Oct. 19, 2003
There are several places on this ranch that provoke thought to the observer. In many respects the observer doesn't even have to be careful. Casual observation will serve quite nicely provided that the observer lets that which is observed register in his or her consciousness as a thought provoking entity. For example you (the observer) might be riding along and notice a corner in a fence that is built with two corner posts that are not connected, and at right angles to one another the two additional posts supporting H structures, so that an aerial view of the corner looks like !._ rather than !_ and one may wonder why use the extra post when for years the common wisdom used the three post configuration rather than the four post. The answer is simple. The four post configuration pulls only in a straight line against itself. The three post configuration pulls or strives to pull the corner post inward, collapsing the corner and loosening the wires, which of course, creates a fence fixing project. For the most part, as one rides by, such an observation may never be let to enter the consciousness, or the rider may simply take the fence for granted and move on. But our goal is to keep the buffalo in their pastures. We don't need the extra work or the need to redo the same thing continuously. As selfish and naive as it may seem and sound, we would love to have one project finished, and let me tell you one thing, "fencing ain't it," but we would like to reduce to a minimum the need to fix something that could/should have been done right from the jump.
One of the most important entities and issues for ranching on the Great Plains is water. And on this ranch the efforts to deal with and conserve water are obvious. The most readily visible efforts are the wells. There are several of them used to supply the livestock (it's really hard for me to think of the buffalo as livestock, but this was a cattle ranch) with water in plentiful supply; and at times the river is out of bounds. Power lines lead to windbreaks, inside of which is an on demand font. There are also some tractor tires that serves as water tanks. Slightly less obvious are the tanks, one or two in use, others out of commission that are spring fed. The one in the horse corral also has an overflow pipe that leads underground to a 3/4 underground tank 30 yards away in the horse pasture. The overflow from that one goes into a draw further down the hill. I believe that another tank or two in the horse pasture is a very real option for when the buffalo are on occasion moved into that area.
A supply of water, less obvious than either of the other two is the presence of springs, some of which flow year round, in the wooded draws along the bluffs. In the past there have been built small cisterns and dams to trap this water for livestock. Most of these now are in disrepair. Very likely in the not too far distant future, we will redevelop this water source, simply by trapping some and providing an overflow system that will serve to minimize the impact we have on the natural environment. The small dams would also benefit the wildlife in the area by providing a dependable source of water in the wooded draw habitat.
An even more subtle entity concerning water are the manmade canals that catch and divert water to stock dams. There are also a few levies that shunt water around a building site.
These things are all available to the casual observer who lets them register in hers or his consciousness in an effort to recognize and appreciate the struggles of those who have gone before on this land and to get a sense of some of the struggles that the ranch still faces. These are the practical items often overlooked during a visit in which the view of the bluffs and badlands on the other side of the Cheyenne River overwhelms the clump of cattails in the mud of a wooded draw, or the soft ground that your horse may lurch through while you marvel at the magnificent and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets available here.
For me it is almost always the small scale things that reveal a healthy ranch land. This morning I flushed, by accident, a Merlin in the process of eating its Western Horned Lark breakfast. The Merlin flew a little distance, carrying its meal in one foot, landed on a nearby fence post and continued its meal.
There are several places on this ranch that provoke thought to the observer. In many respects the observer doesn't even have to be careful. Casual observation will serve quite nicely provided that the observer lets that which is observed register in his or her consciousness as a thought provoking entity. For example you (the observer) might be riding along and notice a corner in a fence that is built with two corner posts that are not connected, and at right angles to one another the two additional posts supporting H structures, so that an aerial view of the corner looks like !._ rather than !_ and one may wonder why use the extra post when for years the common wisdom used the three post configuration rather than the four post. The answer is simple. The four post configuration pulls only in a straight line against itself. The three post configuration pulls or strives to pull the corner post inward, collapsing the corner and loosening the wires, which of course, creates a fence fixing project. For the most part, as one rides by, such an observation may never be let to enter the consciousness, or the rider may simply take the fence for granted and move on. But our goal is to keep the buffalo in their pastures. We don't need the extra work or the need to redo the same thing continuously. As selfish and naive as it may seem and sound, we would love to have one project finished, and let me tell you one thing, "fencing ain't it," but we would like to reduce to a minimum the need to fix something that could/should have been done right from the jump.
One of the most important entities and issues for ranching on the Great Plains is water. And on this ranch the efforts to deal with and conserve water are obvious. The most readily visible efforts are the wells. There are several of them used to supply the livestock (it's really hard for me to think of the buffalo as livestock, but this was a cattle ranch) with water in plentiful supply; and at times the river is out of bounds. Power lines lead to windbreaks, inside of which is an on demand font. There are also some tractor tires that serves as water tanks. Slightly less obvious are the tanks, one or two in use, others out of commission that are spring fed. The one in the horse corral also has an overflow pipe that leads underground to a 3/4 underground tank 30 yards away in the horse pasture. The overflow from that one goes into a draw further down the hill. I believe that another tank or two in the horse pasture is a very real option for when the buffalo are on occasion moved into that area.
A supply of water, less obvious than either of the other two is the presence of springs, some of which flow year round, in the wooded draws along the bluffs. In the past there have been built small cisterns and dams to trap this water for livestock. Most of these now are in disrepair. Very likely in the not too far distant future, we will redevelop this water source, simply by trapping some and providing an overflow system that will serve to minimize the impact we have on the natural environment. The small dams would also benefit the wildlife in the area by providing a dependable source of water in the wooded draw habitat.
An even more subtle entity concerning water are the manmade canals that catch and divert water to stock dams. There are also a few levies that shunt water around a building site.
These things are all available to the casual observer who lets them register in hers or his consciousness in an effort to recognize and appreciate the struggles of those who have gone before on this land and to get a sense of some of the struggles that the ranch still faces. These are the practical items often overlooked during a visit in which the view of the bluffs and badlands on the other side of the Cheyenne River overwhelms the clump of cattails in the mud of a wooded draw, or the soft ground that your horse may lurch through while you marvel at the magnificent and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets available here.
For me it is almost always the small scale things that reveal a healthy ranch land. This morning I flushed, by accident, a Merlin in the process of eating its Western Horned Lark breakfast. The Merlin flew a little distance, carrying its meal in one foot, landed on a nearby fence post and continued its meal.
"My heart in hiding Stirred for a bird,--the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!"I have a feeling that water, even when it was in either some or short supply, was the downfall of many a homestead. Without it one cannot survive; with it one must conserve because one sure cannot control it. Perhaps one can temporarily shape it for more efficient use, but never can it be dominated.
(Gerard Manley Hopkins, "The Windhover," ll.9-10)
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Wild Idea Buffalo Company • PO Box 1209 Rapid City • South Dakota • 57709-1209
sales: 1-866-658-6137,
© Wild Idea Buffalo Company. All rights reserved.
Wild Idea Buffalo Company • PO Box 1209 Rapid City • South Dakota • 57709-1209
sales: 1-866-658-6137,