The West’s new Hotshot Crew? Cows called in to Contain wildfire
When fire commanders try to figure out how to contain a major wildfire, the last thing you might expect them to deploy is a herd of beef cattle. But on
Want to rebuild the herd? Invest in the land, water and people we need to do it
On Friday afternoon, just before a three-day weekend, the Trump administration released two new executive orders with the aim of shoring up support for American ranching. Together they address several
Drought Adaptation Starts Well Before the Drought
Ranch managers across the West are adapting their operations to increasingly variable conditions and sharing what they’re learning along the way. Drought is nothing new to ranchers in the American West. What is
The Drought Nobody is Talking About
Turn on any news outlet today and you'll hear about drought, forage shortages, water rights, and shrinking reservoirs. Those are real issues, and they deserve our attention.But I believe there's
Five Lessons Ranch Managers Shared About Wildfire Preparedness
For ranch managers and landowners across the West, wildfire preparedness begins long before smoke appears on the horizon. They prepare by investing in equipment, infrastructure, and emergency response capacity, making and practicing a
Caring for the Little Dolores, headwaters to confluence
The Mountain Island Ranch straddles the Colorado-Utah border, from high country to canyon bottoms, riparian wetlands and desert, and public and private lands due to classic Western checkerboarding. The ranch
New VPA-HIP Funding is a Win for Access — and for the Working Lands Behind It
For hunters, anglers, and landowners, USDA-NRCS’s recent announcement of $52 million for the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program is welcome news. Known as VPA-HIP, the program helps states and
Re-restoring the Animas after a post-fire flood
When erosion-control solutions designed and funded by the NRCS washed away in a flood, Dave Koeberle stepped in with $60,000 of his own money to rebuild and improve the structure. In
“Making The Most Of Every Drop.” Ranchers Talk Water, Drought Resilience
LA GRANDE, OR — The Northeast Oregon Rangeland Summit was a great opportunity for landowners, government officials, and working lands professionals to come together and learn about the issues facing
Long-running Colorado lab says 2026 is the worst snow year in Gunnison Basin recorded history
The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) reports that, as of late March, spring 2026 snowpack surrounding its Gothic, Colorado, campus was at its lowest level recorded in more than 50
A Bar of Soap, an Onion Bag, and One Smart Beaver Deterrent
During a recent “Bringing Water Back to the Land” webinar, panelist Chris King dropped one of the more unusual steward tips we have heard of into the conversation in regard
Cade Rensink: Fire is an investment in healthy prairie
Marty Robbins’s “Prairie Fire,” a rollicking, anxious country ballad, describes the fear these huge blazes struck into the hearts of cowboys: fires so big they went from horizon to horizon.