RSA Launches Inaugural Membership Drive

When Ranchers Stewardship Alliance formed in 2003, we started with the desire to keep grasslands along the Northern Great Plains intact and its agricultural producers flourishing. That desire has continued throughout the last 19 years of the organization’s history. Today, the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance is committed to supporting our ranching, conservation, and rural communities as we work collaboratively to maintain these ranching communities which producers have long cared for.

Here is a look at how RSA has impacted our ranching, conservation, and rural communities across the last two years to increase the resiliency of ranch businesses, our grasslands, and wildlife habitat. 

As the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance continues to press forward with our mission, we know our programs aren’t slowing down in 2023.  

For the first time in organizational history, we are offering an opportunity to be a part of our solution-based mission.  

Our inaugural 2023 membership is open, and we are inviting you to be one of the original Ranchers Stewardship Alliance members. 

Your membership commitment to the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance will continue to build the treasured grassland communities, maintain open spaces, increase wildlife habitat, and produce food and fiber for the rest of the world. This membership is  informal and non-voting, but your voice is still valued and encouraged!  As a committed member, we would also invite you to inquire about serving on one of our planning committees.

 

Interested? CLICK HERE for membership details.

RSA Receives National Recognition

2021 Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Annual Report

While 2021 was a year full of challenges and trials, it was also a year where we saw the intersection of “ranching, conservation, and communities” truly create “a winning team.” The severe drought, not just in our northern Montana counties, but across a large sweep of the region, brought with it feed shortages, water concerns, and even tough decisions for ranchers to destock their herds if their hunt for feed supplements or additional pasture came up short. However, in the face of that, the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) truly embraced its mission leading to one of its most successful years to date.

We hosted multiple inaugural events and educational efforts, saw new participants seeking information from a larger region, forged stronger partnerships with those who shared our concern of preserving this range when drought placed it under pressure, and helped ranchers manage a bit more effectively by implementing water projects when they were needed most. And none of that could have happened if it wasn’t for dedicated RSA staff rolling up their sleeves, our loyal Board of Directors taking time out of their own strained schedules for the greater good of our collective mission, and our reliable partners continually seeing the need for and providing assistance through collaborative
conservation.

Throughout this Annual Report, it’s evident the work RSA was able to achieve with the help of our staff, Board, and partners was necessary for not only ranchers, but for the greater good of our communities. Events like the Rural Resilience webinar series, the book club, and the Soil Health Tour convened thousands of participants craving more knowledge, seeking new relations, and embracing adaptive management to better their businesses, their local communities, and their part of this larger landscape. The miles of fence and waterlines, and the many new tanks and wells all illustrated not just the ranchers dedication to conservation, but our partners willingness to help improve this
ecosystem for everyone involved – people, livestock, and wildlife.

Looking back at 2021, we may initially remember heat, grasshoppers, water shortages, and drought, but let’s not fail to acknowledge the many wins we experienced – each one coming about because in the face of adversity, we chose to come together as a winning team working collaboratively for ranching, conservation, and community.

Leo Barthelmess, RSA Board President

View a full digital version of the 2021 Annual Report here. Want to receive a printed copy? Email Anna at [email protected] to request your copy!

2021 Impact Report

Hi friends,

We’re so grateful that you’ve been a part of this Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Community over the past year. Together, we’ve made progress in our aim to help multi-generational and beginning ranchers build the collaborative, trusting relationships and community-based solutions we need to create healthy working landscapes and vibrant rural communities.

Here are a few highlights that you helped make happen in 2021:

Last year, the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance’s Conservation Committee worked with 18 ranch families in Phillips, Blaine, and Valley Counties to help implement grazing land improvements aimed to increase the resiliency of their ranch business, our grasslands, and wildlife habitat.

Ranchers Stewardship Alliance committed more than $377,000 to these projects. Conservation Committee partners and the ranchers & landowners themselves contributed another $1.8 million to the projects. That means that together, we invested more than $2.1 million in grassland & grazing improvements that impacted our local communities’ economies this year.

That included:

• 60 miles of wildlife friendly fence built
• 4,500 acres of grazing habitat restored to perennial habitat and native grasses
• 192,595 feet of water pipeline laid for enhanced water systems
• 60 livestock tanks installed with 25 bird escape ramps
• 5 new water wells for stock tanks for enhanced water systems

Our Education Committee cranked its efforts up a notch last year, too!

