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Green Fire JournGrassland Conservat ion News and Commentary

Winter 2004

The Conservation Alliance

of the Great Plains

Bull Riders for Biodiversity? - And Other Heresies for the Northern GrBy Tyler Sutton

The title of this article grew out of a conversation I

had a few weeks ago with Jim Stubbendieck,

rangeland ecologist and Director of the UNL Center for Great Plains Studies. I was at the Center to

participate in a panel discussion about the New

Homestead Act, proposed federal legislation

sponsored by Senator Chuck Hagel and

Congressman Tom Osborne, among others. The Act

is intended to stabilize rural population

economic decline by providing certain

small business benefits to people in higmigration counties -- primarily on the G

At the panel discussion, I said the legis

step in the right direction for federal po

it sought to diversify the region's econo

the moment rests largely on

The Conservation Alliance of the Great Plains is a Lincoln,

Nebraska-based not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated

to preserving and restoring grassland ecosystems through

research, education, and advocacy. We invite you to join us in

creating a sustainable future.

To make a tax-deductible contribution to the Conservation

Alliance, please fill out this form and return it along with your contribution to the address below.

The Conservation Alliance of the Great Plains

P.O. Box 22809

Lincoln, NE 68542-2809

Thank you for your support!

Name: __________________________________

Street: __________________________________

City: _________________________________

State: ________ Zip: ______________________

Phone: _________________________________ E-mail: __________________________________

Contribution Amount:

$25.00 ______ $50.00 _____

$100.00 _____ $250.00 _____

Other: $ ______

How can you help?

Con

Conservation Alliance

of the Great PlainsP.O. Box 22809


www.conservationalliance.org

Inside this issue:

Bull Rider s fo r B iodiver si ty?

Through the Eyes Page 3

The Burrowing Owl Page 4

Finding Common Ground Page 6

News Notes Page 7

Oceans of Grass Page 8

State of the Planet Page 14



Green Fire Journal

Issue 5 Winter 2004

The Green Fire Journal is published

biannually by the Conservation

Alliance of the Great Plains.

Our mission is to assist in the

creation of protected grassland

natural areas and advance

sustainable communities in the

Northern Great Plains. We wereformed in 1999.

Board of Directors

David Hecker

John LaVelle

Chip Lienemann

Joel Sartore

Russ Semm

Anna Shavers

Tyler Sutton

Executive Director Tyler Sutton

Editor Sarah Duey

Illustrations Paul Johnsgard

Conservation Alliance

of the Great Plains

P.O. Box 22809


Phone: 402-477-2044

Email: [email protected]

www.conservationalliance.org

Inside this issue:

Bull Riders 1

Through the Eyes 3

The Burrowing Owl 4

Finding Common Ground 6

News Notes 7

Oceans of Grass 8

State of the Planet 14

Our lead article this issue is Bull Riders for Biodiversity. It takes head on

the opposition of many ag leaders in the region to changes in land

ownership and use and species protection. It is obvious to anyone who will

look objectively at the issue that the region needs to diversify its economic

dependence on agriculture and that the creation of protected grassland

natural areas can play a role in achieving that objective. Bull Riders argues

that for this to happen the region's ranching leadership must change its

attitudes about grassland conservation and public access to land. Asuggestion those leaders probably won't take kindly too, but something to

contemplate, nevertheless.

In Through the Eyes of Lewis & Clark , the CA's Board Chair Elect, David

Hecker, makes the case that where appropriate the restoration of the plains

wildlife spectacle that was first seen by Lewis & Clark on their expedition

up the Missouri River is an obligation this generation of Americans owes to

future generations.

In this issue we also announce the release of Oceans of Grass, the Northern

Plains Conservation Network's biological assessment of the region. The

Network is twenty-some, loosely affili ated, mostly environmental and

conservation groups. The report identifies the ten top locations in the region

where we believe large-scale grassland conservation should happen. One of

those areas includes the Oglala National Grassland in Sioux County, Nebraska, near Ft. Rob inson.

Rob Gardner, a Medicine Hat, Alberta naturalist, argues in Finding Common

Ground that cooperative approaches to grassland natural resources issues

have the greatest chance of success; a point worth remembering if

conservation groups are to work with local communities to restore the

prairie landscape.

Paul Johnsgard writes a feature article about The Burrowing Owl , a ground

nesting owl species whose fate is linked to that of the prairie dog. You will

definitely learn a lot about the natural history of this interesting prairie

species by reading the Johnsgard article.

Finally, Joel Satore, in his State of the Planet column shares a personal view

of what it means to witness the extinction of species. He also announces a

special exhibit of his work entitled "Fragile Nature" at the UNL Morrill Hall

beginning June 6, 2004.

Please read on to learn more about these and other topics and do not hesitate

to contact me about matters raised in this issue or about other topics we

should cover in the future. [email protected]

Globally, we are

now on the verge

of a massive die

off of species,

something

biologists call

"The Sixth

Extinction." It's

entirely induced

by man. Around

the globe in the

next 50 years,

we'll lose a quarter

of Earth's species.

