Conservationists Establish Bison Preserve
The Associated Press Friday 11 November 2005
Billings, Mont. - When conservationists Curt Freese and Sean Gerrity look out on the rolling prairies of north-central Montana, they see grasslands largely unchanged by time - a haven for hundreds of birds and wildlife and the perfect place, they believe, for bison to roam again.
"Our vision is not a small herd on a few acres, but to create that exciting, visual image that really gets people's hearts beating fast: 'Wow, look at those bison!"' said Freese, Northern Great Plains Program director for the World Wildlife Fund.
That vision will begin to take shape in the next week: On Thursday, 16 buffalo will be released on a portion of the nearly 32,000 acres that have been purchased or leased as the start of the wildlife reserve the conservationists see as, one day, growing to possibly hundreds of thousands of acres on the High Plains.
Gerrity and Freese say the goal is to replicate and preserve a thriving, natural prairie ecosystem that will bring people to Montana ranching communities that are, in some cases, struggling for survival.
They downplay the fear of some locals that the project is the start of turning Phillips County into a "Buffalo Commons," a place where traditional cattle operations are replaced by a sea of open prairie, populated by bison.
...
County Commissioner Troy Blunt doesn't buy it. The preserve is about 50 miles from Malta, reachable by a dirt road that rain could turn to slick muck. Factor in long, bitter winters that would deter all but the heartiest of adventurers, and the effect on the local economy probably will be minimal, he said.
"It might be well intentioned, but it does little to nothing to build or enhance our local communities," he said.
Leo Barthelmess, who raises cattle in the county and used to cut native grass seed on one of the ranches, said he worries about bison getting loose or possibly spreading disease to cattle. The bison being released on the preserve were rounded up from Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota.
He also worries about the preserve getting a lot bigger.
"I hope it doesn't, but it could," he said.
Show me the money!
The groups aren't just looking out one or two years into the future - but 10, 20, even 100. They say they're content to build the preserve and bison herd slowly and keep in close contact with local ranchers and residents in an effort to be good neighbors. They want to build a legacy.
"We fully expect this will outlive us, that this will be a national treasure that people who live around there will be proud of, that will be able to breathe new life into their communities," Lalley said. "And this will just be one hell of a cool place."
That Lalley guy is right on. I'd like to meet him. What about the rancher who worries "about the preserve getting a lot bigger"? Is he afraid it's like some cancerous growth that will become unstoppable? A chain reaction will ensue once the preserve reaches critical mass? I realize I'm minimizing, but come on! Your cows are fucking up the land! Stop hating!
― viborgu, Sunday, 13 November 2005 00:25 (twenty years ago)