Earth & Sky

Matador Ranch

JB: This is Earth and Sky. The mountain plover is just one of several species of North American grassland songbirds in danger of extinction.

DB: But in the treeless grasslands of north central Montana, you can find a healthy summer population of mountain plovers. They’re on the Nature Conservancy’s Matador Ranch – both a working cattle ranch and a reserve for the mountain plover and other endangered prairie plants and animals.

JB: Linda Poole runs Matador Ranch. She’s both a wildlife biologist and the daughter of a rancher. She says using a single piece of land for both ranching and the protection of endangered species is an important new approach to conservation.

DB: The plovers’ favorite habitats are “towns” made by black-tailed prairie dogs. These “towns” are open dirt areas riddled with burrows. Prairie dogs compete with cattle for the grass, so ranchers don’t like them. Prairie dog populations have dwindled – but Matador Ranch is now working with ranchers and conservationists to protect prairie dogs – and in turn mountain plovers.

JB: For example, ranchers are grazing their cattle on Matador land for a reduced rate, in exchange for improvements in prairie dog habitats on their own ranches. And that’s our show. Special thanks to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and to the Bureau of Land Management. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.