From Our Headquarters
A note from Alison Fox,
President
For years, I’ve kept an email folder titled “Signs of Progress.” In it, I filed away small wins. Not the big milestones we’ve achieved in our first 16 years, but the stories that struck a chord in me on the particular day I chose to save the email. To me, those small wins are signs that we are making strides in building American Prairie Reserve. They have included a touching visitor story, a new ranching family’s participation in our wildlife-friendly ranching program (Wild Sky), an avid birder’s first-time sighting, and a story of how a trip to American Prairie Reserve impacted a young person’s life.
In this edition of the Sentinel, we’ve introduced Points of Pride (page 11). There is indeed a lot for us all to be proud of – staff, supporters, volunteers, and project ambassadors alike – and I’m excited to share some of those stories in this issue. These are the “signs of progress” that we will continue to celebrate in the year to come; the small wins that each and every one of you should feel proud of making possible. Happy autumn, and thank you for your support.
Field Note
A look at visitation from Siri Eliasen, Visitation Specialist
In the past year, visitors from around the world brought inspiration, connection, and change to American Prairie Reserve. Visitors play an important role as ambassadors, just like you do as a member.
As we’re expanding the Reserve by purchasing new habitat, we’re also expanding our services and making it easier than ever to visit. In 2016, we implemented an online reservation system for Buffalo Camp’s RV and tent sites. The Camp served as a home base for 271 campers from 16 states and Canada last year. Construction is underway on a second campground along Highway 191, just north of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and adjacent to the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. The new site will feature multiple ways to camp, from tent platforms to small cabins, and eventually we will add an interpretive trail and a welcome center. In addition to the campground, the new huts are progressing quite nicely– read more about those on page 5.
“America’s Next Great Park” is growing and we look forward to welcoming even more people to the prairie! Let us know when you will be stopping by for a visit. We would love to say hello. Our
FREESE SCALE HIGHLIGHT:
GRAZING PATTERNS
Bison were removed from the landscape before scientists had much time to study their behaviors and the impacts they have on the ecosystem. Now that American Prairie Reserve’s members have helped bring the bison back to our corner of the Great Plains, the Reserve has become a living laboratory for Nic McMillan, who recently finished his master’s degree in wildlife and fisheries biology from Clemson University. Nic spent the past two summers on the Reserve conducting research that will help us better understand how the bison’s natural grazing pattern relates to the health of the ecosystem, which is important to parts of the Freese Scale related to native herbivores and natural grazing patterns.
As a foundation species, bison play an outsized role in shaping and maintaining the health of the prairie ecosystem. Nic’s research looks to ascertain exactly what role they play: do they introduce effects on rangelands that we would otherwise miss without their presence? Are those effects different than what we see on land that is grazed by cattle?
Nic was excited to find a key difference between land grazed by cattle and that grazed by bison: the plots he studied on cattle-grazed lands were dominated by noxious weeds, whereas land grazed by bison were largely dominated by native grasses and forbs. He also discovered that plots with bison had higher species richness (more species variation per area sampled), when compared to plots without bison. His research revealed important data that will be used by the Reserve to influence the Bison Plan and other ecosystem analyses.
HOW IS THE FREESE SCALE USED?
The Freese Scale for Grassland Restoration identifies ten major ecological drivers for restoring and conserving biodiversity on temperate grasslands. American Prairie Reserve uses the Freese Scale to help determine if the Reserve is fully functioning as a grassland ecosystem.
The Reserve staff uses it as a guide to rank our land, both deeded and leased, on an annual basis to show improvement in the health of the ecosystem. We look for increases in plant diversity, the existence of natural stream flows, and the presence of predators, for example. We also use it via a third-party verifier on Wild Sky ranches to evaluate the biodiversity of the ranches, which helps determine the ranch family’s compensation for participating in the Wild Sky program. Visit americanprairie.org/project/reserve-management to read more about the Freese Scale.
Nic McMillan, Clemson University master’s student, with bison grazing on the Sun Prairie Unit of the American Prairie Reserve.
Photo © Deniz Bertuna
GIFTS AND AN INVITATION
A new hut system will soon welcome visitors to American Prairie Reserve
by Mike Quist Kautz
Most new visitors to the prairie are struck by the exposure; to the sky, to the weather moving between distant horizons, to wind that rolls heavy and steady across the land like a train. The elements are extreme in all this open space. It is a place where shelter is especially welcome; a seat in the shade on a hot afternoon, a warm kitchen at dusk in midwinter, or a bunkroom to read in while the wind gusts beyond the walls.
