Western Landowners Alliance

Good news! Brucella abortus, the bacterium that causes Brucellosis, has been removed from the federal government's Biological Select Agents and Toxins (BSAT) list. Fewer regulations will mean more opportunities for research on vaccines and treatments for this disease. The bacteria is largely restricted to the populations of large wild ungulates, primarily elk and bison, that live in and around Yellowstone National Park, and a few research facilities. That number of research facilities is set to increase with this announcement, as more universities and private labs will now be permitted to study the bacteria, under still-stringent precautions. The whole herd quarantines that are required for livestock producers if a single animal in a herd is found to be infected are extremely costly and disruptive, and the risk presents a major barrier to wildlife migrations in the GYE. APHIS, the USDA's animal health research arm that maintains the BSAT list, noted that they received more than 280 public comments in favor of delisting Brucella abortus "to reduce the regulatory burden so that effective research can be conducted towards the development of improved vaccination for livestock, diagnostics, and other livestock management options." When we asked landowners to respond to the public comment opportunity earlier this year, it looks like you did, and it worked! https://lnkd.in/gzZPU2qG.

Virtual film premiere! When: Tuesday, December 17th at noon MDT This new film, Against the Herd, showcases Agee Smith’s family ranch, Cottonwood Ranch as a prime example of a family operation who were granted an experimental permit and have used cattle as a tool to restore the landscape. Following the screening, hear from filmmaker Jaxon Derow, Agee Smith Dr. Jared Talley and WLA's Lesli Allison and engage in a panel conversation surrounding grazing on federal lands and the need for a more adaptable approach to support ranchers and protect our natural resources. Register for this virtual event for free at the link in bio. https://lnkd.in/gHVCVJEW

Policy work isn't typically glamorous, and usually it takes a lot longer than you wish. But sticking with good ideas can indeed pay off, as this new piece by our Wyoming resource coordinator Shaleas Harrison shows. Published today in Western Confluence, the magazine of the Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources @UniversityofWyoming, it opens with this header: "Small tweaks in USDA programs support working lands and migrations in Wyoming."  Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gZB9JKqb

Join us for an exclusive online screening of the new film Against the Herd! When: Tuesday, December 17th at noon MDT The film showcases Agee Smith's family ranch, Cottonwood Ranch as a prime example of a family operation who were granted an experimental permit and have used cattle as a tool to restore the landscape. Following the screening, hear from filmmaker Jaxon Derow, Agee Smith and Dr. Jared Talley and engage in a panel conversation surrounding grazing on federal lands and the need for a more adaptable approach to support ranchers and protect our natural resources. Register for this virtual event for free: https://lnkd.in/g3vwh3qe

Our comms director Louis Wertz sat down, virtually, with Steward CEO Dan Miller to talk about why regenerative agriculture has unique financing needs, how the retail investor (i.e. all of us) can get involved, and how amazing companies like Old Salt Co-op and Cairnspring Mills are serious about changing the food system. Give it a listen!

We work to support landowner-led conservation at a West-wide scale. Here's what we mean: ☑ Last year, Western Landowners Alliance worked with placed-based, landowner-led collaboratives to secure more than $4.5 million in funds for watershed restoration.   ☑ We negotiated with the USDA to get $22 million in commitments to support conflict reduction practices in areas where wolf and grizzly bear populations are expanding.   ☑ We helped landowners earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in habitat lease payments through the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program and Wyoming's migratory big game conservation program, and got the program expanded to Idaho and Montana! 🔆 Our place-based partners rely on us to help break ground on real, impactful conservation efforts that support working lands. But we can't do it without you. Please give now and 2x your impact today! https://wla.social/match24

New podcast episode! Sheepish Solutions to Water Conservation with Linda Poole Today we sit down with Linda Poole, a rancher and the working lands director at Western Landowners Alliance. Linda and her border collies and livestock guardian dogs care for colored finewool sheep, laying hens and sometimes cattle on her prairie homestead south of Malta, Montana. In 2023 Linda was awarded a Field Work Project grant from the LOR Foundation, which allowed her to experiment with different ways to use waste wool to combat water scarcity and improve soil health on her ranch. Listen to the full conversation wherever you listen to podcasts. https://lnkd.in/g247h-D3

Western Landowners Alliance is proud to present this year's Sheep Tales Gathering to kick off the Trailing of the Sheep Festival on Friday, October 4, 2024 at 7:00pm at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum, Idaho. The panel conversation will explore the importance of both private and public lands, the critical role of agriculture in conservation and obstacles that landowners face in stewarding these landscapes. Moderated by: Dr. Jared Talley, Boise State University Professor in Environmental Science and Governance Featuring: Lesli Allison, Founding Member and Chief Executive, Western Landowners Alliance Sara Berman, Owner & Operator, Squash Blossom Farm, Bellevue, Idaho Hailey Wilmer, Research Rangeland Management Specialist at the USDA-ARS Range Sheep Production Efficiency Research Unit Panelists will dive into the world of innovative tools and practices being used by landowners and producers to benefit the habitat they steward and the humans and wildlife that depend on it. The panel will also highlight the idea of stewardship beyond boundaries: the need for all of us - landowners, sportsmen, recreationalists, ranchers, rural and urban residents - to look beyond the boundaries of our land or immediate self-interests. The future of the West is dependent on building healthy landscapes that work for us all. Get your tickets here! https://lnkd.in/gRBfrCTJ

The 200 residents of Lostine, Oregon, never expected their small town to become a hotspot for wolf conflict. Kate Barrett and Paul Survis of Ruby Peak Farms were among the first to experience depredations – losing three ewes and 19 lambs in a single night last year. However, this year, despite penning the sheep at night and using Fox Lights and fladry, they lost all three of their rams and one of Kate’s favorite ewes, Windy. After 24 years without predator conflict, Kate and Paul had lost 26 in 12 months. That’s when Kim Kerns, WLA contractor and a sheep and cattle producer in nearby Umatilla County with experience mitigating conflict with wolves, stepped in to help. Read the full story from Western Landowners Alliance's Avery Shawler at On Land online: https://lnkd.in/gsQCCbyq

PREMIER THIS WEEK: Join us this Thursday, September 12th at 1pm MDT for an exclusive online screening of Grizzlies and Grazing, a film that explores how the fate of both grizzlies and ranchers are deeply intertwined.   The 15 minute film will be followed by a panel conversation and Q&A featuring some of the ranchers and stewards who are at the heart of this critical conservation effort. Register for free here: https://lnkd.in/gG_6yizb