SALTS is here to keep the land in ranching, and the ranchers on the
land. That may be simple to say, but what it really says is that we
believe that by keeping this non-intensive land use in place, we take
care of a whole range of other considerations: habitat, wildlife, scenery,
ethics of production, family values. The list goes on and on, and for
some reason it seems to be made up of items that contribute to the betterment
of society and the quality of life.
SALTS has a board of ranchers that will keep this trust focused on
ranching issues while taking into account all the items I mentioned
above. The board is always in need of help and advice so if any of you
want to get involved in helping to carry SALTS on into the future please
contact us.
The lands on the Eastern Slope are a relic, a portion of what were
once the great native grasslands of North America. We live on a fringe,
a non-plowed, ancient island of bio-diversity that has resulted from
that interaction of topography, wind, buffalo and fires. I marvel at
that, and at how much of these hills have survived to the present day.
There is more going on here than just good country however.
The people that have lived on these hills, and those that understand
them, know they are a part of the natural world and as a result have
developed a feel for what I call 'the rules of the world.' In other
words, they understand that if you jump in the lake you get wet. Ranchers
are essentially then, the products of an ancient, self-renewing, adapted
plant community. The array of interacting wildlife, birds, insects and
riparian populations are all here because they have a place to exist
and add their part to the sanctity of life.
We as people have a way of expecting our life to be linear, or as Barry
Adams said, "we back into the future with our eyes fixed firmly on the
past". Events that crop up can derail our plans for a linear life on
our ranch or in our homes. I watched the cats carve Highway 22 into
the grassland back in the 1950's, and I never knew what the impact would
be on this valley or on our ranch. I think ranchers respond to what
I call process in our day to day business. I think the urban folks deal
more with image on a day to day basis, but at the same time they are
better prepared to accept and adapt to non-linear events in their lives
-- a plant closing, for example.
There are things to be learned on both sides and we need to get the
public involved in what we see as necessary to protect the Eastern Slopes
and what they give us as a species. Things like clean water from solid
watersheds, riparian management and the role of programs like Cows and
Fish, and the coexistence of a vast array of fellow species that naturally
follow wise land use. To use the words of Ernie Rollingmud, "we need
to keep these hills alive."
My thanks to the all the funders who have been so generous and supported
SALTS. I thank you for your vision, for your concern and your faith
that we can do something meaningful. I thank all the members of the
ranching community who have become involved in something new and have
offered their support.
What it all means is that people care about the Eastern Slopes. They
love these hills and they have put some thought into destinations and
our ability to achieve goals we have set. SALTS is a process, a method
to try and assist in the survival of so many important things on these
lands. Please give us a hand to keep this work going in the uncertain
years ahead. As Churchill said, "This is not the end, it is not the
beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning."