In July 2021, RSA partnered with Winnett ACES and area Conservation Districts to host a five-stop Nicole Masters Soil Health tour, gathering 221 ranchers across our region for hands-on soil health training and analysis.

The inaugural Graziers’ Gathering in October 2021 focused on elevating local ranching knowledge and experience in peer-to-peering ranching TED-styled talks. The event sold out in the first two weeks of ticket sales!

We hosted our first two Ranch Stewards Book Club sessions, featuring Nicole Master’s For the Love of Soil and Dr. Fred Provenza’s Nourishment. These virtual discussion groups created a community that spans the Northern Great Plains for inspiration to read, learn, grow, and create stimulating discussion around ideas that matter to healthier landscapes, people, and animals.

The first five sessions in the Rural Resilience webinar series shared world-class speakers and innovative ranching and conservation ideas with 944 registered guests, representing up to 26 different states, right in the comfort of our ranch homes!

We share these numbers and celebrations as a constant reminder that even in tough years — the years where drought tests our faith and economic challenges try our spirits — we can still grow and learn and build more resilient ranches, landscapes, and communities to not just weather the next storm, but to thrive in doing what we love.

Thank you for your support, encouragement, and participation in 2021.

You can help continue these efforts in 2022.

Our 2021 Impact Report is in the mail! Check out the digital copy here. We’re looking forward to growing stronger in 2022.

Join the Winning Team: Executive Assistant position now open!

This position has been filled!

Ranchers Stewardship Alliance

Executive Assistant

Ranchers Stewardship Alliance is a fast-growing, rancher-led organization based in Malta, Montana. We exist to help multi-generational and beginning ranchers build the collaborative, trusting relationships and community-based solutions we need to create healthy working landscapes and vibrant rural communities.

Ranchers Stewardship Alliance is an organization nationally recognized for its leadership in building partnerships that provide education and implement stewardship practices and principles supporting vibrant communities, multi-generation family ranches and healthy ecosystems. Our mission statement is Ranching, Conservation, Communities – a Winning Team!

Ranchers Stewardship Alliance is seeking an Executive Assistant to contribute to our mission and to be a member of this winning team.

Our ideal candidate is:

• Self-starting; a logical worker who can see needs and work independently.
• Tech-savvy; a problem-solver who can help make webinars function seamlessly, who thinks tracking data and spreadsheets is fun, and who can integrate new software that helps the whole team be more successful.
• Detail-oriented; a focused task-master who makes sure every mission is checked off the list,
• Team-focused; a helper who ensures other team members, customers and partners have the information and resources they need to be successful.

We offer:

• A flexible workplace; this position be based Malta, Montana, office the majority of the time. We offer flexible remote work when on occasion, when needed.
• A winning team; we’re a small team, but we’re growing quickly and opportunities continue to abound. If you care about ranching, these prairie landscapes and our rural communities, you’ll be a part of meaningful work that makes a positive impact on all three.
• Room to grow; we value learning, wise growth and getting better every day. We bring in educational speakers and workshops for our ranching community and work to invest in our own professional skills so we can continue to serve.

The details:

• Ideally, we envision this position is 20 hours a week with a starting wage of $18/hr.
• Each employee serves a 3–6-month probationary period to determine if we fit together
• Because we work largely with volunteers and in events, some evenings, early mornings, and weekends are required. We’re flexible with your work hours because we’re flexible to our work needs!

DETAILED JOB DUTIES FOR OPERATIONS MANAGER:

Support Staff

• The main go-to person and support staff for the Conservation Coordinator, Finance & Grant Administrator, and the Communications & Outreach Leader
• Your duties as support staff may vary widely with an opportunity to learn many new skills and functions of our organization

Day-to-day operations  

• Mail, mailings, preparing bank deposits,
• Answer phone, relay messages, and maintain local office communication.
• Email inbox management and exodus
• Filing, scanning, & organizing systems; updating filing systems and scanning with naming protocol
• Contribute to the organization and coordination of community events and functions (PC Proud, educational workshops, tours, etc.) by leading logistics, including entertainment, location, equipment, educational materials, programs, door prizes, food, etc.