In July, American Prairie Reserve (APR) broke ground on a new hut system to provide shelter across the nearly 200-mile width of the Reserve area. In the tradition of other hut systems, from the European Alps, to New Zealand’s Great Walks, to the 10th Mountain Division Huts of Colorado, APR’s huts will offer affordable
and comfortable backcountry accommodations in remarkable settings. The huts will consist of two 30-foot yurts connected with a hallway and will accommodate nine people in four bunkrooms. One yurt will serve as sleeping space, the other will contain the kitchen, dining tables, a library, a seating area, and interpretive displays. Solar power will supply lights, a refrigerator, and outlets for charging small electronics. For those who’d like to travel even lighter, a custom service will also be available to provide meals, sleeping bags and other required equipment.
Humans have built huts around the world, from the mountains of Japan to the trails of the Andes. Many systems grew from ancient footpaths and utilitarian shelters used by pilgrims,
shepherds and nomads. The first two huts on the Reserve fit this heritage too. Visitors to them will be continuing 13,000 years of human exploration and habitation on the grasslands. The landscape contains remnants of tipi rings, old cattle drive camps, bison bones, and even dinosaur fossils. One of the huts is located on a high bench above the Missouri River. From an overlook nearby, six mountain ranges are visible on the horizon, while below the Missouri River flows past on its long run across the continent. The next hut is near the banks of the Judith River beside a grove of towering cottonwood trees. The grove forms one of the last intact cottonwood gallery forests on the Northern Plains.
I began my own career in conservation by working in a hut system along the
Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. I saw first-hand how these backcountry buildings allowed families, school groups, and scout troops to make trips without backpacking equipment and other expensive gear. The adventure of the journey to the hut, the stars and quiet of a night in the backcountry, and the camaraderie of exploring with friends turned many of these hut visitors into life-long advocates for public land, wildlife, and outdoor recreation.
Over the next few years, APR will build ten huts across the Reserve. Some will be sited near the big prairie rivers, the Judith and the Missouri. Some will sit high in the steep ponderosa forests of the Missouri Breaks country, and others will look out over the swells of the sagebrush sea. Each hut will have an interpretive theme to guide its educational displays, library, and interior, from cultural history, to wildlife, to geology. Beyond the hut doorways, visitors will have the freedom to create
their own adventures, exploring by foot, mountain bike, canoe, or 4WD vehicle.
Our goal is to allow the public to explore the prairie and discover on their own why this place is worth protecting. Shelter won’t remove any of the adventure or diminish any of the expansiveness of the prairie, but it will make packing for a trip a little easier. In encouraging the human pattern of exposure and shelter, the hut system will allow visitors to awaken their own sense of bigness and wonder.
Mike Quist Kautz grew up in the wooded hills of Western Maine. He first came to the prairie to work on the LandMark citizen science project. While training volunteers during the three-year project, he visited the Reserve during every month of the year and walked several hundred miles on wildlife survey tracks. On these hikes he fell in love with the prairie landscape and APR’s mission. As Visitation Manager he oversees construction of the hut system and management of the Reserve’s campgrounds, visitor centers, and other lodging. Photo by Mike Quist Kautz.
American Prairie Reserve’s hut system was launched by a gift from long-time donors and National Board members Susan and Gib Myers. In recognition of their incredible lifetime support, American Prairie Reserve invited the Myers to name the system’s first hut, as well as the western portion of the new hut system – now called The Myers Great Western Gateway.
Two huts – the first funded by the Myers and the second funded by Susan and Roy O’Connor – are currently under construction on American Prairie Reserve’s PN unit.
In 2018, construction will begin on a third hut, funded by Liliane and Christian Haub. Liliane, a member of APR’s National Board, says of the Reserve,
“This landscape is hauntingly beautiful in its complexity, and the best way we’ve found to experience it is in the open, where a person can’t see anything manmade for miles. The hut-to-hut system encourages that kind of connection with the vast and amazing prairie.”
These exceptional gifts from supporters like the Myers, O’Connors, and Haubs, and one more gift from a generous donor that we will announce soon, have established a lodging system that is an invitation to the public to explore the prairie. APR members and the public will help sustain this system with their visits, and members will receive preference in reservations and special pricing on stays. Revenue generated by the huts will support American Prairie Reserve’s larger mission to create the largest wildlife reserve in the continental United States. Stay tuned to our media channels for updates on the hut system construction and opening!
