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2011 Montana Range Tour is Sept. 14-15

ROUNDUP, MT – Life goes on for ranchers in Golden Valley and Musselshell counties following this year’s devastating floods. To prove it, the Lower Musselshell Conservation District is hosting the 2011 Annual Range Tour, Sept. 14-15, in Roundup, MT.

“Participants this year are going to get a firsthand look at flood rehabilitation efforts, along with a great variety of grassroots conservation projects and range management activities,” said Heidi Crum, Rangeland Program Coordinator for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC).

After departing from Roundup, the tour will open in the Ryegate area with a visit to Quad Five, a working ranch that also produces blood and serum products; tour members will see the laboratory and animal facilities, and also visit a restoration project by the ranch on Careless Creek. After lunch at the Ryegate Fire Hall, the tour continues to Paint Rock Angus Ranch for a discussion of grazing management practices that promote sage grouse habitat. The next stop will be an overlook of a small indentation in the landscape known to locals as the Woman’s Pocket. At this site, specialists from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Natural Resources Conservation Service will give a presentation on sage grouse studies and rangeland inventories, and discuss how to use the information for conservation planning. The first day of the tour will conclude with a visit to the Hay Fox Ranch to learn about cover crops and view flood damage to agricultural lands from the Musselshell River.



Tour buses will return to Roundup and participants will be treated to a roast beef dinner at the Roundup Community Center. Monty Sealy, Central Montana RC & D Coordinator, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Sealy and Mike Morgan will provide musical entertainment for the evening. During the banquet, participants can take in a slideshow of flood damage along the Musselshell River.

On day two, the tour begins with a visit to the Lowery Ranch, where participants can see how forest-thinning practices have improved range conditions. The next stop is the Cornerstone Ranch for a look at Russian olive and saltcedar tree removal efforts; flooding damage is also on display at this location just east of Roundup. At the Checketts Ranch, visitors will see more flood damage, and learn about intensive grazing practices on irrigated pastures. Lunch will be served at the Melstone Community Center. The tour will conclude with a visit to the Milton Ranch and a discussion on holistic rangeland management.



The annual Governor’s Range Tour rotates around the state, highlighting excellence and innovation in natural resource stewardship.

“This is an excellent opportunity for landowners, the general public, and resource management professionals to discuss range management issues and share experiences,” said Donna Pedrazzi, Administrator of the Lower Musselshell Conservation District. “We’re very excited to be hosting this year and hope to see plenty of folks come out.”

For more details on this year’s tour, contact Pedrazzi at 406-323-2103 Ext. 101, or Heidi Crum with the Montana DNRC at 406-444-6619.

For more information on the Montana DNRC’s Rangeland Resource Program, visit the DNRC Web site at http://www.dnrc.mt.gov/cardd/consdist/rangelandmangement.asp.

ROUNDUP, MT – Life goes on for ranchers in Golden Valley and Musselshell counties following this year’s devastating floods. To prove it, the Lower Musselshell Conservation District is hosting the 2011 Annual Range Tour, Sept. 14-15, in Roundup, MT.

“Participants this year are going to get a firsthand look at flood rehabilitation efforts, along with a great variety of grassroots conservation projects and range management activities,” said Heidi Crum, Rangeland Program Coordinator for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC).

After departing from Roundup, the tour will open in the Ryegate area with a visit to Quad Five, a working ranch that also produces blood and serum products; tour members will see the laboratory and animal facilities, and also visit a restoration project by the ranch on Careless Creek. After lunch at the Ryegate Fire Hall, the tour continues to Paint Rock Angus Ranch for a discussion of grazing management practices that promote sage grouse habitat. The next stop will be an overlook of a small indentation in the landscape known to locals as the Woman’s Pocket. At this site, specialists from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Natural Resources Conservation Service will give a presentation on sage grouse studies and rangeland inventories, and discuss how to use the information for conservation planning. The first day of the tour will conclude with a visit to the Hay Fox Ranch to learn about cover crops and view flood damage to agricultural lands from the Musselshell River.

Tour buses will return to Roundup and participants will be treated to a roast beef dinner at the Roundup Community Center. Monty Sealy, Central Montana RC & D Coordinator, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Sealy and Mike Morgan will provide musical entertainment for the evening. During the banquet, participants can take in a slideshow of flood damage along the Musselshell River.

On day two, the tour begins with a visit to the Lowery Ranch, where participants can see how forest-thinning practices have improved range conditions. The next stop is the Cornerstone Ranch for a look at Russian olive and saltcedar tree removal efforts; flooding damage is also on display at this location just east of Roundup. At the Checketts Ranch, visitors will see more flood damage, and learn about intensive grazing practices on irrigated pastures. Lunch will be served at the Melstone Community Center. The tour will conclude with a visit to the Milton Ranch and a discussion on holistic rangeland management.

The annual Governor’s Range Tour rotates around the state, highlighting excellence and innovation in natural resource stewardship.

“This is an excellent opportunity for landowners, the general public, and resource management professionals to discuss range management issues and share experiences,” said Donna Pedrazzi, Administrator of the Lower Musselshell Conservation District. “We’re very excited to be hosting this year and hope to see plenty of folks come out.”

For more details on this year’s tour, contact Pedrazzi at 406-323-2103 Ext. 101, or Heidi Crum with the Montana DNRC at 406-444-6619.

For more information on the Montana DNRC’s Rangeland Resource Program, visit the DNRC Web site at http://www.dnrc.mt.gov/cardd/consdist/rangelandmangement.asp.