None The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming Press Releases Search All Press Releases Kerry Brophy-Lloyd email: kbrophy@tnc.org phone: 307-335-2135

Local Couple Takes the Reins at Heart Mountain Ranch

POWELL, WY— May 2, 2008— After growing up on a farm in the shadows of Heart Mountain, Carrie Peters and her husband, Brian, have taken the reins as ranch managers at The Nature Conservancy’s Heart Mountain Ranch.

“Heart Mountain Ranch is a great community resource, and we’re really excited to be on board,” says Carrie Peters, who grew up in Powell on a family farm near where her grandparents homesteaded in 1949. She and Brian now own the original homestead and live in the farmhouse her grandparents built.

“Both Brian and I feel that Heart Mountain is such an iconic place in Park County—everybody knows where it is and of course it’s been a big part of my family’s history,” Peters says. “Heart Mountain Ranch is just a really cool combination of bringing conservation and agriculture together in a nice package—it’s a learning opportunity for ways we can still have working landscapes while also being good stewards of the land.”

The Peters’ responsibilities on Heart Mountain Ranch include managing the ranch’s community grassbank, pastures that provide alternative grazing for ranchers pursuing conservation projects on their home ranges. The couple is also conducting several water enhancement projects to manage cattle in riparian areas and combat the spread of cheat grass and other invasive weeds.

The Nature Conservancy purchased the 15,000-acre Heart Mountain Ranch in 1999. The ranch encompasses the north and east slopes of Heart Mountain and a portion of the surrounding plains. It supports one of the greatest concentrations of rare plants ever discovered on private property in Wyoming. Many native mammals also are seen here, particularly elk, mule deer and antelope.

For several years, Wyoming Department of Game & Fish biologists have studied and inventoried a prominent sage grouse lek found on the ranch. Biologists are also conducting an ongoing elk behavioral study that tracks how elk are migrating in and out of the Heart Mountain area.

“Our goal on the ranch is to be good neighbors,” says Carrie Peters, who has a degree in animal science from the University of Wyoming. She’s also secretary of the local Farm Bureau Federation. “Our approach at The Nature Conservancy is first and foremost to focus on partnerships that benefit the land and the community.”

Laura Bell, who directs the Conservancy’s Northwest Program in Cody, says the Peters are a perfect fit for Heart Mountain Ranch. “They have such a strong connection to this place and this community,” Bell says. “They’re a great example of the next generation taking over as stewards of our working lands, and their enthusiasm is really contagious.”

The Peters welcome the public to come out and enjoy Heart Mountain Ranch. It’s open for non-motorized access, including hiking and horseback riding. The ranch is also a Wyoming Game & Fish hunter management area. Trails starting on the ranch lead all the way to Heart Mountain’s summit.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.