Conservation Program

Land Management & Resource Conservation

Conservation Program

Land Management & Environmental Conservation

To Conserve and Preserve

[W]e will conserve what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught. ~ Baba Dioum, Senegalese forestry engineer, 1968

The Dude Ranch Foundation works to preserve the rich history and ensure the future of an industry that for generations has opened its doors to guests and friends. In opening our doors to the world, visitors become advocates for these cherished lands. The Foundation, its supporters, and partners are committed to the responsible stewardship of millions of acres of land for future generations. We work to advance the best practices in conservation by focusing on protection, restoration, and regeneration.

The Dude Ranch Foundation believes that the ranching community is best suited for, and most experienced in, determining the effective practices for managing the land and resources with which they have been entrusted. The Dude Ranch Foundation also maintains that continuous improvement in the management of land and resources, in accordance with the principles of science and evidence, is a responsibility of all ranchers.

The mission of the Dude Ranch Foundation, in part, is to inform the ranchers, who are stewards over a wide range of ecosystems, of ways to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

The Dude Ranch Foundation role and areas of interest include:

  • Sustainable ranching practices
  • Innovative land management strategies
  • Interacting with government agencies and other conservation organizations
  • Mitigating wildland fires
  • Ensuring regeneration and restoration of the natural environment
  • Managing natural assets such as water, soil, fauna and native vegetation
  • Restoring native habitats and revegetation
  • Developing and sharing local natural resource management skills and knowledge
  • Promoting understanding and respect for ranching and its critical conservation role
  • Grazing as a means of protecting native grasslands, soil quality, and wildlife habitats
  • Eliminating waste and pollution
    Circulating and reusing products and materials

If you have any questions about this new program and/or have conservation-related information and/or articles to submit for publication, please contact Colleen Hodson at 307.250.1981 or email colleen@duderanchfoundation.org.