Nebraska Cattlemen Awards

Wilson Ranch Wins Leopold Award

    The Nebraska Cattlemen, in collaboration with Wisconsin-based Sand County Foundation, named the Wilson Ranch near Lakeside the 2006 Nebraska winner of the Leopold Conservation Award. The Wilsons received a crystal award and a $10,000 check during the Nebraska Cattlemen Convention & Trade Show in Lincoln.

   The Wilson Ranch, owned by brothers Blaine and Bryan Wilson, and their wives Charlie and Debbie, is a fifth-generation ranch consisting of more than 15,000 acres and 1,100 head of cattle. The Wilson Ranch is a terrific example of economic viability and sustained conservation practices. The Wilsons began crossbreeding their cattle in the late 1970s, leading to the development of a genetic program based on quality. The Wilsons’ conservation efforts include development of a wildlife pasture with windbreaks and drip systems used solely for habitat protection. They developed a wetland area that has seen the return of several bird species. The family also stocks fish and works to keep the deer population controlled.

   “All of the nominated ranches are deserving of the recognition of effort this award provides,” NC past president Pete McClymont said. “And we are proud to have the Wilson family ranch represent the commitment to conservation cattle producers across this state have.”

   David Allen, Sand County Foundation vice president of operations, said the quality of nominations was remarkable. “It wasn’t planned, but the fact that the three finalists were from Lakeside, Imperial (Wine Glass Ranch, Inc.) and Steinauer (Rodney and Amy Christen) – three different regions of the state – is a powerful illustration that sustained conservation by cattle producers is very real throughout Nebraska.”

   Given in honor of Aldo Leopold, the Leopold Conservation Award recognizes extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. In his book, A Sand County Almanac (1949), Aldo Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage – which he called “an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity.”

   Nominations were evaluated and finalists selected by a panel of judges: Ken Winston, Nebraska Chapter of the Sierra Club; Greg Ibach, Nebraska Department of Agriculture; Gloria Ericson, Nebraska Environmental Trust; Ted LaGrange, Nebraska Game and Parks; and Gene Mack, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Sand County Foundation chose the final winner.

   Sand County Foundation (www.sandcounty.net) is a private, non-profit conservation group dedicated to working with private landowners to improve habitat on their land. The organization backs local champions and places incentives before regulation to create solutions that endure and grow. The organization encourages the exercise of private responsibility in the pursuit of improved land health.      

   In 2006, Sand County Foundation will present Leopold Conservation Awards in Wisconsin, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas and California.  The Nebraska Cattlemen is proud to co-sponsor this award with the Sand County Foundation.  Look for more on the Wilson Ranch and the other ranches nominated for the Leopold award in the next issue of Nebraska Cattleman.