Anyway, I’ve had numerous topic ideas for this column floating around, although they hadn’t really gelled. I figured it would be kind of a "random thoughts" column, but now that it’s done I see it took on a life of its own, as usual.

First, I’d like to commend a fellow board member of the Gallatin Wildlife Association for being featured in an article in the September Field & Stream Magazine,  The article is titled "The Great Gutkoski", and is about Joe Gutkoski, who is truly an inspiration to us all. I highly recommend checking out that article. Joe is an amazing guy; he’s 75 years old but still doing things that put people half his age to shame. He’s very politically active in conservation issues, and a couple of days back, on a ride together to a meeting with representatives of the Forest Service and BLM regarding concerns our group has with some grazing allotments on sensitive species habitat in southwest MT, he was telling me he’d just returned from yet another backpack trip. This was no stroll in the park, he’d climbed 5000 vertical feet from the Gallatin River to the top of Mount Jumbo in the Spanish Peaks. That’s all off-trail, incidentally, and as usual, it was a solo venture. That trip was by no means unusual, in fact he’s up there again right now, lurking around with bow in hand looking for a big bull elk.

Joe is involved in a bunch of wildlife and habitat issues, and has been for a long time, but his pet project is the "Big Open", involving restoring native species to a broad swath of country in eastern Montana, roughly centered on the Missouri Breaks. Actually, pretty much all the native species are already well represented there, with the exception of bison (although there are a few herds of privately owned bison). This is not a new idea. It was originally hatched by a rancher in the area (a visionary who could see his way of life coming to an end). His idea was more or less appropriated by the Poppers, a husband and wife team of professors from Rutgers University. This all took place perhaps fifteen years back, and the idea was roundly mocked as being a ludicrous proposal.

At that point it was an idea ahead of its time, but in the short span of fifteen years, it is not only making more sense; it’s actually coming to pass on its own (well, with some help). Traditional agriculture (whatever that is, I should probably say modern agriculture) is on its last gasp in that country. Not only are we about twenty years into a severe drought, but commodity prices have also been in the tank for roughly that long. Farming and ranching, at least in marginal country like the Breaks, just isn’t working anymore, folks. Most operators in that country are getting up in years, their kids want no part of a subsistence lifestyle, and they are basically staring over the precipice.

Under the proposal Joe is pushing, area landowners would form a sort of cooperative, with shares based on their acreage. Bison would be restored to the whole area, where they would undoubtedly thrive. After all, the Big Open was one of the last strongholds of the bison when they were facing extinction in the late 1800’s. In fact, it’s where William Hornady collected his specimens for display in the Smithsonian, which incidentally, have been restored and are now on display at the Agricultural Museum in Fort Benton (no small irony there). At any rate, area landowners would then share the proceeds from hunting and eco-tourism based on the amount of shares in the cooperative. This would allow them to retain ownership of their land, and would likely produce more revenue than cattle ranching. Actually, that wouldn’t take much since most rancher’s profit and loss statements are in the red anyway.

All involved admit what this project really needs is for someone like a Ted Turner to come in and buy a large ranch, and revert it to bison and native species like he’s done with his properties in southwest MT and other western states. I know, a lot of people hate Ted Turner with a passion, and I am not a universal admirer of everything he does either, but I am a big fan of his bison ranching and general land use policies. And yes, perhaps I have a vested interest, since we derive pretty reasonable income from booking bison hunts on his lands. But, in a nutshell, that is a key component of the Big Open proposal. It needs to produce income to work. No one, or least not many people involved, wish to see the area turned into a National Park. The idea is to keep the landowners on the land, while simultaneously restoring wildlife and bringing the habitat back to a climax situation.

One group that has recently become involved is the World Wildlife Federation. They certainly have the funds to further the situation. As usual, politics come into play, though. They are anti-hunting, and are pretty much keeping the American Buffalo Foundation (Joe’s group) and other Big Open proponents at arms length, both because of the hunting aspect and also baggage associated with past conflicts with the Montana Stockgrowers Association. The Stockgrowers are a political force to be reckoned with in Montana, and go ballistic at any mention of bison. But, the Anaconda Mining Company used to run this state too, and look what happened to them! I see definite parallels between the two entities.

Hunting is certainly not the only, or even primary focus of the Big Open proponents. Eco-tourism could provide substantial revenue. But again, it’s going to take revenue to make the Big Open proposal work. Just based on my own experience; I think eco-tourism has greater potential than hunting for income, too. But, that has not been our experience to date with Cowboy Heaven Consulting. In fact, I’d estimate hunting produces three to four times the revenue of our general tourism offerings. Hunters are not all slobbering rednecks, you know, and they are not afraid to spend money. Groups like the World Wildlife Federation might not want hunters to be part of the Big Open proposal, but without them, as the saying goes; "show me the money".

Anyway, I’ll get off my soapbox, but I’ll confidently stick my neck out and predict that within ten years some variation of the Big Open proposal will be in place. Bison are perfectly adapted to this country, and will not only survive, but thrive under its harsh conditions. Not only that, they are the cornerstone species in an ecosystem that supports a host of other animals, small and large.