Natural Resource Management

Natural Resource Management

Natural resource management here on the Eagle Rock Ranch refers to the management of the myriad natural resources present here on the ranch such as our land, our water, air, soil, plants and animals, with a particular focus on how our practices here on the ranch affects the quality of life and sustainability of the ranch for both present and future generations. 

Basically what we refer to as natural resource management deals with appropriately managing the way in which people, livestock, and natural landscapes interact. It brings together land use planning, agronomy, water and fishery management, biodiversity conservation, soil health, grazing and range management, and the future sustainability of industries like agriculture, ranching, recreation, tourism, fisheries, water quality, grazing, and forestry. It recognizes that people, livestock and their livelihoods rely on the health and productivity of our landscapes and, moreover, that our actions as stewards of the land play a critical role in maintaining this health, sustainability, and productivity. 

Natural resource management specifically focuses on a scientific and technical understanding of our natural resources, the specific ecosystems present in our area, and the life-supporting capacity and sustainability of those resources.

The Eagle Rock Ranch is committed to the careful stewardship of all the lands and landscapes under our management, maintaining biodiversity and ecological connectivity, enhancing the welfare of fish and wildlife, while producing a premium quality wholesome beef product together with profitability for the owners. 

Particular care is given to stocking rates, pasture resting, pasture rotations, water, and the nutritional needs of both land and livestock. Grass and water are our primary assets here at the Eagle Rock Ranch. Both are renewable and will allow continuous and sustainable production of a high-quality protein so long as we take care of them. We are only temporary stewards of these resources but our livestock and their survival – together with our survival and that of our successors - depends upon our quality care of both during our stewardship.

The Eagle Rock Ranch was first established in 1868 and is one of the few remaining working cattle ranches in South Park. The land, grass and water has sustained a working cattle operation here for over 150 years. While we are dedicated to the land in the same way as our predecessors were and strive to embrace many of their practices and traditions, we are also committed to using science to provide for the land and the livestock in the best way possible.

Moving animal husbandry into a more ecologically-sound undertaking is a positive development. Many environmentalists formerly opposed to such matters, after considering urban sprawl and the ever-increasing subdivision and development of what was formerly green and open landscape, have come to agree. Environmentally sound livestock management keeps viewscapes open and green, and keeps additional fences and development at bay. Sustainable and well-managed ranching operations help “hold ground” together with water, and serve as natural carbon sinks. Stop and consider, for a moment, what comes in when farms or ranches fail in any community.

The South Park ecosystem consisting of native short grass prairie and a short growing season has been utilized for grazing by large ruminants for thousands of years. The specific species of grass, shrubs and trees in this area have evolved in response to this grazing. In the absence now of massive herds of migratory bison grazing this area, large grazing ruminants such as cattle are an essential part of this grasslands ecosystem. Like any complex system, if you remove a piece, you risk ruining the system. The native short-grass prairie of our ecosystem here at the Eagle Rock Ranch is incomplete without the large ruminant ungulates, and would lose the broad species diversity of native plant, soil biome, insect, and wildlife communities that are also interdependent pieces of the healthy system. Large grazing animals are integral parts of many ecosystems found worldwide, not just the short-grass prairie of South Park. How cattle interact with ecosystems depends largely on how cattle are managed. Livestock are not a binary, blanket tool with singular effect. Whether livestock are a detriment, benign, or a benefit depends on myriad factors, including density of animals per area, how long they're there, and soon they return. These and dozens of other factors are not taken into account by every manager, but a growing number of progressive ranches, including those of us here at the Eagle Rock Ranch, plan their grazing to not only produce protein from our surrounding grassland but to support the long-term health of the grasslands as a whole.

A ranch, to survive for the long-term, has to engage in what is often called sustainable agriculture. Many progressive ranches such as the Eagle Rock Ranch may state their mission statement a little differently, but generally speaking it is "To produce a consistent profit while protecting the assets of the ranch."   Our predecessors had the same mission when they were stewards of the land and that is why their ranch is still in operation. We are grateful for their willingness to adapt as times changed and that their example encourages us to do the same. Still, we don't ever forget that our ranch consists of just dirt and rock. Our grass and our water come only with help from above.  Success comes with hard work, quality care, abiding faith, and a little bit of luck.

In the midst of these management practices, upholding the contract between us and our livestock – a good natural life on green grassy pastures with clean air and fresh water just off the surrounding snow fields, enjoying free movement and companionship with their herd mates, feeling the wind, rain, snow and sun on their tongues and faces, gamboling, running, bucking, and, well, living, is celebratory to us.