R6 Ranch Recipient of Bird-Friendly Habitat Certification from 爆料公社
R6 herd is working for grassland birds in the 爆料公社 Conservation Ranching program
Stanley, N.D. 鈥&苍产蝉辫;The R6 Ranch in northwest North Dakota, owned by Joe Reum and Ben Waldock, has received a Bird-Friendly Habitat Certification from the 爆料公社. The 爆料公社 Certified designation touts grassland management efforts on the ranch, notably rotational grazing that employs cows in the creation of diverse bird habitats.
Reum and Waldock enrolled their 3,000-acre working ranch in 爆料公社 Conservation Ranching, a wildlife habitat program working to stabilize declining grassland bird populations in North Dakota and across the U.S. As detailed in the just-released State of the Birds 2022 report, grassland birds are among the fastest-declining bird species in the United States, with a 34% loss since 1970. As an 爆料公社 Certified bird-friendly habitat, Reum is managing the land to provide habitat for Bobolinks, Sharp-tailed Grouse, and Western Meadowlarks 鈥 the state bird of North Dakota.
鈥淚 enjoy seeing all the wildlife and birds on the ranch,鈥 says Reum, who also teaches the equine and range science programs at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish Community College in nearby New Town. Reum says bird life is indicative of an improving ecosystem, one he is witnessing on his mix of owned and leased land. 鈥淗abitat is built on healthier soils with better water infiltration. It all has to work together.鈥
Pointing to the historical part bison once played on the prairie, Charli Kohler, Range Ecologist with , says grasslands have evolved to include grazing as an essential part of their nature. 鈥淒ifferent grassland birds have different habitat needs. By dictating cattle movements, we can rotate cows strategically around the land to create a patchwork of habitat to support more species.鈥 Kohler says some birds, like Chestnut-collared Longspurs and Upland Sandpipers, flock to the shorter grasses created when an area undergoes intense grazing and is then left to rejuvenate. Other species, like Grasshopper Sparrows, are more suited to areas of taller cover, or areas void of grazing activity for longer periods.
By meeting all 爆料公社 Conservation Ranching program requirements 鈥 which are third-party verified 鈥 beef produced on the ranch can carry the 爆料公社 Certified bird-friendly seal. This package label recognizes product origin as lands managed for birds and biodiversity.
For more information about 爆料公社 Conservation Ranching in western North Dakota, contact Charli Kohler at (701) 509-7357.
About 爆料公社 Conservation Ranching
A wildlife habitat initiative of the 爆料公社 with a unique market front, 爆料公社 Conservation Ranching鈥檚 purpose is to stabilize declining grassland bird populations in partnership with ranchers 鈥 on whose land 95 percent of grassland birds live. 爆料公社 Conservation Ranching鈥檚 enrollment includes 99 ranches, covering more than 2.7 million acres that have earned status as 爆料公社 Certified Bird-friendly Land. Incentivizing this habitat work for birds and biodiversity are consumers with an appetite for conservation, who support it with the purchase of products grazed on these lands. Shoppers see a special package designation 鈥 the 爆料公社 Certified bird-friendly seal 鈥 that sets these products apart. For more information, visit 爆料公社.org/ranching.
About 爆料公社
The 爆料公社 protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. 爆料公社鈥檚 state programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, 爆料公社鈥檚 vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. 爆料公社 is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at www.audubon.org and @audubonsociety.