Wednesday, October 12 (7 pm) - Grassland Birds / National Audubon Conservation Ranching Program

Matt Allshouse, a UW-trained rangeland ecologist who grew up on a family ranch near Sybille Canyon, will highlight grassland bird species of southeastern Wyoming and their habitat requirements.  His presentation will describe the creation of the National Audubon Society’s Conservation Ranching program, which provides free technical assistance to ranchers with the goal of improving forage quantity and quality while also improving habitat for grassland birds.  

For producers who direct-market their cattle, the initiative can expand market exposure and provide product differentiation; the program can also link producers to agency cost share and incentive programs to help defer costs of implementation. 

Program components include the development of ranch-specific Habitat Management Plans and a third-party certified set of regenerative grazing practices.  The resulting ecological resilience can translate to economic resilience, as participating producers are able to use the Audubon certification logo on their product.  Audubon Certified beef is currently available at two locations in Wyoming: Laramie’s Big Hollow Food Co-op and Sage Brush Beef (Reed Livestock) in Douglas.  

Matt is currently the Conservation Ranching Program Manager for Audubon California.  His experience includes roles as Ranch Manager for Antelope Springs Land and Cattle (Wyoming), Biologist for the Peregrine Fund (Belize and Guatemala), and Ecologist with Trihydro Corporation (Wyoming). Matt holds a dual Bachelor’s degree in Environment and Natural Resources, and Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management from University of Wyoming.

 The event will be held in the street-level auditorium of the University of Wyoming's Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center, located at the corner of 10th and Lewis Streets.  

Bird Chat and Refreshments at 6:30 pm; talk starts at 7 pm.  Please allow yourself plenty of time to find parking!