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Preserving Teddy Roosevelt's "Walden of the West":
Interview with President Lowell Baier of Boone & Crockett Club
In 2007 the Sierra Club worked with a coalition of sportsmen groups to preserve Teddy Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch in North Dakota- called the "Walden of the West."
Today we interview Lowell Baier, who has served conservation for more than 40 years, and currently is the
President of the Boone and Crockett Club.
Lowell speaks with us about Elkhorn Ranch, partnerships between sportsmen and environmentalists, and the legacy of our greatest conservation president, Theodore Roosevelt. Enjoy!
Why was the acquisition of the Elkhorn Ranch Important?
The conservation of America's natural resources and the very notion or idea of conservation was conceived by Theodore Roosevelt during the 3.5 years that he spent as a rancher at the Elkhorn Ranch between 1884-1887. Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch is hence the birthplace of conservation in America. The frontier spirit of America was forged in our wilderness places. The protection and wise use of our natural resources and scenic vistas insures our link to America's frontiers of the past because that is where our quintessential identity as a nation was formed. The concept of the ethic of conservation beginning in the late 1800's has become part of the very fabric of America's national identity and culture. The concept of conservation now ranks with earlier elements of our democracy that we protect with our Constitution and Bill of Rights such as life, liberty, democracy, trust in God, etc. Many of these cherished elements of our national identity have linkages to tangible symbols and geographic places that memorialize and ensure their continued perpetuation.
The Elkhorn is the tangible, geographic icon of an American idea-conservation-just as the Statue of Liberty is a tangible icon that memorializes "freedom," or Gettysburg that symbolizes the "price" America paid to maintain a united union of separate but indivisible states, or the domed Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. that symbolizes "democracy" in America. Famed Pulitzer Prize winner, biographer and author Edmund Morris said of the Elkhorn Ranch, "It is every bit as precious a public heirloom as Valley Forge and Ford's Theater… no memorial of marble or bronze anywhere in the country evokes the conscience of Theodore Roosevelt as powerfully as the Elkhorn Ranch bottom and its surrounding hills." The Elkhorn Ranch has now taken its place on the list of other treasured historic sites of national significance that symbolizes America's unique culture and identity. The Elkhorn Ranch is the Cradle of Conservation, the Walden Pond of the American West, the place where conservation started. It is the iconic, geographic symbol of a core value in America.
"The ideological gulf between Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir has unfortunately divided our mutual interests over the past century, and it is time that we find common ground on projects that we can work on together to close the ideological divide."
How did Teddy Roosevelt end up there?
Theodore Roosevelt's engagement with North Dakota began in September, 1883, when during a hunting trip he purchased an interest in the Chimney Butte Ranch south of Medora, ND. He returned in June of 1884, at the age of 25 following personal tragedy, the deaths of his wife and mother of separate causes on the same day and in the same house in New York City. He retreated some 25 miles north of Medora, North Dakota along the Little Missouri River where he established the Elkhorn Ranch. Roosevelt remained there for 3.5 years seeking rest, reflection and solitude, and engaged in ranching, hunting, and writing until December 1887.
Do you think his experiences at Elkhorn shaped some of his policies as President?
It was during the 3.5 years Roosevelt spent at the Elkhorn Ranch, he witnessed first hand the declining wildlife populations in the West as he ranged by horseback on wilderness trips throughout the Montana Territory into what is today Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas. He saw the improper uses of our natural resources through commercial hunting, over grazing, aggressive timber harvests, riparian destruction, rapacious mining practices, etc. He came to recognize how fragile the Western lands were to the uncontrolled predation of man.
It was here Roosevelt conceived the very notion of conservation of our natural resources as we know it today, a concept totally foreign and unknown to America in the 19th century. This led to his political activism to make the conservation of America's natural resources a national priority. He wrote six books on his observations, and established a conservation legacy from which has flowed America's national parks and forest system, our wildlife refuges, our wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, our national trail system, and our national monuments, etc. During Roosevelt's presidency, he set aside 230 million acres to forests, parklands, wildlife refuges and national monuments. That represented 84,000 acres per day during Roosevelt's presidency, or 10% of the United States. He is often quoted as saying that without these early personal experiences in the west, he could never have been the conservation president for which he is celebrated.
What kind of wildlife existed back then, and what exists there today?
The Bad Lands where the Elkhorn Ranch is located are where the high plains in eastern Montana and those of North Dakota converge and, literally, erupted topographically with immense geologic diversity found no where else in America. It's North Dakota's best kept secret. The Bad Lands are a biological oasis in the high plains, rich in diverse species of antelope, deer, elk, bighorn sheep, buffalo, birds, turkeys, reptiles and plant life, etc. There exists no other such diversity of wildlife population or ecological diversity for hundreds of miles in any direction. This oasis is further defined by its unique native archeology and history, both prehistoric and contemporary pre-and- post Lewis and Clark. The Badlands are a unique time capsule where the land and its species have remained unchanged for the last 200 years since Lewis and Clark's time. Today, however, the population of game species, especially buffalo, has increased due to hunting regulations establishing season, bag limits, gender selection, etc.
