BLM Recognizes Ranchers for Exemplary Stewardship of Public Rangelands
the Bureau of Land Management recognized two ranches with federal grazing permits for their outstanding work to restore, enhance, and protect vital Western ecosystems.
The 2021 Rangeland Stewardship and Sagebrush-Steppe Awards were presented during the 2021 Public Lands Council (PLC) Annual Meeting. Honorees include the Dugout Ranch in Utah, Bruneau-Owyhee Sage-Grouse Habitat Project in Idaho, Reverse JL Bar Cattle Company in Colorado, and Nature Conservancy Great Basin Ecoregion.
“These awards for outstanding stewardship of Western landscapes are an important public recognition by BLM of something the agricultural community has known to be true for decades — ranching work is conservation work,” said PLC President Niels Hansen. “We applaud the innovation and commitment that these public lands ranchers have demonstrated to nurturing healthy rangeland ecosystems. Multiple use and active management are vital elements of a lasting, successful strategy for our nation’s public lands, and we appreciate BLM’s partnership with Western ranchers as we all work to conserve America’s stunning landscapes.”
PLC works in active partnership with the BLM, other federal agencies, and local land management offices to support an active, cooperative, and innovative approach to land management.
“Ecosystem services like restoring native grasslands are part and parcel of ranchers’ every-day work. Public lands ranchers have an innate commitment to the health of our environment. They will continue to do this work whether they’re in the spotlight or not, but these awards are a welcome recognition that their work matters,” said PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover. “Congratulations to these ranchers who have had such a positive impact on some of our nation’s most iconic landscapes.”
PLC has long advocated for the role grazing plays in protecting multiple use and maintaining vibrant ecosystems, strong local economies, and resilient rural communities.
“The Nature Conservancy and Redd Family are honored by the acknowledgment of their conservation and range management work on the Dugout Ranch,” said Matthew Redd, Project Manager for Dugout Ranch and Canyonlands Research Center. “We humbly accept the Rangeland Stewardship Award on behalf of this sacred landscape and all she sustains.”
“We are grateful to the BLM for our long partnership and their support of Landscape Conservation Forecasting™ to protect critical lands and wildlife,” said Louis Provencher, The Nature Conservancy’s Nevada Director of Science and Interim Utah Science Director. “We are very honored to receive this award and look forward to continuing to work with our public lands partners to help them lower costs and achieve their conservation goals.”
