Importance of private lands to conservation

More than two-thirds of the land area in the United States is privately owned, with 914 million acres in farms or ranches. These working lands include much of the country’s remaining open space and habitat, making them vitally important to the conservation of soil, water, and fish and wildlife resources. But, while private lands provide society with valuable benefits and aid in conservation of natural resources, maintaining these private working lands is not easy, particularly in this part of the country, according to Michelle Downey, a “Farm Bill Biologist” with Pheasants Forever, Inc.. Eastern Montana landowners wanting to institute conservation projects on their lands face a multitude of challenges, she notes, including harsh climates, market fluctuations and lack of skilled laborers. But help is available, Downey says, through a unique partnership between conservation-oriented groups like Pheasants Forever, government conservation programs and administering agencies, and private landowners. Downey will be sharing information on that partnership and the importance of private lands to conservation efforts on Friday as the second speaker in the 2017 winter BrownBagger Series sponsored by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory in Sidney...more