Elk are essential components to a healthy ecosystem, and food source for many. They can also create some very complex dynamics, some that can get tense. In this episode we are focusing on the intersection of ranchers and landowners, elk populations, hunters, and wildlife biologists and agencies involved in guiding management of wildlife herds. This episode is for those directly involved (ranchers, agency, hunters, wildlife enthusiasts) and beyond as there are messages that speak to anyone involved in getting folks in a room together to work out problems, or who may be jaded with our polarized society and need some renewed faith that when we work together, we can move mountains, as a guest today says.
We are speaking with four longtime members of the Devil's Kitchen Management Team, which focuses on the Beartooth Wildlife Management Area north of Helena in Montana. This collaborative working group came together over 30 years ago, as ranchers, agency, and sportsmen who saw tensions around local elk herds building and did not want to end up in angry commission hearings. They took it upon themselves to begin managing the area, not only the elk herds but the greater ecosystem, in ways that worked for everyone, including the land and wildlife. Hear about the challenges, the methods of success, and why they have now become a model for collaborative groups on the landscape.
Guests: Bill Long (Solid Ground Consulting), Chase Hibbard (Sieben Livestock), Cory Loecker (Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Region 4 Wildlife Manager), and Dave Cole (Hunter & Sportsman)
Other LINKS:
Article: Hunting for elk management solutions in Devil's Kitchen
Article: Groups overlap on some ideas for improving elk management in Montana
Article: Citizens group holds virtual public meeting on Montana elk management plan
Montana Land Reliance
One Montana
Montana Master Hunter Program
Montana Citizens' Elk Management Coalition
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org
Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction
#elk #elkhunter #hunter #bowhunting #huntingseason #montana #ranching #rancher #wildlife #wildlifemanagement #collaborativeconservation #conservation #foodsystems #publiclands public lands
The Upper Yellowstone River: Part 2 - Recreation and a Call for Community Reconnection
The Upper Yellowstone River: Part 1 - The Floods & Listening to the River
Safe Passages for Wildlife and People
The Montana Legislative Session from an Indigenous Perspective
Uplifting community & connection through story: Marissa Hackett
Generations Indigenous Ways: Helene Gaddie (Life in the Land series)
Messengers for Health in Crow Nation: Alma McCormick (Life in the Land series)
Daniel Kemmis: The Politics of Place (Life in the Land series)
Creating Community and Representation in Outdoor Recreation
Reframing Rural: Sarah Vogel, the Farmer’s Lawyer
Gravel Pits and the Public Losing Their Voice
Old Salt Co-Op: Strengthening community and land stewardship through food (Life in the Land series)
Life in the Land: MT Fish, Wildlife, & Parks’ Mike Ruggles; agency partnerships in Central Montana
Life in the Land: Rancher & Community-led Conservation; Bud and Sheila Walsh
Life in the Land: Blackfeet Nation, Joe and Kathy Kipp, Stewardship as a rancher and community advocacy
Life in the Land: Bill Milton (Rancher), Collaborative Work & Resiliency, Central Montana Plains
Life in the Land: Big Hole Valley: Pedro Marques, Big Hole Watershed Committee
Life in the Land: Laura Nowlin; Rancher, Winnett ACES, Musselshell Watershed Coalition
Life in the Land: Big Hole Valley, USFWS Partners Program, Jim Magee
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