To be sure, there

are many people

working to save

species and habitats. Several high-profile animals, such

as the black-footed ferret and the California condor, have

been brought back from the brink in truly remarkable

fashion. Once we put our minds to it, anything seems

possible. Even cloning is being thought of as a way to

save species. Believe it or not, a zoo in Spain is bringing

back an extinct species of wild goat using t his technique,

breathing new life into something once thought gone

forever. These victories give us hope and a sense of

confidence that we can fix anything.

But these fixes may be only temporary. For any species

to survive in the long term, we must address two larger

issues. First, the habitat loss that forces most species to

the edge must be addressed. Once we create that

breeding population, where do we put it? Unless good,

usable habitat is preserved or restored, the problem isn't

rectified but merely postponed.

Second, the majority of the voting public simply doesn't

care about the extinction of species. Most are so busy

with work, wages, children, dinner and entertainment

that the subject of this essay is of very little consequence

to them. This is a huge problem.

Until and unless enough people concentrate on saving

what's left of the Earth's habitats, this downward trend

will not change.

But we must get people to care. We are all dependent on

he

eco

sur

cle

an

the

ha

spe

ev

us

wh

It's

I a

ch

ab

wo

eve

humankind's greatest characteristic to s

imagine what can be, and implement c

our salvation, or our undoing. There ar

now than ever before who think like I

This gives me hope.

___________________

Joel Sartore is a frequent contributor

Geographic magazine and is the co-fo

Visit his website at: www.joelsartore.c

Winter 2004Winter 2004Green Fire Journal Gre2

Opening Soon: Morrill Hall on the

campus will feature a new exhibit:

"Fragile Nature:

A Personal View by Joel Sa

Sartore will take you on a personal

understand and witness up close an

the loss of wildlife, from the grizzly

Salt Creek tiger beetle.

Opening June 6, 2004 in the Morril

Cooper Gallery the show will run u

2005. Join Joel and the Friends of

Museum for a special opening even

Saturday evening, June 5th. Conta

Meier, Public Programs Coordinato

Hall for more details, (402) 472-89

Opening StatementBy Tyler Sutton

Spix’s Macaws at the Sau Paulo Zoo, Brazil.



When I was a boy, my parents gave me a bird book that

had a chapter on the extinction of species. In that book

was a single, grainy black and white photograph of

Martha, the last passenger pigeon, alive and staring atthe photographer from her cage at the Cincinnati zoo.

Once numbering in the billions, the passenger pigeon

was the most populous of all birds in North America

until market hunting wiped

them out.

But it turns out Martha was

just the tip of the iceberg.

Though we've lost just a

handful of bird species in

our country, this will all be

changing soon enough. Just

look at what's happening

globally…

In the back of a Brazilian

zoo, past the crowds and the

noise and wind-blown trash,

there is a small gate. If you

work for weeks to get

permission, a solemn

zookeeper will guide you

through it, down several

crumbling steps toward a

dirt road. There, in the

center of a fenced area

under a shade tree, are the

cages. A car blows by,

smothering everything in a

cloud of red dust.

As the haze clears, I peek in.

In these cages are five birds

with blue bodies and ghostly gray heads. They're all

clinging to their wire walls. Between my staring and the

traffic, it's clear they're afraid. These birds are famous.

They are some of the last Spix's macaws left on Earth.

Spix's became well known because just a single male

survived in the Brazilian wild until a few years ago.

Now there are just 58 birds in captivity, scattered around

the world.

The Spix is not alone. There are many examples now of

species that represent the living dead. There's the

Galapagos tortoise

subspecies named

'Lonesome George' who's

the last of his kind at the

Darwin Center in the

Galapagos Islands. His

subspecies is down to one

living animal. He will

spend his days in a pen at

the Darwin Center until

the end comes for him

and his entire geneticheritage.

There are fish, turtles and

frogs, insects, you name

it, all making their last

stands in outback mud

puddles or under the

glare of heat lamps in

forgotten laboratories.

Each has an amazing

story to tell, but most will

die in obscurity.

Last year at the Houston

Zoo, I witnessed a prime

example of how

extinction happens. In a

keeper's cramped office,

several pairs of the critically endangered Wyoming toad

sit and stare. Biologists are desperately trying to breed

them. There are none left in the wild and just a handful

in captivity.

Winter 2004Winter 2004Green Fire Journal14

The Face of Extinction

In my travels as an attorney for one of the nation's largest

construction companies, I am often struck by how much

the hand of man has changed the natural landscape. As

we enter the twenty-first century, it is time to reflect, and

take seriously, landscape scale efforts to preserve and

protect what is left of America's rich natural heritage and

to restore what was lost where feasible. There is no

better place to embark on this

journey than the Northern Great

Plains.

