Western Landowners Alliance

New podcast episode! Sheepish Solutions to Water Conservation with Linda Poole Today we sit down with Linda Poole, a rancher and the working lands director at Western Landowners Alliance. Linda and her border collies and livestock guardian dogs care for colored finewool sheep, laying hens and sometimes cattle on her prairie homestead south of Malta, Montana. In 2023 Linda was awarded a Field Work Project grant from the LOR Foundation, which allowed her to experiment with different ways to use waste wool to combat water scarcity and improve soil health on her ranch. Listen to the full conversation wherever you listen to podcasts. https://lnkd.in/g247h-D3

Western Landowners Alliance is proud to present this year's Sheep Tales Gathering to kick off the Trailing of the Sheep Festival on Friday, October 4, 2024 at 7:00pm at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum, Idaho. The panel conversation will explore the importance of both private and public lands, the critical role of agriculture in conservation and obstacles that landowners face in stewarding these landscapes. Moderated by: Dr. Jared Talley, Boise State University Professor in Environmental Science and Governance Featuring: Lesli Allison, Founding Member and Chief Executive, Western Landowners Alliance Sara Berman, Owner & Operator, Squash Blossom Farm, Bellevue, Idaho Hailey Wilmer, Research Rangeland Management Specialist at the USDA-ARS Range Sheep Production Efficiency Research Unit Panelists will dive into the world of innovative tools and practices being used by landowners and producers to benefit the habitat they steward and the humans and wildlife that depend on it. The panel will also highlight the idea of stewardship beyond boundaries: the need for all of us - landowners, sportsmen, recreationalists, ranchers, rural and urban residents - to look beyond the boundaries of our land or immediate self-interests. The future of the West is dependent on building healthy landscapes that work for us all. Get your tickets here! https://lnkd.in/gRBfrCTJ

The 200 residents of Lostine, Oregon, never expected their small town to become a hotspot for wolf conflict. Kate Barrett and Paul Survis of Ruby Peak Farms were among the first to experience depredations – losing three ewes and 19 lambs in a single night last year. However, this year, despite penning the sheep at night and using Fox Lights and fladry, they lost all three of their rams and one of Kate’s favorite ewes, Windy. After 24 years without predator conflict, Kate and Paul had lost 26 in 12 months. That’s when Kim Kerns, WLA contractor and a sheep and cattle producer in nearby Umatilla County with experience mitigating conflict with wolves, stepped in to help. Read the full story from Western Landowners Alliance's Avery Shawler at On Land online: https://lnkd.in/gsQCCbyq

PREMIER THIS WEEK: Join us this Thursday, September 12th at 1pm MDT for an exclusive online screening of Grizzlies and Grazing, a film that explores how the fate of both grizzlies and ranchers are deeply intertwined.   The 15 minute film will be followed by a panel conversation and Q&A featuring some of the ranchers and stewards who are at the heart of this critical conservation effort. Register for free here: https://lnkd.in/gG_6yizb

Sabino Rivera's family have lived on his family's farm in rural northern New Mexico for five generations. Lately, their new neighbors—a herd of elk—have been causing some trouble. "A River of Elk Flows Through Heaven" tells the story of one family seeking help to keep both themselves and the wildlife that they share their home with safe. When implementing conservation funding within rural communities, creative problem-solving and leaps of faith can make all the difference. This is a great video from our friends at Intermountain West Joint Venture! https://lnkd.in/gQ9Sxz86

New from On Land! From biochar to Farm Bill policy to watershed restoration, here's the roundup of the latest from On Land.  https://lnkd.in/gW8-2ZFm

New On Land Podcast episode! Today, we sit down with Chrissy McFarren of Badger Creek Ranch in Cañon City, Colorado. Chrissy shares her journey from a first-generation rancher, originally from California, to becoming a dedicated land steward in the American West. We explore the challenges and triumphs of managing a 6,500-acre ranch, where Chrissy and her team balance the demands of producing food with the critical work of land conservation, including her innovative strategies she employs to restore and preserve the Badger Creek watershed, including the use of virtual fencing and prescribed grazing techniques. Listen to the full interview: https://lnkd.in/gKtbgZDY

Meet Sisto Hernandez, our New Mexico resource coordinator! Like all of our team, Sisto is really engaged in his community. Recently, he was helping out with the queen and princess pageant orientation for the White Mountain Apache Tribe Fair & Rodeo (and rumor has it Sisto is a bronc riding legend!) Here's a bit more about Sisto: Sisto Hernandez is a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona. He comes from a ranching heritage on both sides of his family. His maternal grandfather & great-grandfather were both cattle owners on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona. His paternal grandparents operated a ranch in northern Chihuahua Mexico. Sisto serves as the Vice President of the Grasshopper Livestock Association. The Grasshopper Livestock Association is a Tribal grazing collective that operates on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The association is comprised of 14 members. Before joining WLA, Sisto was the rangeland management specialist for the White Mountain Apache Tribe for 16 years. There he assisted Tribal ranchers in accessing and participating in USDA programs, as well as representing his Tribe and serving as president of the Mexican Wolf/Livestock Council for Arizona & New Mexico. In his role on the council he was instrumental in promoting tolerance, the implementation of proactive coexistence practices, and depredation compensation. Sisto is a strong advocate of ranching, agriculture, natural resources & wildlife conservation. We're grateful to have you on the team, Sisto! 📸 Thanks to Colby Photography in Clifton, AZ for allowing us to share these photos!

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington pulls out of agreement to provide wolves to Colorado: https://lnkd.in/gRTXy2Gz

💧🌱  #OnLand: Students from the Wild Rockies Field Institute are learning to build rock weirs at the Kalsta Ranch located in Montana's Big Hole Valley. These structures slow and spread water during flash floods, giving life to native plants and preventing soil erosion.@wild_rockeies https://lnkd.in/efdduidu