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In This Issue:
From The President To unsubscribe to this newsletter, please email Ganay Johnson at ganay@americanprairie.org By the Numbers: 3.5 - seconds - how fast a pronghorn could traverse the length of a football field if running at full speed. 70,094 - acres - deeded and leased - current size of the APF Reserve. 21 - hours - how long the nocturnal black-footed ferret may sleep per day. 9.5 - feet - width of the largest bald eagle nest on record. (it measured 20 feet high and weighed more than 2 tons!!!) |
A Message From The President
The bison’s breath erupts as puffs of steam on many mornings as fall gives way to early winter on the Reserve. Our twenty-two new arrivals from Wind Cave National Park wait patiently to join the rest of the herd. Most migratory birds are gone from the prairie, but a wide variety of raptors remain in search of sustenance. While the seasons change we are continuing with our efforts to assemble a wildlife treasure on the Northern Great Plains. Just a few weeks ago we added another 9,600 deeded and leased acres of beautiful wildlife habitat to the Reserve. It includes, for the first time, a resident herd of Big Horn Sheep that haunts the high bluffs and bentonite hills overlooking the Missouri River in a spot where Lewis and Clark passed directly below more than 200 years ago. We are also pleased to announce three new additions to APF’s National Council: author David Quammen, Dallas Center for Performing Arts President Bill Lively and DreamWorks Chairman Roger Enrico. They are all intent on helping move the project forward in a variety of ways. Our partners at World Wildlife Fund are certainly not taking the winter off. They will test new bison calves for parentage in December, radio collar pronghorn to study their hundred-plus mile winter migration (for the first time ever!) and conduct additional stream enhancement projects in the spring. All in all things are far from dormant on the prairie. Come visit in the bright winter sunshine! Sincerely, What We're Reading Now
Ranch News from Buffalo Bill
We have 22 new bison - 15 heifer calves, 5 yearling bulls and 2 cows. All went well during the roundup at Wind Cave National Park and the trip home. This was the first time that the roads were dry when we got back to the Reserve. Don Warner, Dennis Jorgensen, Kyran Kunkel and myself were on the crew bringing them home. The behavior of the buffies that were already here already is changing. The oldest bull is trying to run the other bulls out of the herd. I figure that it won’t be long before some of our younger bulls will be separated from the herd. It will be interesting to see what will happen when our new buffies join them. The Ranch Headquarters is beginning to take on a new look. The house is painted, 5 semi loads of iron hauled off, 200 yards of gravel hauled in, and the place is picking up. We also had to rebuild the hay fort, which is used to train our bison. All in all it has been a busy place this summer and fall. Our block management with MT FWP has been working well so far. The weather is starting to change, and it is starting to feel and look more like winter may be just around the corner, so Buffalo Bill has his overshoes, good coat, pickup chains, and tow rope ready. Signing off for now, Buffalo Bill Sights of the Praire
Photo: www.hargreavesphoto.com National Council Update
Coming in the next issue: APF welcomes Bill Lively and David Quammen to the National Council. A Word Of Thanks
If you would like to receive a brochure, please contact Meg Nicolo at meg@americanprairie.org or (406) 922-0771. News From The Community Involvement Fund
APF And You - Recent APF Event Update
Photo: www.hargreavesphoto.com |
Dear Friends of the American Prairie Reserve,
Hi all, 
While there are many accomplishments to celebrate at the Reserve, we are most grateful for the people who help us make this endeavor possible. In honor of Thanksgiving we would like to share our first video podcast with you, available online at 
APF's National Council is an important collection of individuals who each have their own unique value to add to the APF effort. We are very pleased to welcome Roger Enrico to this growing group of talented and energetic contributors. Roger and his wife Rosemary first visited the Reserve just nine months ago and were taken with the beauty of the place and the excitement of the vision. During his tenure as Chairman of PepsiCo Inc., Roger's distinguished background in marketing helped him lead the company to renowned success. He exercises a penchant for effective communication about creative and powerful big ideas today in his role as Chairman of DreamWorks Animation and Chairman of National Geographic's Advisory Council. We anticipate Roger will be a productive force in helping to further shape and disseminate the story of this project to those who can help move it towards the desired end result, i.e., a reserve that will be cherished and appreciated for centuries to come.
We are greatly indebted to Sotheby’s International of New York for their generous contribution regarding the design and production of APF’s newest brochure and Annual Report. The quality is far above and beyond anything we could have created on our own with the typical non-profit budget. The positive comments from supporters continue to roll in, and we want to extend a heartfelt thanks to APF’s National Council member, Kathryn Heminway, and Bill Ruprecht, Chairman of Sotheby’s, for their support of this project and for producing a product that elevates the image of APF to an entirely new level. 
APF has set aside funds to help people in need in the Malta community through its Community Involvement Fund. Each year local residents volunteer to help the Fund by deciding who should receive the annual donation. This year we are delighted to announce that the Fund has donated $1,000 to Malta's Love Thy Neighbor to help pay for a trailer that delivers food, clothing and furniture donated by the community to needy people in Phillips County and the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Dollyann Willcutt, the APF Program Coordinator in Malta, said the couple that runs Good Neighbor Ministries was very grateful to have the assistance. An article about the donation is coming out in the next edition of the Phillips County News. "It makes us feel like we're doing something nice to help get food and clothing to people in the community that really need it," said Dollyann.
Raptor Fest 2007 - APF was proud to participate at © 2004-2007 American Prairie Foundation All Rights Reserved