A Message From The President

Dear Friends of American Prairie Reserve,

It’s been a remarkably busy and exciting end-of-the-year on the prairie with an abundance of touring: we enjoyed hosting journalists interested in covering our project, directors from the National Wildlife Refuge and two Interior Department officials. APF staff and WWF worked with Montana Conservation Corps to remove miles of interior fences, lessening the impact for wildlife of barriers and allowing our bison herd increased access to forage. We’ve been inspired by watching Ken Burns’ “National Parks” and highly recommend the series to every one. But our biggest news is our largest single land acquisition, especially exciting in these difficult economic times. As we look ahead to the end of a productive yet challenging year, we thank you again for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Sean Gerrity
APF President

Photo by D. Lingohr

APF Purchases 11th Property

In November, we closed on our largest acquisition to date. The property is in southern Phillips County and includes 8,369 deeded acres and 26,376 acres of leased public land. An additional 18,000 acres of the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge (CMR) is affected by this purchase. We are very appreciative of the family who sold us this ranch for their patience and cooperation during the process.

With this acquisition we continue to build wildlife corridors between the CMR and other Reserve properties. The parcel contains excellent wildlife habitat and has great views of the Little Rockies. American Prairie Reserve now contains 121,000 acres of deeded and leased public land. Many thanks to our loyal donors for making this purchase possible in this tough economic year.

Photo by D. Lingohr

National Wildlife Refuge Association Visits the Reserve

This fall, we hosted the Board of Directors of the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) and two high-level Department of Interior officials at the American Prairie Reserve’s Yurt Camp. The NWRA’s mission is to conserve wildlife habitat in and around the National Wildlife Refuge System. We were fortunate to be joined on the tour by Interior Department officials Jane Lyder, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, and Greg Siekaniec, Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System, both based in Washington, D.C.

Getting “boots on the ground” is usually what drives a true understanding of the diversity and grandeur of the Reserve and surrounding lands, such as the CMR Wildlife Refuge. That sentiment was echoed repeatedly by the NWRA Board and by Ms. Lyder and Mr. Siekaniec. It helps folks to understand the project, of course, when hundreds of rutting elk, a stunning purple bank of storm clouds, and a couple of dancing black-footed ferrets cooperate to present a first-rate show! Our guests came away with a deeper appreciation for what the Refuge and APF are accomplishing.

Photos by D. Hargreaves

WWF Update: Bison Study

This summer, APF’s Bryce Christensen and Dennis Lingohr and WWF’s Dennis Jorgensen led a WWF-funded Montana Conservation Corps (MCC) crew that removed 5.6 miles of interior fence from American Prairie Reserve. This project more than doubled the area freely roamed by the bison herd and reduced barriers impacting other wildlife. Prairie fences increase fragmentation when wildlife is restricted from passing through them and are also a source of direct mortality by impalement of birds such as sage and sharp-tailed grouse. The MCC crews consisted of young adults from all over the United States including Montana. On the project’s last day, the MCC crews received a special reward for their efforts when they were awakened by the bison herd, which had come to visit them at their APR campsite. Needless to say, the crews were thrilled and felt privileged to have the opportunity to contribute to this project.

Photos by C. Christensen

Journalists Tour Montana’s High Plains

September and October were busy months on the Reserve with back-to-back groups enjoying the crisp autumn nights, golden cottonwoods and the legendary sound of bugling elk. On September 16th, we hosted four journalists, representing media outlets such as VIA magazine (the AAA Traveler’s Companion for the northwest United States). The group’s visit to American Prairie Reserve was part of a four-day, three-night press trip called “A GeoTravel* Road Trip through Montana’s High Plains” and co-sponsored by Missouri River Country and the Montana Office of Tourism. The trip also included visiting the Phillips County Museum and Great Plains Dinosaur Station in Malta, panning for gold in Zortman and watching the elk rut in the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge.

*Geotravel is tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place such as its culture, environment, heritage and the well-being of its residents.

Photo by D. Lingohr

What We're Watching Now. . .

The National Parks: America's Best Idea, a film by Ken Burns

Like us, many of you were undoubtedly riveted by Ken Burns’ latest series, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Our National Parks, born in an era when ‘progress’ meant ‘conquering the frontier’ and ‘taming the continent,’ were created as Americans recognized the need to set aside some natural places before they were destroyed in the name of progress. In the film, Terry Tempest Williams beautifully sums up the idea as “based on generosity, not only for our species, but for all species” and calls the national parks “our own declaration of independence and interdependence.” The series chronicles the formation of many parks, profiling America’s conservation pioneers George Bird Grinnell, John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt, and lesser known citizens, like William Gladstone Steel, who led a 17-year campaign to create Crater Lake National Park, and George Dorr, who died penniless because of his passion for Acadia in Maine. Above all, the film emphasizes the role the parks have played in developing our individual and collective appreciation for nature. The National Park system was formed for the enjoyment of all people; that legacy has shaped conservation policy and practice for over a century and continues to do so today. It is the ethic that drives our project to create a multimillion acre prairie-based wildlife reserve – a recreational and educational resource for everyone.

Ground-dwelling Burrowing Owls are small (8.5-11 inches tall), long-legged and have round heads. They inhabit open, dry grasslands and range lands where burrowing animals such as prairie dogs are found. Often active in daylight, these bold, approachable birds are easy to see, especially at dawn and dusk. Beetles and grasshoppers make up a large portion of their diet along with small mammals, such as mice and gophers; this causes the owls’ feeding habits to change as location and time of year determine availability of prey. Usually monogamous, mating pairs produce between 6-12 eggs in late March or early April. Burrowing Owls can live a maximum of 9 years in the wild and have many natural enemies, so they are listed as endangered, threatened or a species of concern in most states where they occur.

Photo by D. Lingohr