High Divide Headwaters

The sagebrush steppe, though resilient, becomes ever more fragile when pressured by human activity. Scientists have long suspected that cattle grazing was one of the primary contributors to the degradation of sagebrush habitat. However, the results of a 2016 study show that “current grazing practices in the Centennial Valley appear to have minimal effects on sage-grouse reproduction and survival during nesting and brood rearing seasons.” That is to say, the typical good stewardship demonstrated by livestock grazers in these high-elevation pastures, such as not grazing in areas when sage-grouse are nesting, has long supported a place where ranchers and wildlife can live in harmony. This is one of the reasons why greater sage-grouse populations are stable in the High Divide while rapidly declining elsewhere.

Rather, the primary threats to Southwest Montana’s sagebrush steppe include habitat fragmentation caused by residential development and exurban expansion. Invasive plants, conifer encroachment and barriers such as fences are also responsible for the loss of these otherwise intact and resilient intermountain sagebrush seas.

The recent success of greater sage-grouse conservation is a testament to how The Nature Conservancy has brought private and public land managers together to achieve lasting conservation outcomes. In 2010 the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service declared the greater sage-grouse as a candidate species for future listing under the Endangered Species Act, an action that granted private and public land managers and wildlife managers five years to put all promising conservation tools to work in order to halt the range-wide decline of the bird. In September 2015, the service determined that protection for the greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act was no longer warranted. This outcome and future protection depend heavily on conservation opportunities and actions.

Ranching is not a business for the faint-hearted. There's coping with the whims of weather that may leave a rancher searching for water for their cattle in August or helping a calf into the world in the middle of a blinding April snowstorm. Even in good years, it's hard to turn a profit. Ranching is steeped in tradition, but modern technology may help make things a little bit easier on ranchers and the environment.

Across the High Divide Headwaters, The Nature Conservancy is working with ranchers through the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership to add high-tech tools to their traditional tool bag. And it is ranchers who are spreading the word.

Solar-powered wells and holding basins to collect snowmelt enable ranchers to spread their herds on to more remote pastures, easing grazing pressure on the more accessible areas. Virtual fencing uses electronic collars to direct cattle toward underutilized areas while excluding sensitive areas—all without a physical fence. Virtual fences also help wildlife whose movement can be thwarted by wire fences. GPS ear tags enable ranchers and range riders to monitor their herd's location without having to get on a horse or in a truck to track down the animals.

Third-generation rancher Colt High of the Broksle Ranch is a fan. “We're trying to cut costs and always improve the efficiency, so having this technology helps us better use our pastures and forage,” explains High. “And it cuts down on the labor and really opens up the possibilities of what we can do from a grazing perspective.”

As these new tools show promise, ranchers may become their greatest ambassadors. Through workshops and word of mouth, early adopters are bringing others on board. Eight ranches encompassing more than 250,000 acres have already embraced some form of technology.

TNC and our supporters have catalyzed this movement with information, skills and funding. Our staff scientists, along with partners, are measuring effects of the various tools, both environmentally and economically, so we can quantify their benefits. Those hard numbers, along with straight-shooting testimonials from respected ranchers who have put the technology to the test, will help encourage others to give the tools a try.