Episode 6
Territory Folks Should All Be Pals
In this episode we travel to the American Prairie Reserve - a conservation project in the heart of Montana that could eventually be home to 10,000 bison. The vision is to stitch together 3.5 million acres of public and private lands to form the largest wildlife park in the lower 48. But some nearby ranchers feel the push to build the APR is pushing them off their land, and they're mounting a resistance.
We also try to solve the Great Elk Mystery: why are elk that have been exposed to brucellosis allowed to roam free in Montana, while bison are not?
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Episode 6 extras
Phillips County, Montana
It's roughly the size of Connecticut (a little bigger, actually). The population of Connecticut is 3.6 million. The population of Phillips County is around 4,000.
But low population density isn't the same thing as no people. There are many ranches, a handful of small towns, and a Hutterite colony in the county. Malta is the county seat, and has around 2,000 people.
Most people in the county are connected to agriculture in some way. Learn more about the rancher-led conservation projects discussed in this episode:
American Prairie Reserve
The APR website has a wealth of information about their plans, including this map.
Yellowstone Bison Survey
In this episode we asked for your input on how to manage the Yellowstone bison. Click here to take the survey.
The Farmer and The Cowman Should Be Friends
The farmer and the cowman should be friends. Oh, the farmer and the cowman should be friends. One man likes to push a plow, the other likes to chase a cow, But that's no reason why they cain't be friends.
Territory folks should stick together, territory folks should all be pals. Cowboys dance with farmer's daughters, farmers dance with the ranchers' gals.