For its next program, Sacajawea Audubon Society will host grasslands conservation advocate Aaron Clausen from the World Wildlife Fund for a presentation entitled “Community-Led Conservation in the Northern Great Plain.” The event will take place on Monday, February 13th at Museum of the Rockies’ Hager Auditorium. The evening begins with a social at 6:30pm, followed by the program at 7pm.
The Northern Great Plains is one of the largest still-intact grassland ecosystems in the world. In spite of this, threats to this ecoregion remain – largely in the form of land conversion for crop production. An average of 400,000 acres of shortgrass prairies continue to be irreversibly converted each year. To help stem the loss of these bastions for wildlife, World Wildlife Fund’s Sustainable Ranching Initiative supports individual ranchers and ranching communities to develop and achieve sustainable land management goals.
Because much of the Northern Great Plains – especially those areas at risk of conversion – are privately held, there are no viable conservation strategies exclusive of local communities. WWF is providing support to the many local communities in Montana that are leading the charge towards the synergy of sustainable food production, agricultural community vitality, and thriving grassland habitats. WWF believes in the ethic of community-led conservation – supporting the goals of communities and the individuals that live in and care for these ecosystems – as the most durable approach to protecting these landscapes.
Clausen will present the outcomes of several years of this approach, success stories from working with ranchers and communities, and share examples of food production benefiting wildlife species that rely on shortgrass prairie ecosystems.
This event is free and open to the public. The presentation will also be available to view virtually with advanced registration. Find additional information and webinar registration details at www.sacajaweaaudubon.org.
Sacajawea Audubon Society programs are free and open to the public. The organization’s mission is to build on an interest in birds to promote the conservation of our natural environment through enjoyment, education and action. •