In May of 2004, we will

observe the 201st anniversary

of Lewis & Clark's epic

exploration of the geography,

ethnology and natural history of

the Missouri River and its

tributaries. As Lewis & Clark traversed parts of what became

Nebraska, the Dakotas, and

Montana, they observed many

forms of previously

undocumented flora and fauna.

Their journals described oceans

of grass, and vast buffalo herds,

antelope and other species.

Unfortunately, today, the wildlife spectacle they observed

has mostly disappeared. However, an opportunity now

exists to create an ecologically and economically viable

series of protected grassland natural areas on portions of what is left of the ecosystem. Global economic forces at

work in the region require us to consider innovative

changes to past land-use policies.

The diversity and abundance of wildlife that could

inhabit a series of protected grassland natural areas has

been described as exceeding that found today in

Yellowstone National Park. We c

this opportunity by working with

tribes that seek to diversify their e

land-use change.

However, to create a managemen

to support and allow for the move

includin

deer, she

require t

participa

owners.

enrollme

preserve

require a

managem

area. It

in state aspending

from urb

affected

be easy

the work

can we r

opportun

I do not

the Board Chair Elect for the CA,

talking to people in this r egion an

country about ways to work with

tribes in the Northern Great Plain protected grassland natural areas.

Americans deserve the opportunit

once seen though the eyes of Lew

_________________

David Hecker is a senior attorney

Kiewit Construction Company, bu

individual capacity.

Through the Eyes of Lewis and Clark:

Create Grassland Natural Areas for NGPState of the Planet-Sartore Style

By Joel Sartore

By David Hecker

Passenger pigeon - mounted specimen at Morril Hall

Swift Fox



Winter 2004

wildlife conservation, whereas private land conservation

simply does not.

Ranchers need not fear their way of life will disappear.

Cattle will still be king in the region, with the

overwhelming majority of the region's grasslands used

for cattle production for generations to come.

Professor Stubbendieck shares my interests in protecting

and restoring biodiversity on the plains,the future of rural areas and, as I

discovered, rodeo. So I jested he should

form a group called Bull Riders for

Biodiversity to start a dialogue with

urban dwellers on ways to solve the

region's economic and ecological

problems. I was thinking of Bull Riders

for Biodiversity as a metaphor for new,

more enlightened (at least from a

biodiversity perspective) ranching

leadership that would build bridges to

urban conservationists so the two groups

could develop a common agenda. Hesaid it might be a good idea but it would

be a very small group right now. This is

unfortunate because in my opinion,

stabilizing small towns while protecting

the region's biodiversity will take

inordinately longer and be much more

difficult unless agricultural interests,

mainly ranchers, come to realize they

must become leaders in the effort to preserve the region's

biodiversity. At the same time, over the long term, I

believe the economic survival of ranching itself is tied to

changing the way ranchers manage their land and get

paid for it.

The New Homestead Act should become part of a

broader conservation agenda of national and global

significance. While support for agricultural subsidies

may be waning, support for conservation spending

remains high and will probably grow. We need to think

bigger than just the New Homestead Act. We need to

think in terms of a Northern Great Plains Restoration

Act, a comprehensive land re stora

revitalization policy tailored to th

region.

But who is going to provide the le

people in the region themselves a

these issues, who in the nation is

happens on the Northern Great Pl

small towns going to speak out ab

stewardshi

small town

their short-

to risk offe

constituent

conclusion

leadership

ranching co

likely scen

Great Plain

continue to

economic a

When all isis ranchers

future on th

Plains. The

outcome, s

timetable.

critical to g

of restoring

ecologicall

______________________

Editor's Notes: This article is a c

what Sutton presented at the UNL

Studies (CGS) Fall Seminar Serie

and was prepared by Pam MurrayWe express our gratitude to Dr. M

Director of the CGS for the oppor

remarks and to Ms. Murray for h

in preparing this version. For a c

article with references, contact th

222 Keim Hall, P.O. Box 830953,

0953 or the CA's office.

The inescapable

conclusion is that

unless new

leadership develops

soon in the ranching

community, the most

likely scenario on the

Northern Great

Plains is that theregion will continue

to die a slow, painful,

economic and

ecological death.

Burrowing owls, like Westerners generally, tend to be

obstinately independent and generally refuse to obey the

rules of owl decorum set out for them. First, they do not

move about mostly at night in the usual manner of owls,

but instead are active mainly during bright daylight.

Secondly, unlike the larger owls of the grasslands,

burrowing owl are surprisingly insectivorous, at leastduring summer months when large, slow-moving insects

such as dung beetles and ground beetles are abundant

around prairie dog towns and are easily captured.

Thirdly, burrowing owls seem to lack the acute binaural

hearing and precise sound-source

localization abilities that owls as a

group are primarily noted for and,

instead, appear to rely on their keen

daytime vision for prey-finding.

Given these traits, one might think

that burrowing owl is only a second-

rate member of the Strigidae. That

is, until one is seen in life for the

very first time.

