Stories
The Autumn Shift
Scenes from around the ranch during the autumn shift.
The Battle of Maldon
A week ago I released my falcon back into the prairie air above our ranch. In less than a minute she was soaring, far out, over the pastures that she had flown above for years. My life would soon be far too full to give her the time she deserved and it was my hope that I might catch a glimpse of her from time to time, as I passed through the north end of the ranch on my way to dismal appointments in Rapid City. I hoped that I would see her again, perhaps on the very pole from which I first lured her.
Buffalo Composting 101
Anyone who’s traveled across the Great Plains has seen the vast spaces housing various forms of energy that make up native plants and fauna. Here, plants and organisms have endured hundreds of thousands of years of evolution and developed their own way to utilize the prairie’s sole source of energy, the sun.
Nature Adventure
It’s amazing what you can discover when you turn off the machines.
Eclipse 2017
I had never seen a total, solar eclipse and didn’t think I had missed much. I mean, so something drifts in front of the sun and the landscape gets kinda dark for a few minutes. Heck, you don’t have to wait a hundred years to see something like that. I figured it had to be sort of like a dark, rogue cloud blowing across the face of the sun – happens every day.
Prairie Grassland Birds
Bird watching is a favorite pastime on the ranch, not just for those that live here, but also for those that visit. The old cottonwoods that canopy the house are perfect for nest builders and cavity dwellers.
The Dream Continues
When the Great Plains were young there were no humans to manage them. It was like one enormous ranch, managed on the single principal of natural selection. In those days the Great Plains changed so slowly that, for all practical purposes, they were in stasis - perpetually beautiful and wild.
Two Announcements!
Wild Idea Buffalo Co. was this years recipient of their communities Sustainability award!
How Four Ross Students Found Community on the Prairie
After spending our first two weeks in the urban centers of Detroit and Chicago, we knew week three in Rapid City, South Dakota would definitely be a different experience. But the reality of just how different didn’t begin to sink in until we passed through Badlands National Park.
Food & Wine: "A Modern Day Bison Primer"
Our mission of prairie restoration and field harvesting was recently highlighted in a Food & Wine article by Caroline Abels and Civil Eats titled, A Modern Bison Primer.
Baby Barrett's Arrival - A Father's Story
At 5:01 p.m. on June 8th 2017, another prairie boy was added to the mix on the Cheyenne River Bison Ranch. Barrett Elton Jones came into this world a hearty child weighing 9 lbs. 15 oz. and measuring 20.5”. His mother was flawless throughout her second time of the delivery process. Jilian proved to be poised and in control, which is a little different than the ambiance of the ranch in the days preceding Barrett’s arrival.
Wild Horses and the American Spirit
The “wild” horses of the American Great Plains are not truly wild. In reality they are feral horses – domestic horses that were released or escaped from captivity and are surviving on their own. It is true that the distant ancestors of the horse probably evolved on this continent, but they were closer to the size of a big cat and unrecognizable as horses.