana State University where we met with many amazing and intelligent men and women who research different topics and issues in the field of rangeland management and animal science. We were luck to see first hand the work that they do on a daily basis and how it has benefited beef cattle production as well as ranching in general. It was amazing to see just how much work goes into the making of these management practices and how they are developed and tested.
Our last section of the course was with Dr. Jachowski. The objective of this section was to tie together all the other sections so that we could see exactly how rangeland management and wildlife management interact with one another. Our first day of the section was learning about the herd of wild horses that are in the Prior Mountains. We met with a biologist who showed us the area and told us how they manage the herd. The next day we went to the Belknap Reservation where we met with two biologists that worked one the black-footed ferret and bison projects there. We spoke to them about their careers and they told us that they were only funded through grants, which lasted a few years at a time. I had no idea that people we able to do the kind of research they were doing without a larger amount of funding and it was eye opening to see people dedicated to a cause that they truly care about. Our last day of the course we went out just outside of roundup to meet up with a sage grouse biologist and some technicians who were working on a project to conserve habitat for sage grouse. They walked us through some of the measurements that they take in order to see if a habitat can support a population of sage grouse. This section really made me think about how all of the people who work on this land have to interact with each other, and how important it is to look at an issue from a different perspective.
Overall, this course was an amazing experience. I learned so much about the Great Plains, grasslands, ranching, wildlife, and myself. I’ve learned that knowledge is power, but understand and being able to listen to others and how they feel can make all the difference. Thank you to everyone who made this possible for us, and all of those who took the time to speak with us. It was an experience that I will never forget and I hope to return to the Great Plains again some day.