Few birds will bring bird-watchers screeching their car

to a halt faster than will a burrowing owl perched quietly

on a fencepost, or peering quizzically out of a prairie

dog hole. There is something in the animal's intense

yellowish green eyes that demand to be watched with

equal intensity, and its comical, not-quite-erect stance

might remind one of a spindly-legged, feather-clad

leprechaun still trying to recover from last-night's

hangover.

Often, after a few slight horizontal or vertical head

movements by the bird, as if trying to shake its head

clear of a foggy memory, but which are probably

designed to get a better distance-estimating fix on the

new intruder into its personal space, the owl will

probably either duck back into its hole or if perched on a

post may perhaps take silent flight over the prairie dog

town and land near its own personalized burrow

entrance. Although a burrowing owl is perfectly content

to take over a prairie dog burrow without making major

structural changes or other renovations, it is likely to

gather nearby pieces of dried bison or cattle dung, break

them into small pieces, and line the entrance area in

front of its burrow with these bits of debris. Such

markings help one to recognize an active burrowing owl

burrow, as do the dried owl pellets that are usually rich

in chitinous insect fragments such as the undigested

exoskeletal remnants of grasshoppers and scarab and

carabid beetles. The function of the scattered ungulate

droppings is uncertain, but they may help mask the odorsof an active owl burrow, for burrowing owls are just as

vulnerable to badgers as are prairie dogs, and badgers

seem to find young burrowing owls just as tasty as baby

prairie dogs. Gregory Green and Robert Anthony found

that, next to desertion, badgers were

the most significant source of

burrowing owl nesting mortality, but

that nests lined with livestock dung

were significantly less prone to

predation than unlined nests. On the

other hand, it has also been

suggested that the dung simply

serves to attract dung beetles, which

are an important summer food for

the owls.

The burrowing owl is the only strongly migratory owl of

the northern plains, presumably because its insect foods

become progressively unavailable in fall. Then it turns

increasingly to small rodents such as pocket mice for

food, but I once saw an adult burrowing owl dragging a

dead thirteen-lined ground squirrel over the ground

toward its burrow. I suspect it was simply cashing in on

a road kill, as the ground squirrel's body weight (5-9

ounces) would be somewhat heavier than the owl itself

(about 5 ounces), and it is hard to imagine any

burrowing owl quite so ambitious as to take on a healthy

ground squirrel. Although small mammals and birds

make up a small percentage of the summer diet as

measured by their sheer number, the much larger bodymass of mammals relative to insects tends to make

mammals comprise the predominant portion of the

biomass of all foods taken. Furthermore, there is some

owl activity at night, especially during bright moonlit

nights, and at that time nocturnal mammals such as voles

and heteromyid mice, rather than insects, would be the

most likely targets. Frogs, toads, lizards, snakes and even

turtles have also been reported as burrowing owl foods.

Winter 2004Green Fire Journal4

The Burrowing Owl By Paul Johnsgard




wages and high infrastructure costs. These newly created

areas would be open to hunting, fishing, hiking,

horseback riding, wildlife viewing, and tribal cultural

practices, but even high quality tourism would be a

secondary motivation for communities to create these

areas. The areas would be community assets first, much

like urban parks and open space are for cities that want

to attract highly skilled people. Only secondarily would

these areas be for tourism. Right now, most communities

on the Northern Great Plains areenclaves, surrounded by an

inaccessible landscape, used in ways

most Americans do not find

attractive.

I suggested that the initial focus of

such a strategy should logically be

the National Grasslands because they

are already publicly owned. There are

nearly three million acres of National

Grasslands in the states of Nebraska,

the Dakotas and Wyoming. Nearby

communities should work to create

special management areas for the

National Grasslands using

community-based land trusts and

innovative public-private partnerships

to own land, acquire conservation

easements and set wildlife

management objectives. If local projects were part of a

region-wide effort to protect 10-15% of the eco-region,

the effort would be nationally and globally significant.

The creation of these areas would have direct economic

benefits. The land trusts would attract private

conservation capital to purchase land from willing

sellers, thereby providing a buyer to landowners whowished to sell land to a conservation purchaser.

Local people would benefit from jobs created to manage

the lands on a day-to-day basis. Other business

opportunities would be associated with the change in

land use, from prairie restoration contractors to nature-

based tours, guiding and outfitting, horseback riding,

lodges and similar businesses.

These areas would also potentially benefit from a shift in

future spending under the Farm Bill, as world trade

pressures lead to reductions in agricultural subsidies.

Conservation spending may be the only way to avoid a

catastrophic collapse in federal payments to the region.

In fact, this may be the most compelling reason to begin

thinking seriously about this strategy.

Research dollars from universities,non-governmental organizations and

other institutions that want to study

the restorative effort would also

undoubtedly flow to the local

economy. And, yes, the areas would

be targets for state and federal

spending relating to species of

concern and to develop outdoor

recreation opportunities. But beyond

the direct economic benefits, these

areas would be a reason for people to

stay in the region's small

communities and for people to movethere to retire or start entrepreneurial

businesses. Research has shown that

those communities in sparsely

populated areas that have access to

natural amenities, which these areas

would be, do better economically and demographically

than areas without access to these natural features.