Committee management  

• Creating agendas, notes, and reports, setting up zooms, keeping schedules, moving work forward for committee
• Notify RSA board, committees, members, partners and the community of monthly meetings and committee meetings
• Organize and edit all incoming information for all RSA meetings. Assist the Project Leader in organizing meetings and developing agendas for monthly RSA meetings.
• Set up Zoom meeting links & reserve conference room for meetings, compile and print meeting packets for meetings; record, distribute and file RSA monthly meeting minutes.

Charity Proud software and database management  

• Self-teaching opportunity! Learn the Charity Proud Customer Relationship Management software to handle customer/partner database management.
• Manage RSA calendar, grant deadlines, physical mailing and electronic mailing list
• Maintain record of director’s terms of office and election dates, and track attendance at meetings.
• Prepare donor acknowledgement letters

Technology management  

• Scan documents, establish and maintain an organized filing system.
• Transition electronic files to new online filing system, lead planning on naming system
• Manage office software systems, passwords, electronic inventory, etc.,

Please submit a resume, cover letter, and at least three professional references to:
Conni French at [email protected] and Angel DeVries at [email protected].

Applications will be collected until a suitable candidate is found.

Join the Winning Team: Communication & Outreach Leader position now open!

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS NOW CLOSED, June 8, 2022

This position has been filled

Ranchers Stewardship Alliance: Communications & Outreach Leader

Ranchers Stewardship Alliance is a fast-growing, rancher-led organization based in Malta, Montana. We exist to help multi-generational and beginning ranchers build the collaborative, trusting relationships and community-based solutions we need to create healthy working landscapes and vibrant rural communities.

Ranchers Stewardship Alliance is an organization nationally recognized for its leadership in building partnerships that provide education and implement stewardship practices and principles supporting vibrant communities, multi-generation family ranches and healthy ecosystems. Our mission statement is Ranching, Conservation, Communities – a Winning Team!

We are seeking a Communications & Outreach Leader to join our winning team and contribute to this mission.

Our ideal candidate is:

• Self-starting; you are an entrepreneurial leader who can see needs, seek creative solutions, and work independently.
• Relationship-centered; you are the ‘hub’ of the organization’s social life. You share stories, ideas, and connect people and partners. You bring energy and emotional intelligence to work with board, staff, volunteers, funders, partners, and our community.
• Mission-driven; you embody the mission of the organization, lead us in strategic planning, have a mission-driven vision for the future of ranching, conservation, and communities, and you are comfortable representing this mission publicly.
• Deeply connected; you are networked in and understand the ranching, conservation, and rural community scene. You bring connectivity to other similar organizations, current and potential partners, and funders, and are rooted in the rural and ranching way of life.

We offer:

• A flexible workplace; this position will be based in Blaine, Phillips, or Valley County, with an option for a flexible combination of remote work and time in the Malta office.
• A winning team; we are a small team, but we are growing quickly, and opportunities continue to abound. If you care about ranching, conserving prairie landscapes, and our rural communities, you’ll be a part of meaningful work that makes a positive impact on all three.
• Room to grow; we value learning, wise growth and getting better every day. We bring in educational speakers and workshops for our ranching community and work to invest in our own professional skills so we can continue to serve. 

The details:

• This is ideally a full-time position, but we are willing to start on a project-by-project basis.
• Each employee serves a 3–6-month probationary period to determine if we fit together.
• Because we work with volunteers and at events, some evenings, early mornings, and weekends are required. We’re flexible with your work hours because we’re flexible to our work needs! Some travel will be required.
• Full funding for this position is secured for at least one year, with opportunities and a desire to continue. Salary range is $40,000-$60,000 depending on experience and ability.

DETAILED JOB DUTIES FOR OUTREACH & COMMUNICATION LEADER:

Community Connections:

• Clearly communicate (written and verbally) Ranchers Stewardship Alliance’s mission and goals in compelling ways.
• Serve as primary point of contact and liaison for Ranchers Stewardship Alliance for outward facing communication and community leadership.
• Attend meetings with stakeholders, partners, and resource groups to inform, update and/or coordinate on Ranchers Stewardship Alliance activities such as tours and educational events.
• Lead the development of on-ranch volunteer opportunities and volunteer coordination.
• Work with your team to develop fundraising efforts; lead donor communication and relationship development and create opportunities for new funding sources.

