Making A Place of Opportunity
President’s Message from Sean Gerrity
When working on environmental or natural resource issues, it can feel like there are not a lot of chances to be proactive, much less be optimistic. One of the things that I most enjoy about American Prairie Reserve is that we tackle large-scale wildlife conservation with an attitude rooted in possibility and positivity. When we combine that with a team of people that like to get things done, there’s no doubt that American Prairie Reserve will accomplish its large-scale vision in our lifetimes.
Become A Prairie Partner With Monthly Giving
Become a Prairie Partner by making a monthly gift and help American Prairie Reserve continue to thrive! Prairie Partners provide sustaining support by making an automatic gift of any amount via credit card each month.
Your Donor Community | By The Numbers
Thanks to supporters like you, the Reserve continues to grow, offer new programs, and fulfill our promise to create a place for people and nature. As we head full-speed into spring, here’s a closer look at the diversity and abundance of donors that make our efforts possible. Onward!
12 – Countries represented by APR donors: France, Italy, Canada, the United States, England, Japan, Norway, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Australia, and China
17 – Percent of donors from Montana
38 – Percent increase in the number of new donors
50 – U.S. states represented by donors in 2014
83 – Number of donors who Adopted a Prairie Acre last year
Wildlife-Friendly Beef Creates Profits & New Possibilities
American Prairie Reserve’s Wild Sky beef program has chefs and buyers excited. The story behind the products — using economic incentives to encourage ranchers to make their land increasingly wildlife-friendly — inspires all who hear it. But the business model is what really helps Wild Sky stand apart.
“The idea of conservation or predator-friendly beef is not new,” notes Laura Huggins, APR’s manager of economic initiatives. “We, as well as those who have tried before us, are met with enthusiasm in the marketplace. But when we explain how our business model addresses the stumbling blocks of those who have experimented with this concept, we get more than excitement — we get the sale.”
Featured Donor: Jill Sideman
Jill Sideman has long been a champion for natural landscapes and conservation. In addition to volunteering on horseback with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area Mounted Patrol, she and her husband Richard are proud members of National Geographic’s International Council of Advisors, through which they’ve explored some of the world’s most intriguing places.
The Sidemans first learned of American Prairie Reserve’s vision after meeting Sean Gerrity through National Geographic. Jill was struck by the Reserve’s innovative approach to land acquisition, which leverages grazing leases to gain management influence on surrounding public lands.
A Moment in Time
Montana-based photographer Randy Beacham made his first (but not last!) trip to American Prairie Reserve last June as part of a five-day tour of the region that included the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and UL Bend Wilderness Area. Here’s an excerpt of the visitor story he sent us – you can read the full story on the blog.
“On my first morning at Buffalo Camp, I decided to hike the trail that begins near the Prairie Union Schoolhouse and climbs gradually through sagebrush and prairie dog towns. As I walked up the hillside in the early pre-dawn light, the prairie appeared empty of life, yet as I found my walking rhythm, I gradually became aware of the soft surround sound of songbirds greeting a new day. I stopped to look and amazingly couldn’t see a single bird—but tucked away in the sagebrush, grasses and greasewood were an incredible mix of many different voices. Some like western meadowlarks and song sparrows were familiar but other calls were foreign to my ears. It was like listening to a soft symphony orchestra with each bird playing its own little score.”
Thanks to Randy’s talent and his colorful spring photo safari, one of his images is currently featured in Outside magazine — the same issue in which American Prairie Reserve is recognized as “Best of the Wild West” in the Best of Travel 2015 awards! The issue is on newsstands now, and you can see all of Randy’s photos from the trip on his website.
A Prairie Homecoming: A Volunteer Story by Elk Island National Park’s Caroline Hedin, a Landmark adventure scientist
The gates clanged behind the last group of bison as we ushered them on the truck. I watched quietly as the frozen breath of 73 bison swirled above us. We all exchanged smiles of relief – we did it! After many months of planning, sorting, disease testing, and quarantine to prepare for their international travel, this busload of yearling bison from Elk Island National Park was finally bound for American Prairie Reserve.
I’m the education coordinator at Elk Island, Parks Canada’s centre of bison conservation for over 100 years. The park’s bison legacy all started in 1907 when the Canadian Government purchased the Pablo-Allard herd in Montana, then one of the last dwindling herds in North America. The animals came to Elk Island, and today, the descendants of those original bison thrive within the park borders. To promote the growth of conservation herds, Elk Island transfers disease- and cattle gene-free bison to other protected areas – such as American Prairie Reserve.
Enrico Education & Science Center Gears Up for Spring and its First Guests of 2015
With construction complete, we’re turning our attention to making the Danny, Joey and Gigi Enrico Education & Science Center an inviting home for guests and an engaging stop for visitors. Furniture, supplies and interpretive displays are moving in and outdoor landscaping will start soon. By June, the Landmark adventure scientists and other volunteer groups can be found here as well as visiting and staff scientists. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for the latest news, and see a photo gallery of the center’s recent progress on the blog.
Restoring Prairie After the Plow: Your Questions Answered
Q: While most of the project area was never plowed, what are you doing about the places that were disturbed in the past?
What We’re Reading: To Conserve Unimpaired – The Evolution of the National Park Idea by Robert B. Keiter
With the centennial of the National Park Service’s establishment right around the corner in 2016, Professor Keiter’s history is a wonderful summary of how “America’s Best Idea” came to be and how it has evolved. Focusing much of the book on the park service’s struggle to fulfill its dual mission of nature preservation and public use, Keiter brings in examples from dozens of parks that highlight the tension between providing an engaging visitor experience and preserving landscapes and wildlife for future generations.
Now spanning nearly 400 units made up of 85 million acres, the park system of modern times, Keiter argues, “is not a single idea but rather an amalgam of evolving ideas,” that includes an ecosystem approach, holistic wildlife management of biodiversity at all levels, integration of science into management, recognition of Native American treaty-based claims and cultural concerns, and public education efforts.
As we build American Prairie Reserve, Keiter’s book includes many sage reminders of how to achieve the delicate balance between recreation and preservation. In this new millennium, like in the last, private philanthropy and the dedication of a small group of individuals can still build a park. Most importantly, we can do so in a way that pays attention to the larger landscape, including human activity, from the beginning.
– Review by Alison Fox, Managing Director