I also observed at the panel discussion that the region

had some impressive national conservation partners such

as the World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy

that are willing to work with communities if such a

public policy goal were established and communities

started working locally for such an initiative.

From a conservation perspective, setting aside 10-15% of

the region is no substitute for good private land

conservation. But shifting the management objective on

10-15% of the land from cattle to biodiversity has the

potential to capture the nation's imagination and turn its

attention to the possibility the region has for large-scale

Conservation

spending may be the

only way to avoid a

catastrophic collapse

in federal payments

to the region. In fact,

this may be the most

compelling reason to

begin thinking seriously about this

strategy.

Besides using prairie dog burrows, burrowing owls have

also occasionally adapted to living in burrows made by

marmots, badgers, foxes (swift, kit and red), coyotes,

skunks, armadillos, kangaroo rats, and tortoises. They

may also dig their own burrows in the absence of

available housing already provided by burrowing

mammals. They have even been found using natural

rock cavities and human-made artificial burrows where

natural excavations are not possible. Yet, on the Great

Plains is it primarily the black-tailed prairie dog that

offers the owls housing. In an unpublished study byShawn Conrad and others, it was estimated that 95

percent of all the burrowing owls nesting on the

Comanche, Cimarron, Rita Blanca and Kiowa National

Grasslands, all located on

the Southern Great Plains,

were directly associated

with prairie dog towns.

Only three of 114 the

prairie dog towns

supporting burrowing

owls were inactive,

indicating the importance

of prairie dog activity in

making good owl

breeding sites. The three

inactive towns supporting

burrowing owls had

apparently been inactive

for only one year.

Likewise, among 543

burrowing owl nests found

in the Oklahoma Panhandle, 66 percent were found

within black-tailed prairie dog colonies. Besides being

able to exploit the inactive dog burrows, the owls favor

the combination of low shrub coverage, short vegetation

and high percentage of bare ground that are typically

present in prairie dog colonies. Where the ground-level

vision is variously obstructed, the birds always find

suitable nearby observation posts to use, such asfenceposts, boulders or utility poles.

Within prairie dog towns, burrowing owls favor larger

and active colonies; typically a town that has been

abandoned by prairie dogs will also be abandoned by

burrowing owls within three years, largely as a result of

encroachment of dense vegetation but also because of

the gradual deterioration of the burrows themselves.

Within active towns, the owls ofte

periphery of the colony, where th

abundance of insects, more availa

a proximity to foraging areas. Bur

favor sites offering several "satell

both adults and young, perhaps to

As many as five such satellite bur

single owl family.

For the Great Plains as a whole, J

have reported that burrowing owl

prairie dog colonies was lower in

Plains National Grasslands (59 pe

in those of the Southern Great Pla

Regardless of geographic location

f

t

g

o

t

a

c

b

b

d

lt

r

a

s

b

o

exploit the efficient warning syste

when predators approach and the

attract dung beetles and other foo

evidence that the prairie dogs dire

presence of burrowing owls. It m

argued that nature-loving humans

presence of burrowing owls, and

prairie dog towns are we likely al

burrowing owl as another icon of

__________________

Adapted from an unpublished boo

prairie dog ecosystem, which is p

by the University of Nebraska Pre

an Emeritus Professor of Biology

Nebraska.

Winter 2004

Burrowing Owl



Green Fire Journal Winter 2004 Winter 20046

In 1987, Brundtland urged the people of the world toachieve sustainability by searching for common ground -those aspects of our future that all citizens cherish. Adecade later, the University of Nebraska hosted a major conference with a similar theme. Now, progress towardsustainability is not obvious on the northern plains, eventhough recent changes in economic conditions may have

increased the opportunities.Why can't we work together on the grassland?

Conflict resolution experts state that a key first step toconciliation is for each party to recognize and validatethe beliefs of the other.Even if we do not agreewith the position, we mustrecognize that others feelthat way. Or, in the words of a western philosopher, "If we don't all hang together,we will all hang separately."

And this seems to be thecurrent situation, with both

the ranching community andwildlife supporters holdingstrong, opposing views inthe face of declininggrassland.

Many environmentalists believe that the use of private property and i ts resources can s trongly affect the wayothers use their own property, and the landowner,therefore, has significant obligations to the general public. More specifically, environmentalists value theintrinsic rights of wild animals to live their livesunfettered, as well as, in many cases, the right of thegeneral public to access the wildlife.

The isolated and self-reliant lifestyle of the rancher hasstressed the importance of the individual over society. At

the same time, the similar adversity faced by all ruralresidents has forged communities of a strength rarelyfound in urban centers. Land is the foundationsupporting rural culture.