TWO CROW RANCH
American Prairie Reserve is pleased to announce the purchase of the Two Crow, located 30 miles north of Winnett, Montana, and comprised of 5,002 acres of private land and 41,273 acres of leased public land. The organization’s 26th land deal brings the total number of deeded and leased acres stewarded by the organization to 399,379.
Prairie Reserve is pleased to the purchase of the Two Crow located 30 miles north of Winnett, and comprised of 5,002 acres land and 41,273 acres of leased The organization’s 26th land the total number of deeded and acres stewarded by the organization 399,000.
resident elk herd, the grass- and Two Crow shares a nine-mile border
Home to a resident elk herd, the Two Crow shares a nine-mile border with the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (CMR). American Prairie Reserve CEO Sean Gerrity says the organization was drawn to the opportunity to purchase the Two Crow thanks to its strategic location and abundance of wildlife.
Gerrity says the unit’s recreation policies will be determined by the organization over the next year, with the goal of welcoming the public onto the Reserve’s deeded acres in a safe and open way. In addition, he notes, the public lands contained within the Two Crow are and will forever remain open to the public.
Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (CMR). American Prairie Reserve CEO Sean Gerrity says the organization was drawn to the opportunity to purchase the Two Crow thanks to its strategic location and abundance of wildlife.
Gerrity says the unit’s recreation policies will be determined over the next year, with the goal of welcoming the public onto the Reserve’s deeded acres. In addition, he notes, the public lands contained within the Two Crow are and will forever remain open to the public.
“ The Two Crow represents an incredible chance to permanently conserve key habitat in the region’s wildlife corridors. Because the Two Crow shares a substantial border with the Refuge, this purchase will provide wildlife in the CMR with additional habitat and provide additional opportunities for recreation.” – Sean Gerrity, CEO
Meet Wild Sky Rancher David Crasco
Now in his third year with the Wild Sky program, David wasn’t always a fan of American Prairie Reserve.
When David Crasco, a fifth-generation rancher of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and a member of the Assiniboine Tribe, met Wild Sky CEO Laura Huggins in 2014, he introduced himself memorably. He held out his hand and said, “Hi, I’m your enemy,” Laura recalls. “I just smiled and said, ‘Are you sure about that?’”
The two struck up a conversation and, eventually, trust began to form. Laura was able to refute the misperceptions he’d heard about American Prairie Reserve and Wild Sky, and David found her to be genuinely curious about his ranch and family.
Once they started talking about wildlife, it was clear to both they had
a lot in common. He told her that the Crasco Ranch is frequented by pronghorn antelope, elk, coyote, white-tailed deer, and mule deer, but they were both in for a surprise when Wild Sky’s motion sensored cameras “caught” images of both a black bear and a mountain lion on his ranch.
“The camera trap picture of the bear actually came in while Dave was visiting American Prairie Reserve’s headquarters,” Laura recalls. “I printed it off for him and he carried it around the office, showing off his ‘baby.’”
The Crasco Ranch is one of six ranches incorporating wildlife-friendly practices such as installing wildlifefriendly fencing and leaving soil untilled, following a set of specific conservation standards, as outlined by the Freese Scale mentioned on page four.
Through these practices, participating ranches are contributing to ecological conditions on their properties. Wild Sky ranches also “soften the borders” around American Prairie Reserve, allowing a variety of wildlife the opportunity to thrive in and around the region.
“I just love knowing that even with a black bear and a mountain lion on my ranch, we’ve experienced zero predation. Living together, ranchers and wildlife – it’s possible.”
– David Crasco, Wild Sky Rancher
Rawnie, an English teacher at the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Visit wildskybeef.org to learn more about the ways Wild Sky ranches contribute to the restoration and conservation of the prairie ecosystem.
WILD SKY PRODUCTS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
Financial incentives paid to Wild Sky ranchers for their wildlife-friendly ranching practices are funded in part by the sale of high quality, grass-fed beef. Wild Sky beef is already sold in stores and we are pleased to announce that our products are now available online. Visit wildskybeef.org to help support this program. Wildlife-friendly steaks, jerky, and snack sticks make great holiday gifts!
