Of Conservation and Ranching
Post by Clemson Montana Summer Program student Melissa Ferral
Looking out over the plains and the wide-open land, I am reminded of the history that these soils carry. The second week of my time spent in Montana I find myself wondering about the histories associated with such an open land; throughout the trip we have been told of skirmishes between the United States government and the Native Americans, the hardships of the homesteaders and of methods perfected by generations of ranchers on the land. People who lived, fought and survived in such challenging conditions that are forever tied in some way to this land-their home. Many ranchers who have such history-those that are descendants of a long line of Montana ranchers- have an understanding of their land and their position on it. Each rancher listens and makes decisions that will impact the land for many years to come and this responsibility is not lost upon others. One of the most highly debated topics out in Montana is the very land that its people live upon and how it should be used; the argument unfolds between conservationists and ranchers who both have their own expectations and needs of the land.
In reality, the argument isn’t nearly as cut and dry as one might expect it to be. Each perspective has its own spectrum of extremeness along with a variety of overlapping gray areas. I witnessed this first-hand when I met Leo Barthelmess, a third-generation cattle and sheep rancher. As a member of the Rancher’s Stewardship Alliance, Leo offered valuable perspectives about ranching and its future as a whole. With a mission statement of ‘Ranching, Conservation, Communities-a Winning Team!’ the RSA aims to find a working relationship between ranching and conservation, all while encouraging community-based outreaches. They are also partnered with several other conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and WWF and together they operate to develop more conservation-friendly ranching practices. When I visited Leo’s ranch, what immediately grabbed my attention was the care and thought that everyone working there placed into the ranch; it was not just a piece of land to graze cattle but instead its own entity, each unit of land held its own purpose and demanded respect. Pardon if I begin to sound too cliché but it is the atmosphere that I gathered when Leo or any of the ranchers we met spoke of their home range.
One of the other ranchers that we met along with Leo was his neighbor and friend, Conni French. Talking with Conni was one of the most enjoyable parts of my trip so far and we spoke of many different topics ranging from sustainability of rangelands to a neat trick showing how alfalfa blooms can be opened; regardless of whether the topic was serious or more lighthearted, I learned much about ranchland management and how organizations such as the RSA help local ranchers achieve proper sustainability of their lands. Another important topic that Conni addressed was the introduction of new things in the ranching community: such as integrating conservation into traditional ranching practices to gathering the younger generation to lead as future ranchers. Conni herself explained how she came to be a rancher as she was not part of a generational ranching family but instead worked her way into the profession.
One of the other issues of the ranching profession is the lack of young people present in the field-whether due to disinterest or financial barriers. No matter what the profession, business or field is, one thing that they all have in common is that it needs a new generation to carry it on lest it collapse or fade. The other part that Conni addressed was concerning conservation and ranching practices as the RSA encourages safe ranching, such as adding reflectors to the top of fences to aid Sage Grouse or promoting sheep as a viable management technique to help the native grasslands. The other part that is addressed is the topic of education; education is vital in any circumstance and especially so in the field of conservation. RSA works with local ranchers and spreads knowledge regarding conservation practices through education. The delicate part is not only to approach the topics but also how much information is needed; there is a difference between lecturing and teaching. I believe Conni expressed it best with a metaphor; “Think of a parched house plant, you cannot add all the water at once or else it will overflow. Instead, proceed by adding small increments of water and little by little, it will change and grow.”
As a wildlife major, I have seen multiple perspectives regarding the natural world and conservation. Everyone, of course, has opinions regarding conservation and how it should be executed and when visiting the American Prairie Reserve, we were able to experience some of these differing opinions. The APR has drawn some attention with its approach to conservation management, especially with ranchers; the goal of the APR is to acquire at least 10,000 bison and with that number, a large amount of prairie land is required-about 3.2 million acres. The plan involves having vast plains that will form an unbroken park that is reminiscent of how the prairie was when Lewis and Clark witnessed it. To achieve this goal, the APR has generous donors who aid in their ventures and with this the APR purchases ranches in order to reconstruct them to suit their aspirations. Danny Kinka is the Manager of Wildlife Restoration for the APR and as he explained the process the general idea follows acquiring not all the ranches but just enough to successfully connect. When a ranch is bought, the Bureau of Land Management gives an allotted amount of land for grazing use along with the purchase; with this in mind, the APR strategically pieces together their map of land.