Government plays an important role that may not bespecifically recognized. Balancing new demands for theuse of public land with the traditional uses is tough, anda shrinking budget makes it tougher. Public policies areincreasingly influenced by agribusiness, sometimes at

the expense of traditional family operations.

So with this apparent gulf separating the stakeholders,where can we build bridges?

Perhaps grassland leaders need to look deeper, to thecore values held by all stakeholders. If we can recognizethose common beliefs, then we can gradually extend the

agreement to include more specific actions.My experience suggests that the common values focuson a love for the wild landscape and the animals in it,and, most importantly, recognition of the many benefits

of the native vegetation.At a practical level, allagree that the dramaticincrease in both smallholdings and giantcorporate farms hasnegative effects on thegrassland. Energydevelopment, especiallythe wasteful extraction of coalbed methane, is seen

as a threat to bothranching and grasslandecology.

These concepts are thestart of a partnership.

Let's fill our proposals with words that resonate with both groups; words like heritage, stewardship,community and native grass.

Let's build on everyone's desire to spend tax dollarsefficiently by directing agricultural support toenvironmentally friendly landowners. This practice iswidespread in Europe.

At the same time, we must recognize that we havedifferences.

But partnerships will grow if we concentrate on thecommon ground. Let's use cooperation and economicincentives to help the land managers achieve our immediate targets.

____________________

Rob Gardner is a grassland naturalist based in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and believes in cooperative approaches toconserving natural resources. For more information, goto eidnet.or /local/ rassland

Finding Common Groundcontinue to grip the region's politics, and in my view,

limit the region's economic development as well as

conservation options.

I mean no disrespect here. The ranchers' historic struggle

with the forces of nature is to be admired in many

respects, as is their reluctance to plow the region's

grasslands. There are, however, aspects of the cattle

culture that are very troublesome as we contemplate the

future of the plains, particularly thefuture of the region's biodiversity and

small communities.

The cattle culture's definition of

stewardship is obviously very narrow.

It basically includes caring for and

protecting only those parts of the

prairie grassland ecosystem that it

perceives as not competing for grass

or interfering with the production of

cattle. It also is hostile to the idea of

public access to land and is

contemptuous of government

involvement in land ownership or

management.

To be fair, ranchers struggle to exist

within an industrial society and a

corporate enterprise system that

places severe limitat ions on how they

can operate. Ranchers do not get paid

to manage wildlife and biodiversity;

they only get paid what packer-

dominated markets yield. Further, the

cattle culture is not alone it its war on

nature. However, it has had a

significant role in fundamentally

altering the region's grassland ecosystems, and I believe

it must come to terms with that role for the region to

recover from our collective mistakes.

In my panel presentation, I argued the New Homestead

Act should be improved by providing incentives to

change the way a portion of land in the region is owned

and used. I believe it will lead to a

economy, as well as a more diverse

prairie landscape. This is not a radi

idea of merging the protection of b

economic development that benefit

basic to appli ed conservation as we

Century.

Rural development advocates are s

how community projects can ben

towns. On balan

development pr

ownership and u

slow to develop

because most pe

such alternative

feasible given th

current attitudes

Notwithstanding

wisdom, at the

suggested that p

Great Plains sho

the idea of mak

goal to put 10-1

into permanent

conservation are

would be manag

wildlife. Presen

of the region is

(conservation ar

and globally, tem

the terrestrial ha

from human exp

of the country m

oceans, but this miles of open space still covered in

spectacular prairie grasses, an esse

for restoring the ecological health o

These areas would not be traditiona

they encourage the type of tourism

parks, which o ften is high volume

By Rob Gardner

Notwithstanding this

conventional wisdom,

at the panel

discussion I

suggested that people

in the Northern Great

Plains should

actively support the

idea of making it a public policy goal to

put 10-15% of the

eco-region into

permanent grassland

conservation areas.

These areas would be

managed primarily

for wildlife.



Winter 2004Winter 2004Green Fire Journal10

agriculture. I suggested, however, the New Homestead

Act could be improved by providing incentives to

change the way some land in the region is used.

Perhaps the biggest impediment to moving federal policy

in this direction is the region's own attitudes and beliefs

about land use and stewardship. I have titled my remarks

"Bull Riders for Biodiversity" to metaphorically and

respectfully suggest that people in the region need to

reexamine these attitudes and beliefsif we are to solve the region's

ecological and economic problems.

Such a reexamination is necessary

because economically, agriculture

alone is unable to sustain the

Northern Great Plains (northwestern

Nebraska, western North and South

Dakotas, and eastern Montana and

Wyoming).

Modern agriculture in this region is

heavily subsidized, yet the Northern

Great Plains is one of the poorest

regions in the country. In 2001 sevenof the twelve poorest counties in the

nation were in Nebraska, and all of

them rely heavily on the livestock economy. In the

recent past, the federal policy response to the region's

economic woes was more agricultural subsidies in one

form or another, whether commodity payments, drought

relief, or irrigation projects. These subsidies have not

stemmed the exodus of people from rural areas -- just

fueled farm and ranch expansion, thereby accelerating

rural community decline. As agricultural units got

bigger, people left agriculture, but at the same time, the

economic base of small towns deteriorated further, which

led to greater out-migration.

