This Land was Made for You and Me: Land, Heritage and Sustainability in Montana’s Great Plains

Guest post by Clemson Student Elizabeth Murray   

“I know who my neighbors are, and I’m used to my neighbors. I don’t know this bird, so I’m going to attack it,” explains researcher Nancy. Crouched in the shortgrass prairie, she uses territoriality to her advantage to capture the Sprague’s Pipit circling overhead. The small, unassuming bird drops down to the ground to investigate the false invader, indirectly trapping himself in the researchers’ net to be banded.

Turns out, Sprague’s Pipits aren’t the only prairie inhabitants to feel a sense of ownership over the land they lay claim to.  Local stakeholders all have contrasting ideals and intentions, illuminating an immensely complex. Ranchers in this region reflect a sense of pride for the difficult lives they’ve worked so hard to build. When a new player enters the field, they fear their lifestyle is threatened, because their livelihood is tied directly to the land. Much like the Sprague’s Pipit, they confront this perceived encroachment. With signs calling to “Save the Cowboy” dotting the highway, the ranchers’ value of their traditional way of life is apparent. But who exactly is the decoy pipet on the ground? It seems the opposition is land-based conservation organizations. So, is it simply ranchers versus conservationists? I’ve come to understand it’s not so simple.

My initial assumption of this conflict was this was just a conflict over land use. Ranchers opposed conservationists because they traditionally used the land for agriculture, and conservationists were challenging this for wildlife and habitat preservation. I believed the work conservation organizations were doing was admirable and, while the pushback was understandable, maybe this was the tide turning as American ranchers age. After all, ranchers and wildlife surely couldn’t coexist, so the land should eventually be returned to its wild state to protect this unique environment. But, after our time camping in the American prairie and meeting with local stakeholders, I have a much more nuanced perspective.

Speaking with Kelsey from the Nature Conservancy, during our visit to Matador Ranch, significantly shifted my understanding and challenged my idea that ranchers and conservationists were in direct opposition. She spoke about their community grass bank program, how they worked closely with ranchers to promote sustainable grazing, and brought to my attention how ranching is more valuable to conservationists than plowing the field for crop production. In this sense, the Nature Conservancy is able to achieve conservation of the prairie grass through sustaining successful ranchers in the community. This cooperative endeavor made me realize that ranchers and conservationists have common ground, especially in reverence for the land. Speaking directly with ranchers affirmed this idea.

While I initially thought the Rancher’s Stewardship Alliance would staunchly oppose conservation work, speaking to Leo and Martin highlighted how wrong I was. On Leo’s ranch I really felt an acute sense of the heritage. He spoke so proudly of his homesteading ancestors and the work he was doing to improve today, as well as how difficult this land is. I deeply connected with the homestead site he took us to, especially the child’s collection of pretty rocks still in the ground. It literally brought a tear to my eye, I was so touched by the history of hard-working, resilient people, and how universal humanity is throughout time and circumstance. I collected rocks as a child and so did this one. The child is no longer here but the rocks are. In that moment, I really felt how important the land is to the local ranchers. It’s more than a means of living; it’s a livelihood they’ve had to constantly defend and fight for. Leo said “We take responsibility for our own situation. Have to.” It’s understandable why ranchers are so wary and defensive, they have to be to survive.

Coming into these areas with a mindset of cooperation and community involvement, these conservation organizations are able to achieve a lot more sustainability goals. Comparing local opinion of the Nature Conservancy and the American Prairie, this is made evident. Like the Sprague’s Pipits, careful and intentional work needs to be done to sustain and preserve not only the ecology but also these communities.