What do you think the ranchers should do? Will their attendance make a difference? What is a solution you might propose?
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
American Ranchers Struggle with Wildlife Management by Kalli B.
http://northernag.net/AGNews/AgNewsStories/TabId/657/ArtMID/2927/ArticleID/9410/Ranchers-Struggle-with-American-Prairie-Reserve-Wildlife-Conference.aspx
The mission of the American Prairie Reserve is to buy private ranchland, remove it from agricultural production, and convert it into the largest wildlife reserve in the continental United States. Many ranchers largely disagree with this philosophy. Their concern lies within the long-term effect that this transfer will have on their communities and culture. Moreover, these ranchers are worried that if the APR increases the number of bison and predators on lands that already belong to reserves, these animals could potentially cause a large amount of damage to neighboring ranches. Ranchers are not concerned with the wildlife, but rather the damage they can do to their property and livestock. The American Prairie Reserve is holding a free conference in Lewistown, Montana for ranchers to attend to express their concerns. Most of the “solutions” that people come up with are not realistic and “translate into higher costs of production, for a high-risk ranching industry that already operates on an extremely thin margin.” The ranchers now face a big decision: do they take valuable time away from the ranch to attend the conference or do they stay at home and miss their chance to make their opinion and expertise be known? It is important for our ranchers and farmers to protect their commodities and also important to preserve the wildlife.
What do you think the ranchers should do? Will their attendance make a difference? What is a solution you might propose?
What do you think the ranchers should do? Will their attendance make a difference? What is a solution you might propose?
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I think many of them will go voice their opinion. The future effects could hurt them for the rest of their lives. I think if enough of them voice disapproval and cause an uproar, it could make a difference. I think the only solution is to not do it. I don't think it is a good idea, and I agree with the ranchers.
ReplyDeleteI think the ranchers should try and come up with a better solution that would be beneficial for all. The ranchers attendance would show others that this is affecting people’s lives very strongly, which could cause a difference to be made. A solution would be to include the ranchers in the decision making process to find a end result that would benefit all parties.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the conference I believe that the ranchers should take the time to allow their voices to be heard. Though they might be sacrificing valuable time that could be used on their ranches, the opportunity to make an impact or cause a meaningful change definitely outweighs the decision to stay home. It is quite difficult to conceive a defined solution to the problem. For one, I do support creation of wildlife preserves. However, I also support the ranchers and their valid concerns. The best decision for this difficult conflict should be one that benefits both the American Prairie Reserve and the ranchers.
ReplyDeleteI think that it would be a great benefit to the ranchers if they attended. I feel like people would realize how many people actual are affected by it and it will help them weigh the gain and losses. I personally would side with the ranchers concerns.
ReplyDeleteAs with anything, a fine line of balance is required for things to function at their top potential. I think in this case that both sides have serious and legitimate concerns. Coming from this class, I would naturally I would advocate for farmers to attend the convention and voice their opinions/concerns, though from personal/familial experience I can attest to the fact that that's not always feasible. However, participating in democracy even in this sort of scenario really does make a difference, and is probably the best thing these ranchers can do other than petitioning/lobbying the government to disallow the APR's land-converting practice. For example, they could write up a formal description of the detriments of the APR's actions and submit it to the Environmental Protection Agency for review (and possible assistance with clarifying/settling the matter).
ReplyDelete