These purchases can be seen as threats to the local ranchers who have lived on their farms for generations and are wary of this encroaching reserve. But as always, there are two sides to every story and this is no exception as Danny Kinka explained this topic from APR’s point of view. In his talk he cited that the APR only buys land from ranchers who want to sell and they pay the true value for the land. The APR also partners with local ranchers and will offer rewards if they abide by certain expectations for conserving wildlife; this intends to serve as incentive for ranchers to conserve the environment. Another program of conservation that the APR supports is the safe relocation of prairie dog towns, which can often be considered a pest species to some. Prairie dogs are a keystone species, meaning they are a crux of the prairie ecosystem and many species rely on their presence for survival.
One such species is the endangered Black-Footed ferret, the only ferret native to North America, the Black-Footed ferret has developed its whole composition and life around prairie dogs. Through years of specific evolution, the Black-Footed ferret has found survival in feeding upon prairie dogs and living within their burrows to house their kits. It is estimated that a healthy Black-Footed ferret population of 100 would require at least 10,000 acres of prairie dog towns, which is extremely hard to put together cohesively. Another matter of concern is the spread of plague through fleas, a disease which has crippled ferret populations in the past. During the past week, I was able to witness this endangered animal as close as one could get. In the middle of the night, we spent hours roaming back and forth among dirt roads, shining a high-powered spotlight in hopes of glimpsing a flash of green, reflective eyes. Finally, our labors bore fruit in the form of a small shape, bouncing above the grass and pausing to assess the still night air which could have held a variety of threats. The purpose of the ferret’s actions were soon revealed when she disappeared into a burrow and re-emerged with a tiny bundle in her mouth; I watched entranced as this small ferret carried her kit with a determination that only mothers can have and she did this another three times for a total of four kits. Witnessing this rare event was definitely one of the most special moments of my life so far and one that I will remember for the rest of my days. The importance of conservation became very clear in that moment as I watched one of the most endangered mammals in North America literally carry the future of her species, unaware of the intense debates and political talks that would determine the very future of her home and fate. Without help from conservation, species such as the Black-Footed ferret might have joined the ranks of the Passenger pigeon and Carolina Parakeet, as yet another cautionary tale.
The private and public land debate is delicate and layered with multiple perspectives that overlap each other in some aspects. The stereotypes that plague ranchers are often times undeserved as many are constantly implementing new techniques to push for innovation in the agricultural field. The topic of conservation can also mean many different things as I have come to discover, ranchers and conservationists at APR each are mindful of conservation but might have different approaches and levels of importance when tackling an issue; this subject is even more complex when the topic of private and public lands is involved. Regardless of where one may land on the spectrum, sustainability of the prairie land is common ground for many of the speakers and guests I witnessed this week and surely that must indicate something.
In reality, the argument isn’t nearly as cut and dry as one might expect it to be. Each perspective has its own spectrum of extremeness along with a variety of overlapping gray areas. I witnessed this first-hand when I met Leo Barthelmess, a third-generation cattle and sheep rancher. As a member of the Rancher’s Stewardship Alliance, Leo offered valuable perspectives about ranching and its future as a whole. With a mission statement of ‘Ranching, Conservation, Communities-a Winning Team!’ the RSA aims to find a working relationship between ranching and conservation, all while encouraging community-based outreaches. They are also partnered with several other conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and WWF and together they operate to develop more conservation-friendly ranching practices. When I visited Leo’s ranch, what immediately grabbed my attention was the care and thought that everyone working there placed into the ranch; it was not just a piece of land to graze cattle but instead its own entity, each unit of land held its own purpose and demanded respect. Pardon if I begin to sound too cliché but it is the atmosphere that I gathered when Leo or any of the ranchers we met spoke of their home range.
