Todd Graham
Manager, Sun Ranch LLC - Cameron, MT

Excerpt from Program:
"Montana's Madison Valley has experienced rapid growth in the past 10 years in terms of the number of subdivisions, number of people, absentee landowners, elk, wolves, and bears. Situated just off the northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park, the 928,000-acre valley is home to an abundance of wildlife and a rapidly changing landscape. Madison Valley ranchers realized that their way of life was dying and their ability to generate profit through ranching was dwindling. In 1996 they formed the Madison Valley Ranchlands Group to discuss issues facing ranching in the valley and become better stewards of the land. A prominent issue today is the 9,000 head of elk wintering in the valley: loved by absentee owners, hunters, and others, and scorned by traditional ranchers who lose so much of their livestock forage reserves. Forage lost to wildlife has become a severe economic threat to valley ranchers, and some are calling for a large-scale reduction in the elk herd. Citizens active in the valley's wildlife and conservation working committees have realized that collaboration in such a heated and rapidly changing atmosphere is the only means of promoting open space and the rural lifestyle so many people cherish. We are now seeking ways to promote the wildlife-related economy in the valley, while minimizing the lost grazing opportunities for ranchers. We are creating a coordinated grazing program where ranchers whose forage is lost to elk can find grass at key times of the year on absentee owners' ranches. We hope to drift livestock to higher elevations across property boundaries following elk in the springtime and drift them back down country on fresh grass in the fall ahead of the returning elk. Ranchers alone cannot make this happen. Conservation groups are bringing their knowledge of predators to the arena and are helping ranchers defend their livestock from bears and wolves. We hope to develop an enterprise where these same environmental groups then market this 'predator-friendly beef' to their own members. Collaboration involves everyone. We are now asking valley residents to review long-term wildlife and conservation plans for the entire valley. It is only through the work of all that the Madison landscape can be managed and enjoyed long into the future."

Presentation Outline:

• Setting
• Current Conflicts
• Collaborative Efforts
  • Coordinated Grazing Program
  • Range Riders
• Examining a Collaborative Organization
• Discussion