Scott Siemens
American Prairie Reserve Young Professional Leadership Network (YLPN)
The sun was setting by the time we reached the bison herd. There was a haze in the air created by smoke from the wildfires and dust from the rutting bison. Our vehicle was quiet as everyone took in the sights and sounds of the prairie. Earlier in the evening, we had set out in search of the bison herd. It was the last day of the Young Professional Leadership Network’s annual visit to the Reserve and we wanted to spend it with the bison. At the top of a hill, we had a vantage point to see the herd making its way through the valley. The bison were rutting, and the males were producing low, drawn-out grunts as they searched for female companions. Each new bellow had us turning our heads to see which massive male was capable of producing such a sound. With hundreds of bison slowly plodding through the drought-dried grass, the herd made its way past our vehicles.
After the sun set, our group returned to the Enrico Education & Science Center to reflect upon our trip. We had done and learned so much. We dug for dinosaur bones on the Timber Creek property and observed the Bear Gulch pictographs, the largest collection of Plains Native American rock art. We encountered diverse wildlife (elk, pronghorn, rattlesnakes, hawks, coyote, burrowing owls) while hiking around the property. Then there was the morning that we had breakfast out in the middle of a prairie dog town. Their high-pitched yips filled the air as we sipped our coffee and discussed the prairie dog’s importance as a keystone species. On one of the nights, we took part in a guided stargazing night hike. Being out in the prairie at night was a unique experience, and under the stars, we listened to coyote call to one another in the distance.
Our experiences on the Reserve strengthen the connection that we as young professionals have to the prairie and to the mission of APR. The goal of the Young Professional Leadership Network is to foster the next generation of leaders and ambassadors at APR. For some young professionals, this was their first visit to the Reserve. They saw firsthand the incredible progress that APR has made towards its mission of creating the largest nature reserve in the continental United States. We’d like to continue to expand this annual trip to get more young professionals out to the Reserve. Through firsthand experiences, we want them to learn and connect to the landscape’s past and present, and then play a role in shaping its future. We are already looking forward to next year! Join us!
Visit americanprairie.org/blog to see more of Scott’s photos from his visit to the reserve with the Young Professional Leadership Network. If you are interested in joining the YPLN, contact mail@americanprairie.org, or visit americanprairie.org/young-professionals-leadership-network.
Pictured Above: David Crasco and his wife
POINTS OF PRIDE
Student Scholars Visit the Reserve: For the third summer, we welcomed to the Reserve a group of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Scholars from the New York City area. This summer’s group was made up of rising high school seniors who are participants in SEO’s eightyear program providing superior educational and career programs to young people from underserved and underrepresented communities. This summer, American Prairie Reserve partnered with Montana Wilderness School (MWS) to provide the Scholars with multiple forms of adventure and opportunities to develop technical skills and personal growth. Immersed in a powerful outdoor classroom, the
Scholars learned about conservation, ecology, history, and a variety of diverse careers opportunities. The students – none of whom had ever experienced wilderness beyond Central Park – spent the first portion of their trip canoeing the Missouri River before arriving at the Reserve. The wide-eyed students camped, worked on camera traps, and helped with prairie dog research. They also visited Medicine Rock to learn about the rich human history of the area, which proved to be an impactful experience.
Prairie Dog Town Preservation: This summer, our dedicated and hardworking Reserve team made huge progress in the area of prairie dog preservation and restoration. With
the help of volunteers, the team dusted 700 acres of prairie dog towns (an estimated 25,000 burrows), and expanded prairie dog habitat by 100 acres.
By dusting the towns – blowing the equivalent of flea powder into burrows – we are able to save the prairie dogs from a detrimental disease called sylvatic plague. The process not only protects the keystone species, it helps to build an ecosystem that can welcome and sustain the endangered black-footed ferret and other important species.
Thanks to our partnership with Humane Society of the United States Prairie Dog Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, and volunteers from the Calgary Zoo, we had a great crew to lend helping hands in the 100-degree heat, all while spreading the love for our P-Dog friends.
International Partnership Brings Students to the Reserve: Through Montana State University, four students from the Student Leaders Program of the U.S. Department of State’s U.S.Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) joined us on the Reserve for a week. Their program focuses on leadership skills and expands their understanding of American society and culture. Their time on the Reserve included tours of the Reserve, camera trap monitoring, pulling and repairing fences, camping under the stars, and a visit with our friends on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Beyond experiencing the beauty and vastness that is the Prairie, the students
noted that they most enjoyed their conversations about conservation and religion with our friend Ray Gone from Fort Belknap. They also noted that they greatly appreciated being given the opportunity to dive in and get their hands dirty with the fence work. Overall, the visit was an amazing experience for all involved, marked by unexpected highlights and new friendships spanning the globe.
