Grassland conservation could restore uniqueness of Northern Great Plains

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BY JOE DUGGAN

Imagine a prairie as big as an ocean.

Imagine riding a horse hours on end into the grasslands, seeing burrowing owls and ferruginous hawks, prairie dogs and swift fox, pronghorn and elk. Imagine coming over a hill as a herd of wild bison grazes in the distance.

Lewis and Clark beheld such sights as they made their way through the Northern Great Plains. Two hundred years later, however, such an experience can only be had in the imagination.

But if it were once again real, it would hold strong appeal for many - from history enthusiasts to wildlife watchers, hunters to hikers.

"People would come from all over the world to see it, and I believe, people would move to be near it," said Jonathan Proctor of Denver, coordinator of the Northern Plains Conservation Network.

Discussions of large-scale wildlife conservation often center on an either/or proposition. In the Great Plains, for example, land either raises cattle or grain or it's bought by the government and set aside for wildlife. Not surprisingly, private landowners typically regard such propositions with hostility.

The 16 conservation groups that formed the Northern Plains network believe large-scale conservation doesn't have to be either/or. And they believe conservation should exist in the public and private domain. And perhaps most importantly, they believe conservation on a grand scale could contribute significantly to revitalizing depressed Plains economies and struggling Plains communities.

In an effort to ignite discussion and recruit new partners in its vision, the network recently identified 10 areas on the Northern Great Plains as ripe for large-scale conservation opportunities. Included in the list is the Ogala National Grasslands in northwestern Nebraska.

The areas were identified in a conservation assessment titled "Oceans of Grass," released last month at the 7th Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference in Calgary, Alberta. All 10 areas fall within the Northern Great Plains Ecoregion, a 279,000-square-mile area that stretches from the Nebraska Sandhills to the glaciated plains of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan.

While four distinct geographic areas make up the ecoregion, they all share mixed grass prairie in common, said Curt Freese, an ecologist with the World Wildlife Fund in Bozeman, Mont. The fund, which directed the science in the report, considers the region of global significance because temperate grasslands are the least protected biome in the world. Only about 1.5 percent of Northern Great Plains are managed primarily for conservation.

"When it came to creating parks, reserves and maintaining wildlife, we skipped over the grasslands and went right to the rock, ice and forests of the Rocky Mountains," Freese said.

The assessment supports what conservationists already knew, that agricultural uses have dramatically transformed the region. But it also found a source of hope - about one-third of the prairie hasn't been plowed, meaning it could more easily be restored. Freese credited the stewardship of private landowners for keeping the land intact.

"Essentially, no species has gone extinct and so it can all be brought back," he said.

So how does the network propose bringing back Plains wildlife like bison and prairie dogs on a significant scale without infringing upon the rights of private landowners? The answer lies in the fact that these changes won't be imposed; they'll develop only through the input and cooperation of landowners and local community leaders.

In other words, an ocean of grass will only emerge through grassroots partnerships, said Tyler Sutton of Lincoln, who chaired the group's steering committee.

"It's going to take the cooperation of local communities," he said.

Some concrete ways large-scale projects could come about include setting up private land trusts to buy land from willing sellers, improve grazing practices on public and private lands in ways that favor wildlife, and create new incentives for private land managers to consider wildlife in their management.

Speaking for himself, Sutton said he does not foresee the government having a major role in the projects. Nor is the goal to create an unbroken grassland from Nebraska to Alberta, displacing cattle with bison. Those who would dismiss the report as an extension of the controversial Buffalo Commons theory would be mistaken.

"Cattle will always be king," Sutton said. "People think nothing but buffalo will be running around, but nobody's suggesting that. We're suggesting 10 to 15 percent of the land area in a 30- to 50-year time period would be in some sort of wildlife habitat management."

And by restoring large tracts of prairie, the region will showcase a natural amenity that is as unique to the Northern Great Plains as the Rocky Mountains are to front-range states. People will bring their binoculars, their camping gear, their hunting rifles and fishing poles - and their cash - to recreate in the grasslands.

Wildlife viewing generates $130 million a year in the Nebraska economy, triple that amount if hunting and and fishing are included, Sutton said.

"It's a reason for coming and it's a reason for not leaving," he said.

The concept is far from radical. None other than the Nebraska Department of Economic Development often encourages rural Nebraska communities to consider natural resources first as tourism attractions, rather than building a convention center or museum.

Market research shows ecotourists are typically professional, well-educated and with adequate free time and expendable income, said Dan Curran, the state director of travel and tourism.

"I look at an area like the Sandhills as an untapped resource," Curran said. "Its geography is unique in the nation."

Reach Joe Duggan at 473-7239 or jduggan@;journalstar.com.

What is the Northern Plains Conservation Network?

A loose affiliation of conservation groups, each with its own mission, that work together on large-scale grassland conservation.

The current membership is as follows:

n Alberta Wilderness Association

n Badlands Conservation Alliance

n Biodiversity Conservation Alliance

n Center for Native Ecosystems

n Central Montana Wildlands Association

n Conservation Alliance of the Great Plains (based in Lincoln)

n Defenders of Wildlife

n Denver Zoological Foundation

n Big Sky Conservation Institute

n Montana Big Open

n Prairie Hills Audubon Society

n Predator Conservation Alliance

n Sierra Club

n Society of Grasslands Naturalists

n The Wildlands Project

n World Wildlife Fund

For information, visit www.npcn.net or call Jonathan Proctor at (303) 376-4982.