Communication & Outreach:

• Create strategic annual communication plan, including annual report, appeals, and media outreach. Lead coordination of design, printing, and distribution of communication materials.
• Maintain a social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, webpage, etc.) and regular connection to our Ranch Stewards community through MailChimp newsletters.
• Work with outside contractors or self-produce video, audio, and print stories that illustrate our mission, vision, values, and achievements in meaningful ways.

Education & Workshop:

• Create a central ‘hub’ through the Education & Outreach Committee for the ranching community beyond Ranchers Stewardship Alliance’s traditional audience.
• Strategize, plan, and execute education and workshop calendar, including in person and virtual events, that reach community needs and ranching objectives.
• Provide leadership for Education & Outreach Committee for functions such as Annual Banquet, educational workshops, virtual webinars, tours, etc.; provide for project vision, core values and purpose, and then execute through agendas, speaker coordination, entertainment, materials, and advertisement.
• Provide public information through media outlets on Ranchers Stewardship Alliance activities, upcoming meetings, and opportunities for stakeholder participation and input.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

The ideal candidate will have proven experience in communication and leadership/project management. You demonstrate a working knowledge of grassland conservation and the ranching communities of the Northern Great Plains. A record of leadership and team building will help you seamlessly work with fellow staff, volunteer board of directors, and partners. Formal education or documented experience in communication, journalism, leadership, education, or other relevant topics is valuable.

Please submit a resume, cover letter, and at least three professional references to: Conni French at [email protected] and Angel DeVries at [email protected].

Volunteer fence maintenance a win-win for landowners, big game

By Martin Townsend, RSA Lands Coordinator  

This summer, an effort between conservation organizations and Blaine County ranchers at the Louie Petrie Ranch north of Turner, Montana offered two days of hands-on learning, practical ranch work, and collaboration to benefit ranching and pronghorn migration in the region.

The Obrecht family hosted more than 40 volunteers June 17 and 18 at their ranch to share how fencing and simple changes of wire heights can make huge impacts for migrating pronghorn. The Woody Island Coulee area is a key migration linkage for pronghorn. Hundreds of animals migrate through the area each year as they follow_­ the narrow strip of grassland from summer to winter ranges at each end.

Along the way, these animals can encounter fences that make travel difficult. This added stress can have negative impacts to their health and survivability, especially in harsh weather. Raising bottom wires on fences to 16-18 inches can greatly reduce these hindrances. This field day accomplished just that task for the benefit of migrating pronghorn as well as completed some needed fencing maintenance on the ranch.

The workshop started with presentations related to pronghorn migration and programs from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks and Pheasants Forever biologists. Tyrel Obrecht shared an overview of the ranch and gave a great explanation as to why they prioritize wildlife habit alongside their cattle grazing. The family has found that by managing their grazing in a way that benefits wildlife, their business benefits, too.

The group toured the ranch to see cropland that has been seeded to grassland and their use of temporary fence to help with plant recovery and carbon sequestration. By grazing small areas for short periods of time, and therefore allowing greater rest and recovery time after grazing, Obrecht said he has noted increased plant vigor and resiliency without sacrificing grazing capacity. This increase in plant response also helps provide high value food sources for wildlife. These are food sources pronghorn need while migrating through the area.

Next, volunteers either removed a bottom wire, clipped the next wire up in places, or re-hung at a height easier for pronghorn to get under. Most of the volunteers were conservation agency or organization employees with Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), Ducks Unlimited, World Wildlife Fund, Pheasants Forever, Ameri-corps and more. Surrounding ranchers also came and learned about pronghorn migration and provided support to the fencing crews.

While the volunteers worked on wires, ranching neighbors in UTV’s helped supply tools, moved crews and provided water as the afternoon got warm. The event brought together a diverse network of experiences and expertise: college-aged interns worked alongside state and regional agency directors; ranchers worked alongside employees of wildlife non-profits. Everyone got to meet someone new and directly contribute to improving habitat for wildlife and the ranch’s grazing infrastructure. Many of the participants camped on the ranch to get an early start on the fencing the second day. This provided an opportunity to get to know each other, see more of the ranch and recreate in a place some had never experienced. Some of the intern participants were from as far away as Massachusetts and some had never seen pronghorn before. The event was a great introduction to ranching and wildlife co-existing in this prairie landscape.