I am not suggesting, nor do most rural advocates

suggest, we simply eliminate agricultural subsidies to

help rural communities. What I am saying is that many

people have begun to question the importance of these

subsidies to federal rural policy and the importance of

the agricultural economy to the region's future.

At the same time that people are leaving and the

economy is in a tailspin, ecologically, the Northern Great

Plains is also in real trouble. Perhaps 40% of its

grasslands has been converted to crop production. Native

prairie continues to be converted to crops, mainly

because of Farm Bill subsidies.

The majority of plant and animal species that are

endemic, and thus dependent on the region, are in

trouble. Grassland birds have shownsteeper, more consistent, and more

geographically widespread declines

than any other behavioral grouping of

North American species, according to

a report by The Nature Conservancy.

Thirty-four species of flora and fauna

are considered globally imperiled, and

of these, ten are listed as threatened or

endangered, and four are proposed for

listing.

Of course, the landscape today is just

a shadow of what it once was when

Lewis and Clark made their way upthe Missouri River. Even 150 years

ago, the abundance of wildlife and

prairie grasslands in the Northern Great Plains rivaled

Africa's Serengeti. But since then, millions of buffalo

were senselessly slaughtered. Wild buffalo and all the

large predators that once depended on them were

extirpated from the region, as were the elk and Big Horn

Sheep, though recently some of these species have made

a comeback in places. Today prairie dog numbers have

been radically reduced and many species associated with

the prairie dog ecosystem are in trouble.

In short, the "cattle culture" that evolved with the

transformation of the plains has not been kind to the

living creatures that it perceived as competing with it.

By "cattle culture" I mean a set of shared attitudes and

beliefs that are common in the region among people on

the land, though they certainly are not found only among

people engaged in agriculture. But these attitudes and

beliefs are part of the mythology of ranching; they

CA Governance - The CA recently took someimportant steps to provide for its future. The Boardreduced its size from 12 members to 7, with theexpectation the Board will focus even more energy onfundraising, and will strengthen the capacity of theAdvisory Board in 2004 to provide scientific andtechnical input to program work. Russ Semm, a LincolnENT physician, became Board Chair and will lead our

fundraising activities in 2004. David Hecker, a senior attorney with the Omaha based Kiewit ConstructionCompany, became Chair elect and will lead thoseactivities in 2005. The CA will continue to advance

public policy positions for the creation of protectedgrassland natural areas on the Northern Great Plainsthrough community-based efforts and for theconservation of prairie grassland wildlife. In the future,the CA will do more to build local capacity to createthese areas and to publicize the global importance of thetemperate grassland ecosystem, the least protectedterrestrial biome on the planet.

Reichert to Chair CA Advisory Board -Amy Reichert will Chair the CA's Advisory Board. As

Advisory Board Chair, she will work closely with theCA's Board of Directors to help guide the development

of its program work.

Reichert received a Ph.D. in Geography (emphasis in biogeography) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln(UNL). Presently she is the Director of the MidwestConsortium for Service Learning in Higher Education,which is housed on the UNL campus, and for the pasttwo years served as an Assistant Professor at MinnesotaState University, Mankato.

Her research interests are geographical methods andtechniques, spatial patterns in wildlife habitat, andhuman perceptions of wildlife. "My education, teaching,and research experiences lead me to believe strongly in

the value of community-based conservation projects,"Reichert said recently on accepting the Chair position."My top priority as Chair is to recruit motivatedindividuals who want to do research and share ideasconcerning the benefits of a system of community basedgrassland natural areas on the Northern Great Plains.Throughout the globe natural areas have enhanced ruraleconomic opportunity. There is every reason to believethey can do the same on the Northern Great Plains."

Ponca Earthlodge Updateearth lodge in Nebraska's Niobrara

complete. A thousand plus labor h

red cedar trees, river willows and p

combined to create the superstructu

Dozens of volunteers from the Trib

worked for a week cutting and pro

400 trees starting in the fall of 200volunteers returned for a few week

finished the lodge. Inside of the lo

hearth, an altar and sleeping bench

Tribal members dedicated the lodg

2003. A public ceremony will ma

lodge in the spring of 2004.

It stands on the first parcel of land

Tribe after restoration (approximat

of Niobrara State Park.) This is an

"place" for the Poncas, and is likel

Poncas' Gray Blanket village visite

Clark Expedition. Today it is the c

Tribe: it is the home of their poww

remodeled Agency building (Natio

status), their historic cemetery and

bison and restored prairie. The com

lodge adds to the places where Tri

connect with their past.

For more information on the lodge

Wendzillo, Director of Cultural Aff

Nebraska. P.O. Box 288, Niobrara

857-3391.

