Glenn and Caryl Elzinga are the owners of Alderspring Ranch, a family owned grass finished organic cattle ranch in the heart of central Idaho. Over the past 5 years The Nature Conservancy has partnered with the Elzingas to establish a new approach to managing livestock on public lands on the 45,000-acre Hat Creek allotment. In general, livestock management on public lands have employed modern cowboys to keep cattle “out” of areas of concern. In contrast, this effort is intentionally keeping livestock “in” a herd to control grazing activities to improve livestock health, meet conservation goals, and avoid predation. The shift from “out” to “in” management in Hat Creek is timely due to the convergence of multiple issues from both an ecological and cattle welfare standpoint. Sage grouse, bull trout and sensitive plant species all have important habitat on Hat Creek. Wolf predation is common. Much of the upper Hat Creek allotment was once vegetated by aspen stands, however, natural forest succession has been altered to favor conversion to Douglas fir, with implications for watershed dynamics as well as wildlife habitat. Large areas of forest landscape are unhealthy, with little hope for recovery unless management strategies are developed to allow for prescribed fire and restoration.
This talk will present how this effort strives to create a paradigm shift from the current practice of livestock management on public rangelands to a different mindset and approach while reinventing and implementing the concept of the traditional range rider to shepherd livestock across the allotment.
