Dennis J. Lingohr/American Prairie Foundation
In an ambitious stride towards conservation, the American Prairie Reserve (APR), known as one of the largest conservation efforts in the United States, successfully incorporated Blue Ridge Ranch into its expanse. This acquisition, completed in August of the previous year in the northern Montana Great Plains, enriches the reserve with a vast array of wildlife, including a significant elk herd, prairie dogs, burrowing owls, bighorn sheep, and mule deer.
Reserve Superintendent Damien Austin expressed his enthusiasm for the addition, highlighting Blue Ridge’s critical role in supporting the regional elk population. “The biodiversity of Blue Ridge significantly contributes to our conservation goals,” Austin remarked, underscoring the area’s value to the project.
APR’s vision is unparalleled in North America. Its mission is to piece together a contiguous expanse of private lands, aiming for several hundred thousand acres that bridge the gap between the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and the Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument. This effort seeks to forge the largest conservation reserve in the continental United States, a testament to Montana’s “Big Sky State” moniker. Currently, the APR spans a private-public blend of 419,000 acres, with aspirations to expand to 3.2 million acres. This scale is considered necessary by scientists to preserve the grassland ecosystem effectively, ensuring the survival and prosperity of the region’s diverse wildlife.
Alison Fox, CEO of APR, sees the acquisition of Blue Ridge as a pivotal step towards realizing this grand vision. She anticipates that the addition will not only benefit wildlife but also enhance recreational opportunities for the public, further cementing the reserve’s legacy as a vital part of America’s natural heritage. The purchase increases the total land under APR’s stewardship to 419,625 acres, merging private holdings with leased federal and state lands to create an interconnected habitat.
The integration of Blue Ridge Ranch, sharing a five-mile border with another APR property, strengthens migratory routes for species such as the pronghorn antelope, linking critical ecosystems across the reserve. This development marks a significant evolution from APR’s early days as a fragmented landscape to its current status as a premier location for wildlife research and conservation.
Originally envisioned by the Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), APR’s growth reflects its success in fostering biodiversity and supporting large-scale ecological studies. Research on the reserve’s lands spans diverse topics, from bison and pronghorn migration to the habitat needs of endangered species like the swift fox.
The purchase of ranch lands within the proposed reserve area has led to the retirement of over 63,000 acres previously leased for cattle ranching, redirecting these lands towards wildlife management and the expansion of bison grazing territories. This shift underscores APR’s commitment to restoring the Great Plains to a haven for native species and a cornerstone of American natural heritage.
The inception of APR’s mission was significantly influenced by The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) 1999 publication, which identified the Northern Great Plains as a priority area for conservation. The WWF’s subsequent decision to launch a conservation effort in the Montana Glaciated Plains, highlighted by TNC, paved the way for APR’s establishment as a dedicated entity to preserve this critical ecosystem, marking a bold commitment to protecting Montana’s natural beauty and biodiversity.
