The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“There are so many side benefits to managing the land well”
[ By Kendra Walker ]
For 15 years, Gunnison’s Parker Pastures has focused on raising grass-fed, pasture raised meat through holistic management and regenerative agriculture. But it’s not just all about cattle and sheep, another animal has also been reaping the benefits of Parker Pastures’ sustainable management practices: birds.
The goal of regenerative ranching is to restore and improve the landscape where the animals graze. Through carefully planned grazing periods, Parker Pastures’ regenerative practices help sequester carbon to rebuild organic matter in soils and plants, reduce water runoff and ultimately create ecosystems that will thrive better in the long-term. This focus on habitat conservation is what led to Parker Pastures’ Audubon certification in 2020.
The certification with the National Audubon Society’s Audubon Conservation Ranching Initiative shows that Parker Pastures’ 370 acres of ranchland is bird-friendly land. Participation in the program ensures that good ranch stewardship will provide benefits to grassland birds and wildlife habitat. As a result, consumers can help contribute to grassland conservation efforts by purchasing beef from Audubon-certified ranches.
“The Audubon Society actually reached out to us and asked us to participate because they saw that we were already doing everything required of the certification,” said Parker Pastures’ Cloe Parker.
In order to become certified, a ranch must agree to adopt and implement a habitat management plan that builds a better habitat for local birds, which often includes some type of rotational grazing that increases pasture plant diversity, which is one of the fundamentals of Parker Pastures’ practices. The ranch must also meet a set of habitat management protocols, some of which are developed specifically for the region, as well as protocols related to forage and feeding, animal health and welfare and environmental sustainability. For example, feedlots, hormones and antibiotics are not allowed.
Even though Parker Pastures was already initiating these holistic management practices, receiving the Audubon certification means so much more than an official seal of approval.
“There are so many side benefits to managing the land well. We saw a lot of value in being bird friendly in addition to beef friendly. We raise our animals and take care of the earth by helping birds flourish,” said Parker. “It means so much to us as animal lovers, but it also means a lot to our customers. They understand they can help support healthy ecosystems through our management practices.”
Audubon ornithologists also monitored bird species on the ranch and developed a habitat management plan for Parker Pastures specific to the grassland bird species in the region.
“This year we had over 44 different species, it’s incredible,” said Parker. It’s pretty amazing to see flocks of birds choose our land.” Bird species range from robins and bluebirds to turkey vultures and red-tailed hawks. “Birds are a key indicator of a healthy landscape,” she said. Additionally, Parker Pastures has seen an uptick in other species and pollinators as well. Parker notes other visitors like foxes, coyotes, deer, skunks and porcupines. “We have so many species coming here that we didn’t see 10-15 years ago,” she said.
“Having such an active ecosystem helps with the whole cycle.” She explains that it all comes back to Parker Pastures’ approach to intentional management of the land. Through carefully planned grazing, Parker Pastures allows plants time to grow back before they let their animals graze on them again. This helps with the plants’ carbon sequestration, where they can store more carbon resulting in healthier soils and plants in the long run.
“You start at the soil, and if the grasses and plants are thriving you have this beautiful habitat for birds to nest and forage. And because our pastures are thriving, so are our cattle because of the richness in the soil and our land. The whole ecosystem is functional and thriving, which then contributes to the health of the Gunnison Valley community.”
Parker is proud that Parker Pastures is playing a role in habitat conservation. “There are a lot places where birds and wildlife are on the decline or are not thriving,” she said. “But with regeneration we can really help them survive and ultimately thrive.”
To learn more about Parker Pastures, their regenerative ranching practices and to order their grass-fed beef, visit www.parkerpastures.com.
