They ride to reduce conflict. Training the riders who help ranches deal with large carnivores
“Be community-oriented.” Kim Kerns, a sheep rancher from Oregon, clarified her first rule of range riding early on a windy Thursday morning at Western Landowners Alliance’s Range Riding Workshop on the
Listen: New podcast season provides an intimate look into the family farm and ranch succession process
Today we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Reframing Rural, an award-winning documentary podcast telling honest, place-rooted stories of rural people and communities. Their new season, “Succession Stories,” offers
Using Rock Weirs to Slow Water in the Big Hole Valley with Rancher Erik Kalsta
Today we’re digging into a deceptively simple tool with big impacts on water and soil health: rock weirs. Rancher and Working Wild Challenge director Erik Kalsta joins us from Montana’s Big
The View from Here
I am conflicted about scenery. ‘The view’ complicates life, and conservation, in Missoula, Montana’s North Hills, where I grew up. I returned to Missoula in 2005 after 25 years away. I
Seeding Rye with Wool to Outcompete Cheatgrass
Fight cheatgrass naturally by pairing rye seed with raw wool “tags” for stabilization, moisture, and a slow-release nutrient boost. Tip from Erik Kalsta, rancher and WLA’s Working Wild Challenge program director
Lead-Free by Choice: Ranchers and Hunters Take Aim at Conservation
As Congress pushes to prohibit lead-free requirements on public land, private landowners are leading the way on conservation through bullet selection. “You can walk your boots off on the public land—and
Touching the Earth at Tippet Rise Art Center
Iron Tree, 2013 - Ai Weiwei Photo by James Florio
We set our ranch on fire. Here’s why.
Last week, we set fire to our ranch. Yes, we purposefully took gasoline and torches to the land and set it ablaze. "Why on earth would these Montana ranchers do
Collaborative conservation is a lifesaver
Sobbing into a soggy potato salad-filled paper plate in a rancher’s garage half an hour south of Malta, Montana, was not on my bingo card. And yet, I found myself
Grizzlies and Grazing: Insights from the Film Screening and Panel Discussion
The "Grizzlies and Grazing: The Future of Bears and Ranching" film premiere and panel discussion brought together experts, landowners, and stakeholders to explore the intricate relationship between grizzly bear recovery
Teaching ancient water capture techniques to the next generation
The aroma of sun-warmed-sagebrush permeates the air on a bright day in mid-June. Chatter and laughter ring up the sides of two gulches on the face of a dormant volcano.
Wickens Salt Creek Ranch wins 2024 Montana Leopold Conservation Award
Wickens Salt Creek Ranch of Hilger has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Montana Leopold Conservation Award®. The award honors ranchers, farmers, and forestland owners who go above