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6439 E. Maplewood Ave. Centennial, CO 80111

Phone: 720-841-1757 Website: www.southernplains.org

The Southern Plains Land Trust’s mission: To create a shortgrass prairie reserve network that enables native plant and animal communities to once again thrive, with minimal human intervention. Join our membership to enact effective, permanent protection for prairie wildlife. If you’re already a member, please let your friends and family know about us.

Summer 2016 Vol. 15, Issue 1

In this issue, we feature our most exciting project yet: a wildlife preserve larger than the city of Boulder, Colorado. Our lovely and diverse Heartland Ranch is currently about 11,000 acres, and we are hoping to add an adjacent 7,000 acres. With your help, we’ll grow it to a size that’s “Bigger than Boulder.” See story at p. 4.

Heartland Ranch

~In this issue~

a A Note From the Director ~ p. 2 a Nature Notes, Supporting SPLT, and SPLT People ~ p. 3 a Heartland Ranch ~ pp. 4-7 a Next Work Party

~ p. 8

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A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR I am happy to share with you the details about SPLT’s Heartland Ranch. This property measures nearly 11,000 acres, and we are working to expand it to 18,000 acres. SPLT purchased Heartland Ranch last summer, with the generous support of The Summerlee Foundation. Our feature story provides the details on this project, which includes a herd of bison and rescued farm animals. It is different from what SPLT has done before and elevates our protected area to a scale we had not thought possible just a couple years ago. I know that most of our donors give so generously to SPLT because you like our streamlined nature and our laser-focus on land acquisition. The Heartland project was specially designed to ensure that SPLT can keep expanding our nature preserves, while addressing the needs of the animals now under our care. SPLT has a full-time preserve manager, Monty Goree, who is attending to the needs of the domestic animals on Heartland. My focus remains on expanding the area we protect for wildlife. SPLT is busier than ever. We had a successful Celebration of the Prairie last December and a great Toast to the Prairie in June, our two annual fundraisers. Our main focus right now is the “Bigger than Boulder” campaign, in which we are working to expand Heartland Ranch. We’ve had three work parties in the last few months, in which we’ve removed hazardous fence to ensure wildlife have full access to the preserves we’re creating for them. Over 30 individuals came out to help, and we thank you all! SPLT continues to host the Las Animas Elementary School on Raven’s Nest, with a wonderful field trip held in May – our 3rd annual, led by volunteer (and former SPLT board member) Judith Miller Smith. Thanks also to Maureen Lawry, Elaine Hill, and Tim Smith for assisting Judith. Two wonderful folks have joined SPLT’s board: Ortrun Neidig and Aubyn Royall. Both women are wildly dedicated to advancing SPLT’s work.

SPLT VITAL STATISTICS Board of Directors: Ramona Gaylord, Vice President Melissa Hailey, President Tracy Kessner, Secretary Misty Morehead, Treasurer Ortrun Neidig Aubyn Royall Volunteer Accountant: Donna Mei Lin Driscoll, C.P.A. Staff: Nicole J. Rosmarino, Director Monty Goree, Jr., Land Manager SOUTHERN PLAINS LAND TRUST 6439 E. Maplewood Ave. Centennial, CO 80111 Phone: 720-841-1757 www.southernplains.org splt@southernplains.org

SPLT's mission is to create a shortgrass prairie reserve network that enables native plant and animal communities to once again thrive, with minimal human intervention. SPLT is a 501(c)(3) organization. We are very streamlined, putting as much money directly into land acquisition as possible. All donations are accepted, in whatever amount, and are fully tax-deductible. Donors may specify whether they wish their contribution to be applied exclusively for land acquisition. SPLT is a member of the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts and the Land Trust Alliance and is certified to hold conservation easements by the State of Colorado.

Editor: Nicole J. Rosmarino. Photos by Richard P. Reading: dragonfly and prairie dogs on front cover, Heartland Ranch on p. 6, and lizard and solitary sandpiper on p. 7. Photo of Saudi Arabia landscape by Will Mahoney on p. 2. All other photos were taken by the editor. All photos are copyrighted.

