A Rancher's Involvement in the Restoration of the Prairie
Post by Clemson Montana Summer Program student Noel Slater
During our second week on the prairie we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet some working ranchers who were very enthusiastic to show us their work and life out on the ranch. Two of these ranchers were neighbors Leo Barthelmess and Conni French, both who belong to the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance. This alliance really promotes collaborative efforts between ranchers and conservation agencies like the Nature Conservancy to protect wildlife while preserving the ranch lifestyle endemic to Big Sky Country.
Once a year, The Nature Conservancy local chapter in Phillips County puts on a science symposium where local people can learn about the work and research being done in the area. I really enjoyed hearing the research being done on swift fox populations and sage grouse, but most importantly I loved the panel discussion led at the end of the symposium with Mr.Barthelmess and local council people. The panel really highlighted the rural sociology found in Phillips County which brings many challenges when trying to bring new and sometimes controversial ideas to the community.
When someone has been doing something their way for a long time uninterrupted, they often will not be too fond of someone coming in and telling them how to change their ways. This has been an issue in recent times in Montana where different organizations have come in and tried to tell ranchers how to run their business and essentially their life. Most of these organizations have good intentions, like the animal welfare or conservation groups, but others are more after the ranchers’ land which is why many ranchers are wary of such groups.
One of the groups that ranchers worry about include the American Prairie Reserve which is an organization that buys land from ranchers and turns in into a wildlife reserve. Some ranchers feel as though the APR is a threat to their lifestyle and that the APR will eventually buy all the land in the area or jack up prices so that ranchers can’t afford the property taxes. The fear isn’t only of their ranch being sold, but of their neighbor’s ranch being sold. Neighbors like Conni and Leo rely quite heavily on one another, especially during harsh winters like the past winter. From my experience in speaking with Danny, the wildlife restoration manager at APR, their goal isn’t to end ranching as a whole but to accumulate as much land as possible for wildlife like prairie dogs, elk, and bison to be able to live and roam freely.
There are many ranchers who feel as though the APR isn’t totally necessary because they already take special considerations to take care of the land and all the animals that live on it. Obviously, there are those that shoot prairie dogs and plow the land so that it can never return to its original prairie state, but for the most part ranchers understand that they must take care of the land in order to survive and live in a sustainable manner so that the land can one day be their grand kids'. Ranchers like Leo have come a long way from traditional ranching methods and now look at how they can use sustainable methods while still being able to support their family and business. The APR actually gives a lot of ranchers financial incentives for choosing to impliment some of their conservation methods like wildlife safe fences for sage grouse and pronghorn. The APR is viewed as very left-winged compared to some traditional ranchers whose methods have been passed down from generation after generation. Connie used the metaphor of a plant when talking about conservation: "you must give it a little water and care at a time, but not all at once or the plant will die." This is the same for conservation efforts, you must give attention and introduce new ideas slowly to ranchers especially not all at once or they will shut down and not listen to your ideas. During the symposium, the 80/20 rule was introduced by Leo, where in order for success to happen we must agree on 80% of things and agree to disagree on 20%. I think this is a really important in today’s world where more and more people are becoming active in politics and having an opinion on environmental policy matters.
I think the stereotype of ranchers being stubborn and unwilling to change their methods is totally untrue and quite unfair. After attending this symposium and spending time with Leo and Connie, it’s refreshing to learn how much ranchers do care about the environment as well as the prairie and grasslands which make up their state. I would say that it would be unfair for anyone to make changes or rules that affect ranchers without checking in with them or hearing their opinion first. I believe that transparency and facts, backed up by science, along with an understanding of rural sociology, is what will allow organizations to successfully achieve conservation goals while working with ranchers. There is nobody on this landscape who doesn’t contribute somehow to the environment, so it is crucial that we start working together to maintain the health and structure of these grasslands. Prairie ecology is not only about how the plants and wildlife interact with one another, but how all the components as a whole affect the landscape. This is why we must understand the sociology before we can influence the science.
Once a year, The Nature Conservancy local chapter in Phillips County puts on a science symposium where local people can learn about the work and research being done in the area. I really enjoyed hearing the research being done on swift fox populations and sage grouse, but most importantly I loved the panel discussion led at the end of the symposium with Mr.Barthelmess and local council people. The panel really highlighted the rural sociology found in Phillips County which brings many challenges when trying to bring new and sometimes controversial ideas to the community.When someone has been doing something their way for a long time uninterrupted, they often will not be too fond of someone coming in and telling them how to change their ways. This has been an issue in recent times in Montana where different organizations have come in and tried to tell ranchers how to run their business and essentially their life. Most of these organizations have good intentions, like the animal welfare or conservation groups, but others are more after the ranchers’ land which is why many ranchers are wary of such groups.
One of the groups that ranchers worry about include the American Prairie Reserve which is an organization that buys land from ranchers and turns in into a wildlife reserve. Some ranchers feel as though the APR is a threat to their lifestyle and that the APR will eventually buy all the land in the area or jack up prices so that ranchers can’t afford the property taxes. The fear isn’t only of their ranch being sold, but of their neighbor’s ranch being sold. Neighbors like Conni and Leo rely quite heavily on one another, especially during harsh winters like the past winter. From my experience in speaking with Danny, the wildlife restoration manager at APR, their goal isn’t to end ranching as a whole but to accumulate as much land as possible for wildlife like prairie dogs, elk, and bison to be able to live and roam freely.
I think the stereotype of ranchers being stubborn and unwilling to change their methods is totally untrue and quite unfair. After attending this symposium and spending time with Leo and Connie, it’s refreshing to learn how much ranchers do care about the environment as well as the prairie and grasslands which make up their state. I would say that it would be unfair for anyone to make changes or rules that affect ranchers without checking in with them or hearing their opinion first. I believe that transparency and facts, backed up by science, along with an understanding of rural sociology, is what will allow organizations to successfully achieve conservation goals while working with ranchers. There is nobody on this landscape who doesn’t contribute somehow to the environment, so it is crucial that we start working together to maintain the health and structure of these grasslands. Prairie ecology is not only about how the plants and wildlife interact with one another, but how all the components as a whole affect the landscape. This is why we must understand the sociology before we can influence the science.