New Campground: In addition to the construction of the first two huts in the hut-to-hut system, work is underway on the new Antelope Creek Campground. The site, which is slated to open next summer, will include tent sites, RV spaces with hookups,
cabins, restrooms with showers, and a welcome center. The campground will provide a welcome respite for interstate travelers and visitors to the Reserve area.
Global Volunteer Network: At the Reserve this summer, we welcomed volunteers from Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, United States, and United Kingdom!
Photos: Title Image by Adam Richins. Opposite Left: SEO students prepare to canoe the Missouri River; Opposite Right: A Reserve team member dusts a prairie dog burrow. This page, Left to Right: International student leaders at the Reserve; Prairie dog by Adam Richins; Antelope Creek Campground construction; Bison by Adam Richins.
2017 Ken Burns American Heritage Prize Recipient
David McCullough
Named in honor of America’s most revered visual historian and documentary filmmaker, the Ken Burns American Heritage Prize recognizes an individual whose body of work has advanced our collective understanding of the indomitable American spirit. Nominees for the Prize, which will be awarded annually, consist of visionary artists, authors, educators, filmmakers, historians, and scientists. American Prairie Reserve is proud to announce that bestselling author and renowned historian David McCullough has been named the recipient of the first Ken Burns American Heritage Prize
David McCullough has been acclaimed as a master of the art of narrative history. In the words of the citation accompanying his honorary degree from Yale, “As an historian, he paints with words, giving us pictures of the American people that live, breathe, and above all, confront the fundamental issues of courage, achievement, and moral character.”
During his productive career, Mr. McCullough has been an editor, teacher, lecturer, familiar presence on public television, and narrator of numerous documentaries including The Civil War, one of many collaborations with Ken Burns. He is a twotime winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. His recent book, the widely-praised The Wright Brothers, was a #1 New York Times Bestseller and remained on the list for nine months. His book 1776 has been acclaimed “a classic,” while John Adams, published in 2001, remains one of the most praised and widely-read American biographies of all time.
Mr. McCullough’s other books include The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, The Path between the Seas, Mornings on Horseback, Brave Companions, Truman, and The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris. His books have been published in 19 languages and – as may be said of few writers – none of his books have ever been out of print.
If you can’t make it to the Reserve in person, here are a few ways you can join us in spirit! Also be sure to stay up-to-date with American Prairie Reserve on social media.
The American Spirit Who We Are and What We Stand For by David McCullough
“At a time of self-reflection in America following a bitter election campaign that has left the country divided, McCullough has collected some of his most important speeches in a brief volume designed to identify important principles and characteristics that are particularly American. This is a book about America for all Americans that reminds us who we are and helps to guide us as we find our way forward.”
— Simon & Schuster
The Wonder of Birds What They Tell Us About Ourselves, the World, and a Better Future by Jim Robbins
“Birds, Jim Robbins posits, are our most vital connection to nature Robbins moves these astonishing creatures from the background of our lives to the foreground, showing us that we must fight to save the imperiled bird population, for the sake of both the planet and humankind.”
– Spiegel & Grau
fuel your wanderlust
The Nature Fix Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams
“In prose that is incisive, witty, and urgent, Williams shows how time in nature is not a luxury but is in fact essential to our humanity. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these ideas — and the answers they yield — are more urgent than ever.”
— W. W. Norton & Company
STIO PARTNERSHIP AND PROMO CODE
The clothing company Stio was founded to inspire a connection with the outdoors through beautiful, functional products. While Stio draws inspiration from Wyoming’s mountain life, American Prairie Reserve’s vast landscape and rich biodiversity captured the Stio team’s imagination. Stio is proud to partner with American Prairie Reserve and directly support the Reserve’s efforts by designing a co-branded collection built for life on the remote and rugged grasslands of the American West. Stay tuned for updates on the progress of the collection and in the meantime, use promo code APR2017 for 20% off at Stio.com.
Become a monthly sustaining member of American Prairie Reserve and take an active role in restoring and preserving the prairie ecosystem.
• More of your gift goes directly to acquiring and restoring the prairie.
• Go Green! Get less paper in the mail.
• Your membership will never expire.
• Easily change or cancel your donation at any time! VISIT AMERICANPRAIRIE.ORG/ HELP-US-GROW
Top: 2017 Ken Burns American Heritage Prize Event; Middle: David McCullough; Bottom: Board Chairman George Matelich presents award to David McCullough