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OFF Director, Cheryl Olseth, joined World Wildlife Fund (WWF) staff and fellow WWF Great Plains advisory committee members last week for an on the ground “field trip”. Tues. 50 bison were released following two decades of collaboration between tribal members, WWF and the National Park System, into a nearly 40,000-acre range unit known in Lakota as Oonak̄ijiŋ, or “the Stronghold.” It was a very special day for the many tribal members and NGO partners who gave time and resources to ensure bison would be reintroduced on to the landscape they roamed for millennium.
Wed. The committee visited Dry Creek Farm & Ranch, a sustainable ranching partner. WWF currently has 151 enrolled ranches. With this program ranchers agree not to till for ten years, and WWF provides funding for education courses, prairie grass reseeding, cattle collars for fenceless grazing to name just a few benefits. Fun fact: Some prairie grasses like the Big Bluestem have 25-foot roots, which hold the soil, retain water, creating healthy forage for cattle even during this many years drought. We also drove deep in to the Black Hills to view a site where beaver dams are being created by young scientists. Willow, pine, sheep wool are woven together and then packed with mud building an effective dam. It is a much more arduous process for humans than beavers. Note the teeth on the beaver skull. The goal is to increase the number of beavers and their range throughout the Black Hills. Like bison, beavers are keystone species which are necessary to ensure an arid ecosystem can hold water even through the driest months. Thur. We visited the Dakota Partnership Ranch, a first of a kind project. The project is unique for several reasons. A.) NGOs worked together with a wide variety of donors to ensure The Nature Conservancy was able to raise the necessary $37 million to purchase the property. B.) WWF as an organization does not own land but agreed to find a way to purchase the bison herd so that the herd could remain in this landscape. C.) Most importantly, TNC will be turning the property back to the 4 tribes whose land this once was.
WWF Spring National Council meeting focused on returning water to the Rio Grande / Rio Bravo rivers, one of America`s most endangered and most stressed rivers. The meeting was kicked off by honoring New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich for a lifetime commitment to conservation. In the indoor classroom we heard how Jaguars which had disappeared from Northern Mexico and the Southwest USA, are slowly moving back in to these areas. A huge conservation win. In the outdoor classroom, we hiked to a tributary of the Rio Grande to learn about eDNA, a new and innovative way to measure biodiversity. The following day was spent outdoors at Bandolier National Monument, a historic site of the Pueblo people`s. WWF continues to protect nature by including the communities who reside within these important habitats. Native Chefs Lois Ellen Frank and Walter Whitewater prepared a stunning meal and shared the importance of reviving traditional foods within their community. This tied well with a talk Native Nations Conservation and their relationship with the land and animals.
Mid April, Cheryl joined WWF supporters from across the USA to lobby Congressional members to protect our nation`s grasslands, home to 59 million people, 2900 plant species, 200 bird species, 120 mammal species and 100 fish species. We are losing this natural treasure at an alarming rate: 1.9 million acres in 2022 alone. We need strong federal policies to reverse the loss of grassland and biodiversity. Keeping grasslands healthy makes them more resilient to droughts, floods and wildfires.
Early in April, Naseem Munshi and Mike Tupper hosted fellow WWF staff and National Council members for evening and morning viewing of the Sandhill Crane Migration. 600,000 cranes stop along the Platte river in Nebraska for approximately one month each Spring. They gather in immense flocks from dusk to dawn in this shallow river. They increase body weight feeding on last year`s corn crop remnants before ending the migratory journey in Northern Alaska and Canada. The farmers embrace the birds presence as they clear their field for the upcoming planting season. This migration compares to Africa`s Wildebeest migration and it is right here in the USA. We also spent an additional day, viewing the Prairie Chicken`s lek, an entertaining mating ritual.
Happy Earth Day. 🌎 Spent the past few days with WWF National council members in Santa Fe, NM.
The meeting kicked off by honoring New Mexico’s Senator Tim Heinrich for his lifelong commitment to conservation.
We learned how reintroducing beavers to the Rio Grande Basin is helping improve the entire river ecosystem. Beaver dams retain water in this drying watershed.
WWF Mexico is aiding critically endangered Jaguars, in Northern Mexico and the Southwest US. They are slowly moving north and if all continues to go well, the jaguars will establish a breeding population after decades of near extinction in this location.
With WWF’s focus on planetary health, we always have time outdoors enjoying what we all love best, nature.
This year we gathered eDNA from a tributary of the rio grande. eDNA analysis allows scientists to document all species in the area. Google it…very cool.
Ended our meeting with a half day hike in Bandolier National Monument.
Keeping with the Southwest culture, we enjoyed a completely native meal by two local James beard award winning chefs.
Minnesota contingent off to lobby for grasslands preservation. #wwf
Kicking off two days of lobbying for the grasslands and all the species which thrive in this critical ecosystem.
Tonight The Steger Wilderness introduced to their many supporters how facilitated small groups will utilize this unique campus to address complex problems. Proud to contribute to Will’s visionary problem solving.