Bison on Heartland Ranch

LEAVE A LEGACY: MAKE A BEQUEST TO SPLT

Can you think of a more enduring gift to leave this world than forever-protected wildlife habitat? Please consider including SPLT in your estate planning. It’s very simple: our full name is Southern Plains Land Trust, Inc., and our tax identification number is 84-1470479. Contact us if you need assistance. Also, please let us know if you’ve included SPLT, so we can have a chance to thank you (rather than getting the news after the fact…).

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Wahba Crater in Saudi Arabia © Will Mahoney.

NATURE NOTES � Dr. Erin Tripp discovered a species of lichen that is likely new to science on Raven’s Nest Nature Preserve! It is a member of the polysporous genus Sarogyne. Also, she made only the second collection ever of Xanthoparmelia psoromifera on the preserve, a species otherwise distributed in the arid southwestern USA and northwestern Mexico. Altogether, Dr. Tripp recorded 13 species of lichens from one small outcropping on Raven’s Nest.

SUPPORTING SPLT � For the last two years, we’ve held a fabulously successful bake sale at VegFest Colorado. We’ll be there once again this year. Stop over, buy a delicious cupcake to help SPLT, and also support this landmark event. The festival is July 23 & 24 this year, at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, Colorado. It is fantastic!

� SPLT member Will Mahoney is holding a SPLT fundraiser on Thursday, September 29, 2016 at 6:30pm-8:30pm at Koelbel Library in Centennial, CO. The main attraction is a slideshow from his trip to Saudi Arabia in March – he’ll showcase the top pictures among the 1,200 photos he took while visiting there for three weeks. Will is asking attendees to make a donation to SPLT because he loves the work we do to gain ground for prairie wildlife. Come out and see some beautiful pictures, expand your horizons, and, of course, support SPLT.

� Help make this year’s “Celebration of the Prairie” a success. With a terrific Toast behind us (thanks to all of you who attended that sold-out event at the Fleming Mansion), we now turn to the Celebration, which will be held Thursday, December 1, 2016, at the History Colorado Center. Please join the Celebration Committee to help make this year’s event a whopping success. There are many ways you can help. Contact us to get involved.

PRAIRIE PEOPLE

Ortrun Neidig joined the SPLT Board of Directors in March. Ortrun is equally comfortable doing SPLT office work, running our raffle table at the Toast to the Prairie, or erecting the headquarters yurt (see Ortrun in photo at left). Always ready to crack a joke or get down to business, Ortrun is a truly wonderful addition to our team. Each member of our board has been working hard to advance SPLT’s mission. See full list at p. 2. Thank you, SPLT Board!

Special thanks to the following for going above and beyond to advance our mission: Charlotte Adelman & Bernard Schwartz, Melanie Anderson, Bob & Abby Angell, Lisa & Ted Bennett, Gina Bischofs, Peter Boerma, Cynthia Brown, Jesse Carver, Steve Dayton, Donna Driscoll, Nancy Egbert, Joe Ellis, Ali Marie & Dolan Geiman, Diane Gimber, John Graham, Peggy Hanson, Ted Harris, Jr., Ken Kim, Robert Koppe, Maureen Lawry, Ed Lewis, Lauren McCain, Jen Melton, Mimsi Milton, Kevin & Jenny Natapow, Sandy Nervig, Mary Lou Paulsen, Rich Reading, Ron Reading, Dan Rees, Jerome Schroeder, Judith Miller Smith, Jonathan Staufer, Robert Ukeiley, Sarah Witherell, and, of course, Jay Tutchton. We’re singling out Larry Horgan as a superstar SPLT volunteer. He has thrown himself into getting our Heartland headquarters up and running.

