Dispatches from the Wild: Grassland survival 

The importance of regenerative ranching to save grassland ecosystems 

By Benjamin Alva Polley EBS COLUMNIST 

An hour and a half east of Great Falls lies the O’Connor Ranch in an isolated high-elevation valley, tucked in on the far side by the Highwood Mountains. Like a tawny-brown and ashen-green quilt, this rolling grassland is hemmed in by aspens and cottonwood galleries, edged with conifer forests of Douglas firs and limber pines, with a diversity of shrubs woven throughout its grassland tapestry. Their land spans from 4,500 to 6,000 feet above sea level, from sprawling grasslands to high mountains, covering many diverse ecotones. It is home to 200 head of pure Aberdeen Angus cattle, horses, elk, black bears, coyotes, deer, mountain lions, mountain goats, occasional moose, and two grizzlies reported in the Highwoods as of this year. Hawks, harriers, golden and bald eagles, falcons, owls, sandhill cranes, Hungarian partridges, sharp-tailed grouse, ruff grouse, bobolinks and gray-crowned rosy finches are just a few of the 100 bird species calling this home as seasonal or full-year residents. 

Grasslands are the last vestiges of many species. Globally, grasslands and the species that depend on their health are disappearing at alarming rates. Fortunately, the Audubon Society has a Conservation Ranching Initiative that partners with ranchers like the O’Connors to help protect troubled ecosystems. Ranchers play a vital role in restoring this necessary biome by practicing regenerative grazing. 

Historically, grasslands covered 30-40% of the Earth. Grasslands are the least protected, most modified and most endangered biome globally. Eight percent of grasslands remain in the world, but only 1-2% of native tall prairie remains in North America, and Montana has some of the most extensive contiguous sections throughout the United States. Grasslands aren’t just grass but are made up of many interlocking and interdependent relationships, including cattle and, of course, 30 million bison before them, roaming, grazing, and fertilizing the land with their manure, composting it with their movements over vast swaths, improving soil health, sequestering carbon, accelerating photosynthesis and boosting biodiversity.  

“There’s a huge spectrum of benefits to grasslands that cattle are still able, if managed properly, to help conserve and protect threatened ecosystems,” says author, conservationist, and rancher Lynne Spriggs O’Connor over the phone. 

The O’Connors are ranchers who partnered with the Audubon Society as part of the Conservation Ranching Initiative. Audubon created this initiative after recognizing that over the last half-century, grassland birds have suffered an unparalleled decline resulting from grasslands being plowed for agriculture, disturbed for oil and gas exploration, and developed due to suburban sprawl. Audubon strives to counter the negative impacts of grassland habitat and biodiversity loss by encouraging ranchers to protect grasslands in several ways, including education and financial incentives to those who practice good stewardship, with new options for labeling and certifying their beef products. This market-friendly conservation approach will enable consumers to contribute to grassland conservation efforts by purchasing beef from Audubon-certified ranches. The meat is not only sustainably raised but also benefits and conserves wildlife habitat for songbirds and many other species, reminding me of one of Montana’s infamous bumper stickers, “Cows not Condos.” 

Lynne’s husband, Harrison, first purchased this land in 1990. This little piece of paradise is part of a larger area of Montana cattle country that includes vast expanses of old-growth grasslands, places where a diversity of native grasses have never been plowed.  

Lynne, a museum curator, left city life behind and moved to rural Montana in 2003. Upon meeting Harrison, she found herself suddenly “alone” on an isolated ranch with her dog and an unusual man, hundreds of nomadic elk, a herd of cattle, horses, and all sorts of birds. She wrote the story of this transformative time in her life—“Elk Love: A Montana Memoir” will be released in June. The memoir describes the wonder of her earliest experiences listening in nature to unfamiliar languages and stepping into rare and inspiring intimacies.  

When she began her new life in Montana, for instance, she thought of grass as little more than what is typically found in a city yard, mowed regularly, sprayed and kept clean.  

“After moving here, grasslands came alive for me in various ways,” Lynne says. “Moving through high native grasses while hunting with dogs, I began to learn how deeply interrelated everything is, how many species depend on grasslands for their survival, how grasslands provide everything—food, water, shelter—and at the same time, how these same grasslands and every living thing that depends on them are threatened.” 

Forests, shrubs and even wetlands are often components of grasslands, marking the edges in folds, natural draws, and coulees across the landscape like a quilt, attracting notable species to these edges or ecotones between biomes.  

“I came to admire the brilliance of different ecosystems in nature, appreciating how they are tied to one another, which [also] turns out to be vital for specific species; the edges are so interesting. Shrubs within our grasslands are also crucial in terms of bird habitat as they produce berries that sustain them, provide safe cover and good nesting places, and hold moisture by capturing snow that is then gradually released back to the grass,” she says.  

Working the land with conservation in mind 

Audubon’s Conservation Ranching Initiative unites private landowners, farmers and ranchers who care about the health of both their livestock and wild birds and are invested in caring about the bottom line: soil and grass health. Audubon is building a network of ranches to help private landowners become better stewards. This initiative requires ranchers to practice rotational grazing, where ranchers don’t wear down or impact the land too much.  

“Rotational grazing has to do with a seasonal sensitivity to the tenderness of things—early new spring grasses require much shorter grazing periods than mid-summer grasses, while longer grazing cycles can occur in the fall in pastures of long-cured grasses,” Lynne explains.  

The O’Connors’ first step to implementing rotational grazing was mapping all their valley’s pastures, looking at the different cycles throughout the year—when bulls are allowed to be with cows to breed and when to be separated, for example—matching that with how many cattle can graze a certain acreage and not overwork the land. They also examined the weather and how much moisture is in the soil at any given time. Cattle can do considerable damage to land that is too wet, so good ranchers keep the hooves on the move by sanctioning them off certain areas at certain times of the year. 

Rotational grazing increases soil fertility, reduces impacts on root systems, creates more grass, and boosts pasture productivity by allowing time for the land and grass to rest and bounce back after grazing intervals. It also encourages the land to be more drought-resistant. Regenerative grazing requires consistent animal monitoring to see how long cattle and horses remain on specific parcels of land, allowing the animals to graze consistently but moving them around.  

The O’Connors mix biochar in the cattle feed during winter to improve digestive health and help sequester carbon by reducing methane. They don’t use pesticides on the property, which helps encourage dung beetles. Dung beetles break down the carbon in cow patties, which enriches the soil, and many birds, like grouse, feed on the beetles. Dung beetles seek out the nitrogen in feces that helps build proteins and muscles in the insects’ bodies. The O’Connors also provide their cattle seaweed from an Icelandic mineral mix, which enhances immunity, boosts meat quality, helps increase weight gain and reduces stress associated with weaning. 

“There are so few relatively pristine environments left,” Lynne says. “There’s a lot of work to be done that requires growing awareness. The most important thing I’ve learned is coming to truly care. That happened when I slowed down and spent time listening and observing in nature. Curiosity led me to remarkable experiences of wonder and gratitude—the kinds of unimagined experiences that change everything.” 

The O’Connor Ranch was a perfect candidate for Audubon’s Conservation Ranching Initiative because they were already employing many of the requirements needed to protect one of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet. Suppose you are a rancher or farmer who wants to get involved and learn more. Here’s a link.  

Benjamin Alva Polley is a place-based storyteller with stories published in Outside, Adventure Journal, Popular Science, Field & Stream, Esquire, Sierra, Audubon, Earth Island Journal, Modern Huntsman, and other publications at his website www.benjaminpolley.com/stories. He holds a master’s in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism from the University of Montana.