"Public access is the major problem not only for sportsmen but for outdoor recreationalists."
What can sportsmen do in the area?
Sportsmen and outdoor recreationalists can do a variety of activities, not only at the Elkhorn but in the surrounding Badlands. Fishing in the main watershed of the Badlands, namely the Little Missouri River, is fair to respectable, because the water is so low in this broad, wide watershed, and the temperatures are quite high in the summertime, which inhibits the development of trout. Because the Little Missouri is quiet, however, canoeing and rafting can be quite pleasant. Because of the low water depth in much of the year, hikers can readily cross the river at many points. The Maah Daah Hey Trail which is an old Indian trail runs through the Badlands and one corner of the Elkhorn, and that provides great hiking for those wanting to traverse the Badlands. In places it is moderate to steep, but still not overtaxing for a fit hiker or mountain bike enthusiast.
For hunters, the diversity of game species, grouse and wild turkey is at times overwhelming. For the muzzleloader, riflemen or archer, the opportunities are unlimited. Because of the diversity of game and the scenic quality of the Badlands, for the photographer it is a paradise. Due to many roads throughout the area and accessibility, the Elkhorn is a desirable site for overnight camping, a family outing on a weekend, the tenderfoot outdoor enthusiast, a day of picnicking, or just for a short, scenic trip. As you can tell, there are far more opportunities for outdoor recreation than just for sportsmen specifically. That is why North Dakota refers to the Badlands as its best kept secret.
How important was it to have sportsmen and environmentalists working together to acquire Elkhorn Ranch?
The importance of the sportsmen and environmentalists working together to preserve the birthplace and cradle of conservation was significant for several reasons. From my response to question #1 above, it's obvious that we share a common heritage and respect for our wild and scenic lands, hence the need to preserve and protect these is mutual. We both, moreover, share the common theme of passion in preserving and protecting these lands. The ideological gulf between Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir has unfortunately divided our mutual interests over the past century, and it is time that we find common ground on projects that we can work on together to close the ideological divide. As our population increases and more pressure is put on the wild and scenic lands that we love, especially considering the effects of global climate change on our habitats across America, it is our common community dedicated to the protection of these lands that can find solutions and answers to the challenges that we currently face. By working together rather than working apart from each other, we will both benefit; more importantly, our landscapes and its wildlife will be better off. That is what the Elkhorn demonstrated.
Do you see other opportunities for this type of conservation partnership elsewhere?
President Bush in 2004 issued Executive Order No. 13352 entitled Facilitation of Cooperative Conservation. He then hosted a White House conference on cooperative conservation in August of 2005 in St. Louis. The Administration through this conference and its many workshops showed how dissidents could work together to achieve common goals, and how stewardship through partnerships can achieve noble goals. The Administration's work established a national precedent by showing how success can be achieved through altering behavior patterns and dispute resolution, thus raising the bar on civility. If you look at the Malpai Borderland Partnership or the Blackfoot Challenge project to name just two, one can immediately see how dispute resolution, especially at the major landscape level, revitalized two ecosystems formerly damaged by dissident positions. It is only by cooperative partnerships that employ communication, consultation, collaboration and consensus that cooperative conservation can be achieved. There is strength in numbers, and when the conservationists and environmentalists close ranks, the voting block is measurably increased which gives us immense power both with the Administration and the Congress, and in many cases that palpable strength is necessary to achieve and overcome challenges in the stewardship of our public and private lands. The opportunities for collaborative work are all around us, all we have to do is focus positively on the concept of cooperative conservation and work for positive solutions to mutual challenges, rather than measure our differences from afar.
Teddy Roosevelt shows just how much difference a president can make for sportsmen. Where would we be in the US in terms of places to fish and hunt if it weren't for TDR?
The public set aside by Theodore Roosevelt during his presidency of 230 million acres add up to more than all of the other acreage set aside by all the other presidents combined before or after Theodore Roosevelt to date. Imagine what the United States would be like with our national parks, forests, game refuges, national monuments, the national trail system, our wild and scenic waterways, and our wilderness areas reduced by 50%, given our current population in America. Roosevelt's leadership, moreover, led to the states following suite and setting aside their state lands, forests, and state parks and refuges. Take half of those away. Public access is the major problem not only for sportsmen but for outdoor recreationalists. It has already reached critical mass, and there would be an absolute revolt if our public lands were cut in half. That is how much of a difference Roosevelt's actions made during his presidency. Roosevelt's work to create public lands has affected not only the hunters and fisherman, but the skiers, hikers, nature photographers, bird watchers, canoeists, and white water rafters, mountain bikers and all other outdoor recreationalists as well. That is what our public lands were set aside for-the use and enjoyment by the America public, or as the Congress decreed when they set aside Yellowstone National Park in 1872 as "a pleasuring ground for the America people."
Sierra article on Roosevelt's North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Lowell Baier's full conservation service record
Boone and Crocket Club