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GAINING GROUND

BEHIND THE SCENES ON HEARTLAND RANCH

How It All Happened In late July 2015, SPLT purchased an amazing 10,880-acre property, called the Heartland Ranch. Generous support by The Summerlee Foundation made this tremendous achievement possible. Here’s how it unfolded. In March 2015, Summerlee staff contacted SPLT and asked whether we’d be willing to accept a herd of more than 80 bison residing on a property in Texas that Summerlee had just sold. This charitable foundation, which is dedicated to animal protection and Texas history, has previously supported SPLT; they fund our camera trap project. As part of the proposed deal, Summerlee would pay off the mortgage on Raven’s Nest, pay for the acquisition of ACME Ranch, and also provide funds for ongoing care of the bison. After an onsite visit, Summerlee expressed their interest in not only funding the Raven’s Nest/ACME Ranch purchase, but also buying an additional property for SPLT to accommodate a herd of non-breeding longhorn cattle that Summerlee had rescued over the years. Summerlee understood that SPLT wouldn’t put the longhorn on Raven’s Nest because our preserves are dedicated exclusively to native animals and plants. The search was on for a property to accommodate the rescued longhorn herd. We looked at many prospects but kept passing over a $6 million, 18,000-acre property in Bent County: Heartland Ranch. Out of our reach, we thought. The clock was ticking, and Summerlee needed a plan to move the animals from Texas. So, we decided to approach the sellers of Heartland Ranch with a proposal to buy 2/3 of the property and purchase an option on the remainder. To our delight, they accepted, and we had a deal. SPLT moved swiftly, putting the land under contract in May 2015 and closing on it within two months. But, that was just the beginning. Taking care of the bison and livestock would require

substantial investment in feed, fences, and water, not to mention the most important factor: hiring a full-time manager to ensure the animals’ well-being. Nathan Tutchton and Dr. Richard Reading helped us get started in setting up our operations, and then in October we hired Monty Goree of Springfield to take care of the animals, full-time.

Monty has decades of experience in large animal care, and he came to us just in time. The bison and longhorn were brought to Heartland Ranch in late November, just before Thanksgiving. We divided Heartland up into a few different areas: we put the longhorn into a 3,000-acre pasture and created a 4,200-acre pasture for the bison. There is a 1,280-acre area that will never be grazed (by bison or non-native animals); it contains sensitive riparian areas, including mature cottonwood trees. Much of the rest of the property will also remain ungrazed, depending on whether there is a need to relieve grazing pressure elsewhere. The longhorn were easily moved from the corrals into their home pasture, where they’ve resided since November. The bison proved a more feisty lot, and we therefore created a 640-acre enclosure within their pasture that has 6’ high fence. This forms a zone where we can ensure they stay on the refuge we established for them.

SPLT Preserve Manager Monty Goree (with his favorite bison, Nellie)

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This July, Monty released the bison from this enclosure into their bigger pasture. We’ve torn down some old fence (during SPLT work parties) and put in some new. All new fences have a smooth top and bottom wire, with the bottom wire high enough to ensure pronghorn, coyotes, and other wildlife can pass under. Having created the capacity to tend to large domestic animals, when a neighbor approached us in February about whether we would give a herd of 11 donkeys a forever home, we said yes. Meet the Animals at Heartland

There are 85 rescued bison on Heartland Ranch. They are a non-breeding herd of cows and steers. SPLT is in the process of testing them to determine whether they are genetically pure. These animals will all live out their natural lives on this property. In the future, we may bring breeding bulls into the herd, but first we need to get our feet under us. It’s a significant endeavor to take care of these large, independent-minded beasts. Of utmost important, we want to plan wisely so that we don’t create a problem of a growing herd exceeding the carrying capacity of the property. To monitor the bison’s movements, we decided to put a GPS collar on the lead animal. That is no easy task. Since we did not want to stress the herd out by running them through a chute, we

opted for an easily reversed tranquilizer delivered through a dart. Drs. Dave Kenny, Rich Reading, and Jensen Stulp headed up that effort. Over a warm weekend in February, these biologists and veterinarians, along with SPLT staff and volunteers, successfully collared one bison and one longhorn. The collared bison is named Sally. She is the matriarch, in charge of directing the bison and keeping some of the more roguish steers in line. A sweet thing about Sally is that she always keeps close her several year-old calf (long since weaned), Spike.

