A Revolution in Conservation
The late 1990’s were financially tough times at Rancho Largo. Though I was living the dream of managing a ranch, I was struggling as I tried to force a piece of land to pay a salary and a mortgage. Nearly the same time I realized healthy land was the key to profit, Tammy Vercauteren and Ted Tombs of the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (at that time called Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory) showed up on our doorstep. I had little interest in birds and definitely did not know what a Bird Observatory was. Over a steak dinner they explained that The Bird Conservancy wanted to create relationships with land owners with the goal of reaching several ends:
help ranchers realize their means of livelihood are compatible with bird habitat conservation
help ranchers be aware of birds’ needs
help keep ranchers on the land.
Their visit pushed a paradigm shift for me. Growing up around ranches and farms with my grandparents, I developed a utilitarian view of grasslands. As a climber in my teens I had an idyllic wilderness view of mountain landscapes, but that didn’t translate to my view of the ranch on which I was trying to make a living. My conversation with Tammy and Ted nudged me to view working grasslands as wild places worthy of conservation.
My engagement with the Bird Conservancy also opened a door to a new view of conservation. Conservation didn’t mean just setting land aside under federal control, it meant actively managing private lands toward ecological health.
Wasn’t that what I was working toward at Rancho Largo?
That initial visit turned into a series of landowner workshops hosted at Rancho Largo. Some workshops shared grazing strategies, and simple conservation actions like adding bird ladders in stock tanks. Other workshops focused on economic diversification for ranchers to help keep them viable and on the land. But first and foremost, those workshops built trusting relationships with other ranchers. Those relationships became the core of the Bird Conservancy’s Stewardship Branch. The Stewardship branch coordinates “on the ground” conservation practices with federal agencies and landowners. For example, they helped us restore 2 playas at Rancho Largo utilizing cost-share funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife.
The Bird Conservancy is unique among conservation non-profits because they also have the capacity to monitor their projects through their Science Branch. Bird counts associated with conservation projects provide critical feedback on how to modify future projects for better results. This adaptive feedback loop is absolutely critical for effective conservation.
I had no idea that Tammy’s initial visit would turn into a 20-year collaboration. I also had no idea that Tammy and the Bird Conservancy were fomenting a revolution.
Their decision to respect rancher’s livelihoods and to look for common ground created a fundamental change in what conservation means in the American West.
Their predecessors, trapped in the paradigm of us versus them, saw litigation and the Endangered Species Act as the only conservation tools. Our view of conservation today includes programs in the Farm Bill, groups like Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited, cost sharing with State and Federal Wildlife Agencies, and the groups that work through conservation easements. All these cooperative conservation efforts have their roots in the creation of trust by people like Tammy.
That’s why today, still in partnership with Tammy and the Bird Conservancy, we invite you to grill Rancho Largo burgers and shish kabobs. Imagine being able to sit down to a healthy meal knowing your purchase is keeping birds in flight toward healthy habitat. What could be more regenerative than that?