Buffalo, Birds, & Ferrets, oh my!
Guest post by Clemson student Lauren Lusk
A question that arose in my mind as I flew over the extensive lands that we call the United States was what these vastly different individuals are trying to sustain on land shared by so many other entities. From the perspective of a Wildlife & Fisheries Biology student such as myself, the answer is simple: wildlife. I knew the answer would no longer suffice once I reached the Frost Creek Angus Ranch, owned and operated by Terry & Lavon Frost. You see, Montana researchers, ranchers, and conservationists opened my eyes to the fact that we are maintaining more than just wildlife; we are sustaining livelihoods and legacies that have stood the test of time.
These living legacies that are etched in the plains or even rocks as we witnessed during our time at the Buffalo Jump are left by the Indigenous tribes, homesteaders, and wildlife, and in today's climate, political divisions on the question of how we sustain wildlife on these working lands. Legacies are left in the fires that mark beautiful Ponderosa Pines, now skeletal remains that haunt this beautiful horizon. This stark reminder shows the Frosts that they must now act as foresters to clear these skeletons without help from the DNRC or BLM. The fire did not just reveal the rocks hidden beneath the pine's canopy. It showed a sense of frustration among Ranchers trying to make an honest living.
Amidst the destruction, there is resilience. Like pioneer species exhibiting ruderal traits after a disturbance, these animals and individuals share a space that allows them to thrive or wither away once a more prominent individual in the succession stage takes root. One of these examples is the American Prairie, which we were able to examine from their Museum in Lewistown, MT. With the trip to the museum, it revealed that they want to connect the landscapes and balance wildlife recovery within the ecosystem. The possibility of that would be highly beneficial to the Wildlife Biology field. In theory, their mission is very admirable: restore species to the prairie on one of the largest nature reserves in the world. However, they do not include community collaboration in their initiatives, which, in the long term, will not allow them to thrive unless they can find the right balance between their impressive ecological goals and the voices within the community. A statement from a representative at the RSA, Martin, stood out to me; he said something along the lines of, "0.00 % of ranchers would have said no to the American prairie initiative if they asked to lease the land of the ranchers and let them herd the buffalo rather than coming and buying all of them out who've lived and worked the lands for years." The threat that the AP is being perceived as is a risk to the culture, identity, and belonging of the residents of this land.
Wildlife Ecology plays a significant role in this sustainable story. These renowned scientists we met were not working in labs but in the field, adapting, collaborating and listening to the Sprague Pipets 300 feet in the sky. The questions they are asking are no longer ecological questions but ethical and communal ones. Science gives us the tools to figure out these answers, but it does not provide us with the significance and value. These values come from the people where conflicts tend to arise.
So what does Montana and sustaining wildlife on working fields mean to me now? It shows me these stakeholders' strengths through progress and loss. They must ensure coexistence through these big players, which will not be simple but undoubtedly worth it. Wildlife Biologists can only extend their research so far, but hopefully, it will be the foundation for the bridge to link the past and the future of the people and this beautiful place we call Montana.