Bison on Heartland (shedding their winter coats)

Bison Collaring (l-r): Diane Brookshire, Monty Goree, Dr. Jensen Stulp, Dr. Dave Kenny, our patient, and Dr. Rich Reading

Sally and her son, Spike, on Heartland. Sally’s collar is powered

by the sun and connects to cell towers to provide tracking data, which we

monitor online (see left).

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There are 55 longhorn cattle on Heartland – really, they are a mix of different breeds, including Texas Longhorn, Zebu, and other types of longhorn cattle. They are non-breeding as well – just cows and steers. This is a herd of highly distinctive individuals.

We’ve asked the neighbors (who have been wonderful) to let us know if they put a breeding bull in an adjacent pasture, as we would want to make sure he doesn’t come visit the ladies in our herd. Some of

the longhorn are elderly, and we believe the herd will be substantially diminished within the next 10 years.

Then there are the donkeys. What we received from a neighbor were 10 jennies (female donkeys) and a jack (a male donkey). Dr. Jensen Stulp of Lamar gave Jack a vasectomy, providing him with terrific, tender care. Four of the jennies were pregnant when they came to us, and any male foals will undergo the same procedure to ensure against breeding. Heartland to Become Bigger than Boulder The 1/3 of Heartland on which we own a purchase option is the focus of our “Bigger than Boulder” campaign. That option expires in September 2017, so our fundraising focus is on raising the down-payment to acquire the full 18,000 acres of Heartland Ranch.

This area equates to nearly 30 square miles, which is larger than the city of Boulder, Colorado. A preserve

Heartland Ranch © Richard P. Reading

One of our favorite longhorn, “Big Sandy” (in front), along with his companions

The Heartland longhorn are a diverse group

Melanie Anderson of The Summerlee Foundation cozies up to the very friendly Jack

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at this scale is great news for prairie wildlife, as what they need most urgently is large, connected landscapes. Within the borders of Heartland Ranch lies a diversity of habitats, including gently rolling grassland terrain, at least 6 prairie dog colonies that occupy about 750 acres, dramatic rock-covered mesas awash in fossils, lush and deep canyons, juniper woodlands, multiple perennial springs, and many miles of ephemeral streams (West Mud Creek and Little Angry Creek) that feed into the Arkansas River to the north. Abundant wild animals find refuge here. Coyote and bird song fills the air, and hawks grace the sky. Wildlife on the property includes elk (a rarity in the

shortgrass prairie), mule deer, pronghorn, badger, coyote, swift fox, black-tailed prairie dog, black-tailed jackrabbit, desert cottontail, a wide variety of songbirds and raptors, diverse snakes, and many lizards. Streams and streamside areas provide crucial habitat for wildlife, and we have sandpipers, ducks, herons, and plains leopard frogs using springs and creeks on the property. Last summer and this, the seasonal creeks and ponds filled up with summer rains. Perennial springs provide water all year long. In addition to helping SPLT exponentially expand our preserve network, The Summerlee Foundation’s ongoing support of animal care expenses on Heartland allows SPLT to continue our focus: funneling donations from our donors (that’s you!) to land acquisition.

We’ve done the math, and, after applying tax credits from an easement that will be placed on Heartland, the cost of the ranch will be $195 per acre. Think about what you spend that amount on in a year. Please consider a donation of $195 to make possible the permanent protection of an acre of Heartland. The portion we’re fundraising for – the 7,000-acre option area – will be managed for native plants and animals only. (Thanks to Paul Millhouser for creating this map.)

Southern Plains Land Trust 6439 E. Maplewood Ave. Centennial, CO 80111 720-841-1757 www.southernplains.org splt@southernplains.org

VISIT THE PRAIRIE TO HELP PRAIRIE WILDLIFE

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U.S. Postage Required

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Burrowing owl on SPLT preserve

On SPLT preserves, we limit human visitation to prevent excessive disturbance of wildlife. After all, the land we purchase is for the wild ones. Our work parties provide opportunities to visit in the service of wildlife. We remove fence, clean up debris, and have a lot of fun. The next work party is Labor Day weekend: September 3-5. Please contact us if you are interested.