American Prairie Reserve?

[drahthaar]

Anybody know anything about this group? I caught part of their program about the CMR and their holdings in MT yesterday on the TV. Then I get in this a.m. and look them up online, seems their number one contributor is the World Wildlife Fund. This couldn't be good, their website says hunting is/will be a part of their plans, but I kind of doubt it if the WWF has anything to do with them. Says they have aquired 120,000 acres of property in MT, and apparently have been buying up BLM leases for Bison?

 

[shoots-straight]

The BLM leases, would have no impact on hunters. I'm not sure what to expect either. Hopefully they will need to have the leases change over to let bison on as a use. I would hope some leverage would , or could be applied to keep hunting of the lands an option.

 

[Nemont]

Well you cannot "buy" a blm lease. You purchase the base property that the lease has been attached to and then you go from there. There are more technical terms but that is the basic idea. They are not the only conservation group who have large holding in south Phillips Country. TNC also bought a huge ranch some years ago that includes BLM leases. They allow hunting as of today.

It is difficult to stop such things as these organizations as they pay top dollar and even the roughest, toughest, most conservative cowboy at the end of their career has a hard time walking away from real money. The only real challenge is that these ranches are not going to be passed on as "working" ranches but I am uncertain they would be passed on anyway. In the end the hunting and public lands could be enhanced. The flavor of and composition of the surrounding communities will most likely be changed forever.

Having growing up on a cattle ranch and worked for ranchers in that area I am conflicted. As a capitalist and free market proponent, I believe this is a good thing. As a "local" watching it, this is a difficult thing to support but it is what the future holds.

Nemont

 

[drahthaar]

Sorry about the terminology.

I heard about this a couple years ago from someone that was over hunting the breaks. He was talking more in the context of conspriacy theories, removal of humans from large tracts of land throughout the west, "wildlands project" stuff, blah blah blah, whatever. I just happened to catch the show on natgeo. Didn't get that impression from the show, but saw the WWF on their site, and that is the part that got me wondering.

 

[1_pointer]

Hopefully they will need to have the leases change over to let bison on as a use. I would hope some leverage would , or could be applied to keep hunting of the lands an option.

I can't imagine that this wouldn't require a Land Use Plan admendment at the least and a complete revision at the most. That'd probably require years to just get the data collected and it written. I haven't heard of one in the last few years that has not been protested/appealled once finalized. On another note, I've worked with a guy who's collected quite a bit of data in an area of UT that've had bison replace cattle. At this place it has not been good for the overall health.

Well you cannot "buy" a blm lease. You purchase the base property that the lease has been attached to and then you go from there. There are more technical terms but that is the basic idea.

Purchase of base property is the easiest way to obtain a permit/lease, however it's not the only way. You can buy or lease a permit without having to buy or lease the base property, you just have to own/controll property that you can offer as base property. Clear as mud?

FWIW, in my dealings with some groups/folks involved with the Wildlands Project, they are not too terribly friendly to hunters. I would be very cautious of support for that group if you like to hunt or enjoy certain other types of recreation.

 

[TOM IN TENNESSEE]

And we can turn Masterdons, Sabre Tooth Cat, Cave Bear and camels loose and have it be like nature intended.....

 

[mtmiller]

On another note, I've worked with a guy who's collected quite a bit of data in an area of UT that've had bison replace cattle. At this place it has not been good for the overall health.

Bison issue or RMS issue?

FWIW, in my dealings with some groups/folks involved with the Wildlands Project, they are not too terribly friendly to hunters. I would be very cautious of support for that group if you like to hunt or enjoy certain other types of recreation.

Broadbrush?

 

[Randy11]

And we can turn Masterdons, Sabre Tooth Cat, Cave Bear and camels loose and have it be like nature intended.....

Being as we slaughtered those off for political reasons.

 

[1_pointer]

Bison issue or RMS issue?

Bison. Cattle are gone and the bison are wild. They are not kept to an allotment nor have a season of use. This person has documented a drastic decline in elk use in a large area after the removal of the cattle. Similarly, he's documented a huge decline in land/vegetation health in some areas (riparian and salt desert shrub specifically) due to the bison.

Broadbrush?

Probably, just relating my experience with some folks espousing the ideas/ideals of the Wildlands Project.