One of the other issues of the ranching profession is the lack of young people present in the field-whether due to disinterest or financial barriers. No matter what the profession, business or field is, one thing that they all have in common is that it needs a new generation to carry it on lest it collapse or fade. The other part that Conni addressed was concerning conservation and ranching practices as the RSA encourages safe ranching, such as adding reflectors to the top of fences to aid Sage Grouse or promoting sheep as a viable management technique to help the native grasslands. The other part that is addressed is the topic of education; education is vital in any circumstance and especially so in the field of conservation. RSA works with local ranchers and spreads knowledge regarding conservation practices through education. The delicate part is not only to approach the topics but also how much information is needed; there is a difference between lecturing and teaching. I believe Conni expressed it best with a metaphor; “Think of a parched house plant, you cannot add all the water at once or else it will overflow. Instead, proceed by adding small increments of water and little by little, it will change and grow.”
These purchases can be seen as threats to the local ranchers who have lived on their farms for generations and are wary of this encroaching reserve. But as always, there are two sides to every story and this is no exception as Danny Kinka explained this topic from APR’s point of view. In his talk he cited that the APR only buys land from ranchers who want to sell and they pay the true value for the land. The APR also partners with local ranchers and will offer rewards if they abide by certain expectations for conserving wildlife; this intends to serve as incentive for ranchers to conserve the environment. Another program of conservation that the APR supports is the safe relocation of prairie dog towns, which can often be considered a pest species to some. Prairie dogs are a keystone species, meaning they are a crux of the prairie ecosystem and many species rely on their presence for survival.
One such species is the endangered Black-Footed ferret, the only ferret native to North America, the Black-Footed ferret has developed its whole composition and life around prairie dogs. Through years of specific evolution, the Black-Footed ferret has found survival in feeding upon prairie dogs and living within their burrows to house their kits. It is estimated that a healthy Black-Footed ferret population of 100 would require at least 10,000 acres of prairie dog towns, which is extremely hard to put together cohesively. Another matter of concern is the spread of plague through fleas, a disease which has crippled ferret populations in the past. During the past week, I was able to witness this endangered animal as close as one could get. In the middle of the night, we spent hours roaming back and forth among dirt roads, shining a high-powered spotlight in hopes of glimpsing a flash of green, reflective eyes. Finally, our labors bore fruit in the form of a small shape, bouncing above the grass and pausing to assess the still night air which could have held a variety of threats. The purpose of the ferret’s actions were soon revealed when she disappeared into a burrow and re-emerged with a tiny bundle in her mouth; I watched entranced as this small ferret carried her kit with a determination that only mothers can have and she did this another three times for a total of four kits. Witnessing this rare event was definitely one of the most special moments of my life so far and one that I will remember for the rest of my days. The importance of conservation became very clear in that moment as I watched one of the most endangered mammals in North America literally carry the future of her species, unaware of the intense debates and political talks that would determine the very future of her home and fate. Without help from conservation, species such as the Black-Footed ferret might have joined the ranks of the Passenger pigeon and Carolina Parakeet, as yet another cautionary tale.
The private and public land debate is delicate and layered with multiple perspectives that overlap each other in some aspects. The stereotypes that plague ranchers are often times undeserved as many are constantly implementing new techniques to push for innovation in the agricultural field. The topic of conservation can also mean many different things as I have come to discover, ranchers and conservationists at APR each are mindful of conservation but might have different approaches and levels of importance when tackling an issue; this subject is even more complex when the topic of private and public lands is involved. Regardless of where one may land on the spectrum, sustainability of the prairie land is common ground for many of the speakers and guests I witnessed this week and surely that must indicate something.