The Obrecht family and workshop organizers set a goal to modify nine miles of fence for the event. By lunch on the second day, the group had modified more than 11 miles of fence. It was a great opportunity for relationship building, community engagement, wildlife habitat improvements, and ranching exposure for people that might not otherwise see the intersection of ranching and conservation on the ground.

Thank you to all who put this event on, including Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Blaine County Conservation District, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and First Bank of Montana.

Thank you to the Obrecht family and the Louie Petrie Ranch for hosting this great event.

2020 Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Annual Report

In the midst of severe drought, we’re constantly reminded of the power of deep roots. The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance has been working to solve problems and create a brighter future for our ranches, our rural communities and the wildlife that depends on this land for more than 17 years.

Our organization has experienced some incredible growth in the past year. We’ve added new staff, we’ve added resources for more grazing improvement projects, and we’ve added big goals to our future plans. But we know we’ve only grown today because of the local, focused effort so many people have put in over the course of the past 17 years.

We believe this is how we help our own rural communities succeed. We start small, we focus on the positive outcomes we can control, and we recognize we must desire a clear solution more than we want to fixate on our problems.

Out here, we all want quality of life for ourselves and our livestock, we want a wonderful community to live in, we want these soils and water systems to work properly. As ranchers, we recognize we’re just a little piece of this big complex puzzle of life. Together, we can take good care of the pieces in our hands.

We’re excited to share this 2020 Annual Report with you, and to show you the pieces we’ve been working on. Our collective successes are only possible when we tap into the reserves of a deeply rooted community. We need each other to build a thriving future. I’m so thankful to live in the community we do, to work on the landscape we do, and to partner with the people we do. It’s a wonderful place to be.

Leo Barthelmess,

Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Board President

PS — View a full digital version of the 2020 Annual Report here. Want to receive a printed copy? Email Madison at [email protected] to request your copy!

NextGen Fencing: The Future of Pasture Management

Montana rancher shares lessons learned with virtual cow collar technology in free May 18 webinar.

By Laura Nelson,
Ranchers Stewardship Alliance

He never thought he’d see it in his lifetime.

“This started with a conversation with a friend in the wildlife community,” Montana rancher Leo Barthelmess said. They discussed the challenges old, barbed—wire fencing posed to wildlife migration, and the cost and labor involved for a rancher to maintain and build new fencing. The expenses for both continued to mount.

“She said, ‘wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to have fences?’ I said, ‘Yes, but we won’t see it in you or I’s lifetime,’” Barthelmess recalled.

Just a couple years later, a conversation with a fellow Ranching For Profit graduate piqued his interest and connected him to company working to implement virtual fencing collars for livestock. He’s now in his second full year testing the technology on his family’s south Phillips County ranch.

Barthelmess and Vence, Inc., engineer Todd Parker will present “Ranching for a Resilient Future: Virtual Fencing for Land, Livestock and Landscape Health” in a free webinar at 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 18. Registration for the webinar is at www.ranchstewards.org. This is the final session in the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance’s Rural Resilience webinar series.

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, with support from the Montana Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) also released a short film called “NextGen Fencing” on the topic this week.

The virtual fencing collars use satellite positioning technology to contain livestock without the need for a physical barrier. The distribution of the collared livestock can be carefully and precisely controlled through Vence’s software interface, where grazing cells can be quickly moved or modified according to conditions and vegetation growth.

“We are more prepared to weather adverse situations because we have the tools and the opportunities and the options to change course rather quickly,” Barthelmess said in the video.

The Barthelmess family piloted the use of the virtual cow collars on 400 mature cows in October 2019. After a full year utilizing the technology in 2020, they continue to adjust their grazing strategy and learn alongside their cattle.

“A lot of what good ranching and stockmanship is, is taking good care of the land, and we’re bringing another tool to the table to help ranchers do that,” Parker said.

Barthelmess said he noted a very distinct change in animal behavior over the course of the past two grazing seasons with the collars in place.

