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The Olsons: Dedicated to the conservation of the Front
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| From left: Bud, Vi and Gary Olson |
Some people live in an area all their lives and never really know it.
And there are others, like Bud and Vi Olson, who know what a treasure they have in their everyday surroundings.
The Olsons, retired after many years of cattle ranching, live in their cozy log ranch house nestled in the cottonwood trees along the Teton River. This area, once home to the Metis people, continues to harbor the great grizzly, black bear, mountain lions, elk, deer, moose and a wide variety of critters and birds.
"We get a lot of visitors from around the country who just marvel at this. Where else can you see these animals just outside your front window?" asks Vi.
Because this is such a special place, the Olsons knew they would need to take special measures to protect it. So they did. In 1985 they sold their 1,600-acre ranch to The Nature Conservancy to become part of the Pine Butte Swamp Preserve. This action, by the Olsons and four other landowners, preserved the uniqueness of this land – where dinosaurs once roamed and where grizzlies still roam today on one of the last remaining low-elevation habitats in the lower 48 states.
But that’s not all. In 2001, the Olsons – along with their son Gary, daughter Judy and their families – agreed to a conservation easement on the family’s remaining 160 acres – their home and ranch headquarters – again, with the Conservancy.
"We want to see this land stay the same way it is now," says Bud. "Besides, this is not really our land," adds Vi. "We are just stewards of this place."
Those who know the Olsons are not surprised by their act.
"This deal represents the continued dedication of the Olsons to conservation," says Dave Carr, director of the Conservancy’s Rocky Mountain Front program. "Bud and Vi have been like parents to many of us who have had the pleasure of being their neighbors. They are outstanding folks and dedicated to the conservation of the Front."
Just north of the Pine Butte Preserve, the Olson property would have been prime for real estate development. "Not only is this property important to the biology of this area, but being adjacent to the preserve and the river, it is especially susceptible to subdivision. It is now protected in perpetuity from that," adds Carr.
Many of the visitors, while in awe of the stark beauty of the place, probably wouldn’t adapt well if they lived here, say the Olsons. "We have people who come here and try to impose their culture and values. Plus there seems to be a real paranoia about the grizzly bears," says Bud.
But for Bud and Vi, bears are just part of the great diversity of wildlife in the area. "The people who live here have pretty much acclimated themselves to the bears. For the long-term ranchers, bears are no big deal," he adds.
The Nature Conservancy, through conservation easements and other land protection efforts, strives to preserve well-managed ranches, viewing them as an effective way of preserving wildlife habitat and open space. Typically, Conservancy easements are negotiated to allow the landowner to continue current uses of the land, including grazing.
"Conservation easements have helped a lot of ranchers. They provide more options for ranchers interested in estate planning and keeping the land undeveloped," said Gary.
Preserving ranching – and keeping out subdivisions – also helps preserve some of the area’s history, an important issue for Bud and Vi. Their property was once a settlement of the Metis Indians, a mixed breed of French Canadian/Native Americans, and many gravesites are still visible on Olsons’ and surrounding lands.
Bud and Vi, along with several other area couples, helped to map and mark the Old North Trail in Teton County. The trail, which runs for hundreds of miles along the east face of the Rocky Mountains, was used as an Indian travel and trading route for centuries. Most of the trail in Teton County is on private property.