O'Brien Event Success - L

O'Brien, South Dakota bison ranch

to a standing room only gathering a

Plains Studies on the UNL campus

bison ranching and his efforts to re

land in South Dakota. Jill Magqui

South Dakota's premier chefs prep

featuring the cuisine of the Norther

about 50 people at the Country Clu

O'Brien in attendance as the CA's

Magquire is interested in defining

her innovative recipes and style of

N E W S N O T E S

In short, the

"cattle culture" that

evolved with the

transformation of the

plains has not been

kind to the living

creatures that it

perceived as

competing with it.

Continued from page 1




Oceans of Grass Released"Oceans of Grass," (Oceans) a grassland conservation assessment for the NorthernGreat Plains, will be released in Calgary, Alberta at the 7th Prairie Conservation

and Endangered Species Conference on February 26th 2004. Oceans is produced by the Northern Plains Conservation Network (NPCN), a loose affiliation of 20

some conservation and environmental groups working in the eco-region.

Though it was a collaborative effort, the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) team of scientists was largely responsible for putting the document together. Tyler Sutton,

the CA's President, chaired the group's Steering Committee during the preparation

of the report.

The goal of the Oceans of Grass assessment was to first provide an inventory and

status-report on the region's flora and fauna and then to make conservationrecommendations to foster the return of grassland wildlife as natural components of the landscape.

The assessment found that the Northern Great Plains is no longer a naturallyfunctioning ecosystem. Given the degradation, NPCN's conservationrecommendations took a long term view, and were guided by four principles:

1. The importance of private landconservation, including

fostering stewardship of private lands, developing

incentives for private

land conservation, andacquiring land for

conservation at fair market value fromwilling sellers;

2. That the land and itswildlife are importantculturally and spiritually

for many NorthAmerican native people,

a growing demographicgroup that is already

renewing its relationshipwith the land;

3. That a healthy and

diverse economy basedon agriculture and naturecan provide can provide

a more resilienteconomic base for theregion than either alone.

4. The importance of partnerships with local

communities in achievingthe vision.

World Parks Conference

Focuses on Africa

The IUNC-The World

Conservation Union held its

5th World Congress on

Protected Areas in Durban,

South Africa last Fall. The

Congress brought together

some 3000 delegates

representing a diverse rangeof countries, interests and

experiences in protected

areas to exchange

information and chart a

course for the global

protected areas community

during the next decade.

Two important outcomes

from the Congress were the

Durban Accord, a succinct

statement for the future of

protected areas, and the

Durban Action Plan, a set of

32 specific recommendationsto advance the protected

areas' agenda. These

documents and further

information on the

conference may we found at

www.iucn.org/themes/wcpa/

wpc2003/index.htm

One important announcement

was the launching of the

Africa Protected Areas

Initiative, a major program to

develop a system of

protected areas fo r Africa

that will meet the

environmental and social

needs of the continent. South

Africa also announced the

creation of new national

parks and favo rable tax

treatment for private land

conservation areas.

Winter 2004 G

While private land conservation will be important, with less than 1.5

percent of the eco-region in areas designated primarily for biodivesity

conservation, Oceans highlighted the necessity of working across

public and p rivate land boundaries to accomplish landscape-scale

conservation.

The study identified 10 ecologically significant terrestrial conservation

areas in the U.S. and Canadian plains that could form core areas for

large-scale landscape restoration efforts. One of those regions is the

Oglala, Buffalo Gap and Thunder Basin National Grasslands in

Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming, respectively. This is a region

previously iden tified by the CA as worthy of large-scale conservation

attention. The Oglala National Grassland is just north of Ft. Robinson

in Sioux County, Nebraska.

In addition to identifying potential conservation areas, the assessment

recommended setting aside 10-15% of the region in areas managed

primarily for biodiversity, thought it also affirmed the necessity o f

working with local communities to accomplish this goal. Another

suggestion was the restoration of at least two herds of 10,000 bison.

The Oceans report may be obtained by contacting the

World Wildlife Fund, P.O. Box 7276, Bozeman, MT

59771; [email protected]; 406-582-0235

Article Featur

Concessions to P

The Fall 2003 issuePractice, a publicati

Conservation Biolo

on the conservation to protecting biodiv

evolving concept us

where a conservatiointo a management

government or comm

providing the ownecommercial logging

the conservation orgland for biodiversity

Would this concept

of the Northern GreFor example, a loca

could enter into a loSugar Loaf Grazing

that controls nearly

rights on the Oglala Northern Sioux Cou

provide for paymenAssociation and privimprove manageme

private grasslands fleaving the landown

day-to-day managem

land.

Such an arrangemen

grassland natural arthousand acres, whi

significant, while le

biologically sound gfamily ranchers. At

lease, it could be ren

land could be sold torganization. If the

statewide support, treceive favorable ta

Nebraska Natural L

want to consider thistrategy in its plann

the magazine may b

www.conbio.org/in

the greenfire journal - jan 04.pdf

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