![]() The route itself is as epic as some of the historical accounts of this land. You can dig a bit deeper into this topic under the “Resources” tab below be sure to watch the National Geographic video which is embedded there. However, know that this route passes through seven APR parcels (units) and was developed with that in mind. We won’t dig too much into the APR at this juncture there’s more to come on the Patagonia blog soon. However, they are better known for their reintroduction of bison on some of the land that they own and manage. They now have deeded and leased property totaling nearly 1/2 million acres with a goal of over 3.2 million. This effort is called the American Prairie Reserve (APR), a non-profit organization that is buying and leasing private land to make it public. Surrounding these cornerstone parcels is an infinite patchwork of a private ranch land and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rangelands all of which are players within a vastly ambitious yet controversial endeavor to rewild these northern plains and create the largest tract of public land in the United States. Russell Wildlife Refuge and the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. This eco-region, the Montanan swath of prairie that this route is based on, exists around two key pieces of public land: the Charles M. ![]() In addition, conservation-minded ranchers and hunters have helped preserve wildlife species allowing the potential for a large-scale conservation project to protect, properly manage, and return large tracts to its natural state. Tough winters and difficult farming conditions discouraged many settlers and left much of the native prairie grasses intact. Dan Flores, author of The American Serenghetti-who we happened to meet along our ride-describes what happened to the Great Plains a century ago as, “The destruction of one of the ecological wonders of the world.” However, all was not lost. The indigenous people who lived among it lost their lifeblood and were cordoned off into reservations. They plowed, tilled, hunted, drilled, and fenced much of the landscape. ![]() Within a century, these thriving prairies were stripped of their Serenghetti-grade population of wildlife as a tide of homesteaders populated the land around the turn of the century. C and myself stroled out to the top of the hights in the fork of these rivers from whence we had an extensive and most enchanting view the country in every derection around us was one vast plain in which unnumerable herds of Buffalow were seen attended by their shepperds the wolves the solatary antelope which now had their young were distribued over it’s face some herds of elk were also seen the verdure perfectly cloathed the ground, to the South we saw a range of lofty mountains.” Meriwether Lewis noted in his journal on June 3, 1805, “Capt. One of its best secrets lies in its north-central plains, a verdant carpet of fauna-rich shortgrass prairie and mesmerizing badlands shaped by wind, weather, and the mighty Missouri River.Įarly European explorers first described these lands with sheer astonishment. However there’s far more to this monumental state. When you think of Montana, you might picture snow-capped peaks separated by broad valleys, towering pine forests, and pristine, rocky rivers bristling with trout.
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