A Message From The President

Dear Friends of American Prairie Reserve,

Spring here in the upper reaches of North America always means an increase in activity. Here are just a few examples of events associated with the long-awaited warmer temperatures: more than seventy students and adults attended a Reserve area educational experience put on by Montana Outdoor Science School, APF staff and board enjoyed interacting with E.O. Wilson and Michael Soulé during their visit to Montana, last week we welcomed Havre, MT native Jeff Hagener as APF’s newest Managing Director, this spring’s bison calves will take our herd number over one hundred, and next week we will welcome 35 wildlife managers and reserve superintendents from China who are coming to tour American Prairie Reserve. June is shaping up to be no less eventful. We want to give a big thanks to all of you for keeping this exciting project moving forward. Please come visit soon!

Sincerely,

Sean Gerrity
APF President

Photo by D. Lingohr

Students Study Science with Montana Outdoor Science School

During the first week of May, more than seventy students and ten adults participated in outdoor education opportunities with Montana Outdoor Science School (MOSS). They studied the biodiversity and animals of the mixed-grass prairie, but they particularly enjoyed making tea bags out of edible plants and the outdoor games that helped them learn the importance of predators and prey. All the activities were well-received by the students of the three schools (Malta, Dodson and Lodge Pole) that attended. Unfortunately, the second half of the program wasn’t able to take place on American Prairie Reserve as planned due to the area’s recent monsoon-like rains. So next year, this event will take place in late May in hopes of avoiding similar weather concerns.

Photo by D. Lingohr

E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Awards at MSU

On April 9th, staff and Board members from American Prairie Foundation (APF) and World Wildlife Fund attended the first E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Awards at Montana State University. Internationally renowned entomologist Edward O. Wilson, research professor at Harvard University and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, is considered the “Father of Biodiversity” for his lifetime achievements in research and field theory. Wilson recognized four scientists who have led distinguished careers conducting groundbreaking work using technology to advance scientific knowledge. One award recipient was Michael Soulé, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies at the University of California - Santa Cruz, conservation biology pioneer and founder of the Society for Conservation Biology and The Wildlands Project. Ed is a member of APF’s Scientific Advisory Council and Michael serves on APF’s National Council. We were pleased to meet both scientists in person to get their perspective on our project and to start discussions about future collaborations.

Photo by L. Forrest

WWF Update: Rattlesnake Migration Study

Dennis Jørgensen, Program Officer with the WWF-US Northern Great Plains Program, recently published a chapter entitled “Movements, Migrations, and Mechanisms: A Review of Radiotelemetry Studies of Prairie and Western Rattlesnakes”, in the book The Biology of Rattlesnakes. Dennis’ contribution is the first peer-reviewed publication to identify prairie rattlesnakes in the Northern Great Plains of Alberta as the snake species that migrates farther than any other terrestrial snake species in the world (up to 52.6 km in 5 months). Prairie rattlesnake migrations are of interest to conservation because we have limited knowledge of their status and increasing pressures from agriculture, transportation networks, resource and urban development create significant risks of mortality to migrating prairie rattlesnakes traversing human modified landscapes. Increasing understanding of these migrations is contributing to mitigation of the potentially detrimental effects of human activities and modified landscapes in the Northern Great Plains of Alberta.

Photos by D. Jørgensen

APF Welcomes Jeff Hagener

APF welcomes Jeff Hagener as the newest member of our managing director team. Jeff comes to APF after being appointed by, and working directly for, Governors Judy Martz and Brian Schweitzer as head of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Born and raised in Havre, Montana, Jeff’s unique and extensive history with wildlife and land management issues makes him a very valuable member of our evolving organization. Jeff has received numerous awards for leadership and professionalism throughout his twenty-seven year career with FWP and MT Department of State Lands. He and his wife Debbie live in Helena, Montana and have two children who are both graduating from college this month. Please welcome Jeff to APF when you get a chance: jeff@ americanprairie.org.

What We’re Reading Now...

On The Rez
by Ian Frazier

In our book for this month, Ian Frazier recounts his experiences among modern-day American Indians, particularly the Ogalala Sioux living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Through his visits with his longtime friend, Le War Lance, an Ogalala Sioux, and others that he meets “on the rez”, he paints an un-airbrushed picture of the landscapes, sounds, quirks and open warmth he encounters. He also weaves in interesting pieces of Indian history and how Indians influenced and were influenced by those events. As he says, to some readers this picture of the rez may seem bleak amidst the alcoholism, unnecessary deaths and random beer cans or car bodies, but underneath through toughness and humor, he portrays the survival of a great people whose culture has shaped American history. This is an easy, yet thought-provoking, read.

Plains Cottonwood (populus deltoides var. occidentalis Rydb.)

Plains Cottonwoods are large, fast-growing deciduous trees of the willow family with spreading crowns and deeply furrowed, ash-gray bark. This western subspecies of the eastern cottonwood is found along rivers and streams below 7,000 feet; it grows about 75 feet tall with a 36 inch diameter and has a lifespan averaging 70 years. Plains Cottonwoods are adapted to annual drought but grow best on moist, welldrained sand and silts. Leaves shimmer and quake like those of their relatives, the aspens and poplars, and are about 3 inches long and heartshaped with serrated edges. Cottonwoods can be male or female, but the females’ fluffly white seeds give the tree its name. Historically, its lightweight wood was used to build homes and other structures for Native Americans and European settlers.