Connecting with Ranchers in the Green River Valley
Avery Anderson
(Note: Avery was an intern with NRCC in the summer of 2006. She now works for the Quivira Coalition in New Mexico.)
The human-wildlife relationship in
the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
(GYE) is at a tipping point. Humans
and wildlife have competing area and
resource requirements and population
growth in both camps has increased the
number of confrontational incidents. The
term “human-wildlife relationship” is
rapidly being replaced with a new term:
“human-wildlife conflict.”
Within the GYE, human-wildlife conflict is most pronounced between humans and large carnivores, namely wolves and grizzly bears. The territory expansion of these two species is at least partially due to ranching activities; livestock grazing in remote, federally managed, national forests are an easy target for carnivores who occupy those same areas. Our challenge for the future will be to determine how to balance the habitat requirements of America’s most iconic carnivores with the priority of maintaining the cultural integrity of a group of people who have served as some of the most important stewards of working lands in the West.
My research during the summer of 2006 attempted to address this delicate balance of human and wildlife needs and the history of this somewhat volatile relationship. Specifically, I focused on hearing the voices of the frustrated ranching community in the Upper Green River Valley area, Sublette County, Wyoming. At the southern boundary of the GYE, and bordering the Bridger Teton National Forest, the Upper Green River Valley has been a hotspot for livestock depredation in Wyoming over the last decade.
Although formal land and resource management in the West is the responsibility of various federal and state agencies, a majority of daily informal resource management decisions are made by the ranching community. In addition to the land they officially own, ranchers are also unofficially responsible for caring for the range on federally managed livestock grazing allotments. These areas tend to be hotspots for wildlife conflict, as livestock roam freely in open pasture for months at a time.
The ranchers with whom I spoke graze their livestock on Forest Service allotments at the northern end of the Upper Green River Valley, and they are organized in a group known as the Upper Green Cattlemen’s Association (UGCA). This association is the largest in the country, based on the acreage of their allotments and the number of Animal Units per Month (AUMs) grazing on the land. On the whole, I found this community of ranchers to be extremely knowledgeable about the landscape, in tune with land conservation values, and eager to play a role in creating realistic management strategies for the range itself and the wildlife that lives there.
Involving local people in conservation, commonly referred to as community based natural resource management (CBNRM), is not a new idea, nor is it one that is unique to the GYE. R. Nelson comments, “[t]he CBNRM advocates have argued that successful wildlife conservation requires the assistance of local populations and have emphasized the importance of local economic benefits in order to create positive incentives for the protection of wildlife” (Nelson 2003). Likewise, conservation in the GYE is dependent upon local community initiation and commitment to long-term support. Therefore, any carnivore management strategy must be grounded in a realistic and contextual framework that recognizes the economic needs and cultural motivations of local players.
My research was both extraordinarily satisfying and exhausting. Ranchers are very busy during the summer, and therefore many of my interviews were conducted before sunrise or after sunset. Whether I was sitting around a kitchen table, or out riding on the allotment, topics of conversation with the ranchers and ranch hands ranged from carnivores to grandchildren–and everything in between. I learned a tremendous amount, and at the same time accomplished my research goal of creating the space (between ranchers and “greenies”) to have hard conversations about controversial land/resource management issues. Our honest dialogue was founded in mutual respect for one another, and in addition to exchange of ideas, real friendships were formed. I consider myself very fortunate to have found these “professors on horseback.”
Although the GYE is renowned for its distinctive geographic landscapes and intact ecosystems, it is not just an ecological treasure. The GYE is also home to a community of ranchers who wake up every day and pour themselves into working and caring for the land. Given the ecological significance of the GYE, it is our obligation as conservationists to engage in open discussion with these stewards of the landscape. Ranchers, conservationists, and resource managers must work together to rebuild respect and find common ground solutions that protect both ranchers’ livelihoods and carnivore populations. The success of carnivore conservation is hinged on a contextual, inclusive, and respectful decision making process. Starting conversations across differences is where I have decided to begin.
Nelson, R. 2003. Environmental Colonialism: “Saving” Africa from Africans. Independent Review, Vol. 8, Issue 1.