APR's Plans for PN Ranch

American Prairie Reserve recently acquired the historic PN Ranch north of Winifred. Over time we look forward to making this nearly 50,000-acre property (combined private and leased public acres) available to the public for camping, fishing, floating the Judith and Missouri Rivers, mountain biking and hunting as well as walking, horseback riding and driving through the beautiful scenery. Please visit the American Prairie Reserve website to learn about the location of the property and its relation to our other properties.

As with each acquisition we have made since 2005, we will take a year or more to settle on future management plans. During the first years of operation we will learn a great deal from the previous owners about its history and previous management systems. For the time being, cattle will continue to be run on the PN. Regarding hunting opportunities, in time we intend to enroll the property in Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Block Management Program similar to what we have established on our other land holdings.

We will employ the Freese Scale grassland management tool (see our website for information) to help maximize the habitat’s wildlife and biodiversity value. In the coming years we will develop campsites, trails and other infrastructure designed to enhance the enjoyment of the visiting public. As we have done on other properties, we hope to restore, and make available to the public, numerous historical artifacts including Native American rendezvous sites, infrastructure associated with the steamboat era, early 1800s military presence and some original Power and Norris buildings from the PN’s earliest years as a cattle ranch.

Eventually we intend to graze bison on the PN in the same fashion as on the Sun Prairie and Sun Prairie North management units in southern Phillips County. We’ve been successfully managing bison on American Prairie Reserve for more than 10 years. We will use the same well-tested and successful management practices on the PN.

A good way to get a sense of what the PN might be like in the future is to visit the Sun Prairie area on Telegraph Creek. There you will find good general examples of our campgrounds, historic preservation efforts, habitat management efforts, fence designs, bison management practices, etc. You are welcome to come visit anytime. Visit our website for directions or to learn more about the project. We sincerely hope to see you there.

Sean Gerrity is president of American Prairie Reserve.