“They have historic memory of where they graze and how they graze,” Barthelmess said. “We’ve made them graze places they’ve never grazed before.”

The ability to adaptably rest favored areas and force cattle to graze historically under-utilized pasture with the collars helps stockpile forages to move the ranch closer to its ultimate goal of year-round grazing. While Barthelmess says he recognizes a yard full of hay is a necessary insurance policy for a North-Central Montana winter, “Our long-term goal is to graze cattle out on improved forage 11-12 months a year. The cost of equipment is just too high to keep haying – we have to change our business model if we want to sustain the ranch.”

Barthelmess can adjust his grazing barriers on his home computer or iPad. The barriers upload to Vence servers in California and the new fence lines are live within 12 hours.

“Virtual fencing is going to be a game-changer in terms of cost and labor,” Parker said. “You’re able to do more fencing, and more flexible fencing. Stock density can go up, ranching efficiency can go up and all of this is going to improve the bottom line.”

While the virtual collars mean less time spent building or moving temporary electric fence, or repairing and building perimeter fence, Barthelmess says it doesn’t mean less time in the field – just different time. He now spends more time observing the cattle, noting the conditions of the grass and soil, strategizing how to improve the next pasture design and enjoying the land and lifestyle that he loves.

“We want quality of life for ourselves and our livestock, we want a wonderful community to live in, we want these soils and water systems to work properly,” Barthelmess said. “We’re just one piece of this big, complex web of life, and we’re just trying to manage the pieces we can manage.”

# # #

About Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, Inc.: In 2003, 30 ranching families in northern Montana came together to resolve common problems they faced. Now known as the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, this rancher-led non-profit organization continues to work to strengthen our rural communities, economy and ranching culture. RSA exists to help multi-generational and beginning ranchers build the collaborative, trusting relationships and community-based solutions we need to create healthy, working landscapes and vibrant rural communities. Ranching, Conservation, Communities – a Winning Team!

The NextGen Fencing film, produced by AgriStudios, is available at https://youtu.be/0NSWoWCROus. Please contact Laura Nelson at [email protected] for to inquire about sharing an original version of the film with your audience.

2020 Regional Director’s Partnership Award

The Regional Director’s Partnership Award recognizes either individuals or organizations that have contributed significantly to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mountain-Prairie Region’s priorities over the past year. The award was established to honor the people and partnerships without which the Service could not optimally achieve its conservation mission.

For visionary leadership and dedication to partnerships serving conservation and ranching communities, the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance was awarded the 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Mountain-Prairie Regional Director’s Partnership Award. The award was presented by Regional Director Noreen Walsh on December 8, 2020, at the virtual RSA December Board Meeting.

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) was formed in 2003, by a group of north central Montana ranching families who were concerned about natural resources management and the future of ranching in the region. Their mission statement says it all: Ranching, Conservation, Communities – a winning team! Their vision has helped the organization grow from a local group to a regional leader for collaborative, community-based conservation.

Since 2017, RSA has worked hand-in-hand with the Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program to support on-the-ground restoration and enhancement projects across one of the highest priority grassland and sagebrush landscapes in the west.

From 2017-2020, our partnership has leveraged nearly $3 million for conservation in this landscape. To date, we have restored and enhanced nearly 13,000 acres of native grassland, 31,000 acres of grazing systems, 15,000 acres of exotic grass rehabilitation, and more than 15 miles of wildlife-friendly fence modifications, which are incredible accomplishments!

In addition, all of RSA’s work has been done in a fully transparent and collaborative way, with an innovative conservation committee involving all local conservation partner groups. It is impressive that RSA has at least 12 agencies and organizations that have participated actively on this committee.

Despite challenging times, hard conversations and compromise, RSA was dedicated and never gave up, but rather came together as a community and made things happen. Now, new landowner-driven organizations are starting to spring up in other nearby communities, which will benefit from the lessons RSA has learned and be able to transfer many of their great ideas.

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance has been critical in helping the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service achieve our conservation goals. We applaud RSA for being amazing partners who are working every day to be incredible stewards of the land, innovative leaders in agriculture and conservation and maintain sustainable rural communities for future generations.

Originally published at: https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/PartnershipAwards.php.