Conservation Ranching Across Borders

Back in October, the Science team traveled to Shelby, Montana, for the 2024 Transboundary Grassland Partnership (TGP) Workshop. The TGP is a voluntary, collaborative partnership working towards native grasslands conservation across an expansive international area between the U.S. and Canada, including the northern great plains of Montana.

A pre-workshop tour, hosted by the Piikani Lodge Health Institute, highlighted grazing management on the Blackfeet Reservation and introduced attendees to producers and wildlife managers in the region. After visiting ranchers, Blackfeet Community College, and several key project sites for PLHI’s regenerative grazing program, the tour ended at Chief Mountain. In June 2023, the tribe released a herd of 24 bison in the Chief Mountain Wilderness, which hadn’t supported wild bison for 150 years.

Conference attendees, including Chris Wilson, Audubon Conservation Ranching National Director, and Christian Meny, Montana Audubon Director of Conservation, at Chief Mountain.

The following two days continued with the theme of community, as speakers provided a diverse perspective on range management and food systems. These ranged from deeply personal relationships with the land up to the role international collaboration plays in the long-term health of grassland ecosystems. Represented groups included U.S. Fish & Wildlife, a variety of Canadian conservation organizations and local government staff, as well as familiar faces and Montana Conservation Ranching collaborators, including Western Sustainability Exchange, Rancher Stewardship Alliance, Winnett ACES, and Old Salt Coop. 

Conference attendees listen to a panel at the 2024 Transboundary Grassland Partnership Workshop in Shelby, MT.

Aanniih Nakoda College, Blackfeet Community College, and Fort Peck Community College capped off the conference with a session that was a particular highlight for Montana Audubon staff. In “Transferring Knowledge to the Next Generation,” attendees learned how tribal colleges are leading the conservation space by incorporating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) into range curriculum and research. Ending with a reminder of the complex web of relationships we call “grasslands” was the perfect send off for a drive through the prairie back to Helena.

Map of the Transboundary Grasslands Partnership Project Area. Credit: Alberta Prairie Conservation Forum: https://albertapcf.org/about-prairies/transboundary-grasslands.