In Photos: On the Road with a Montana Range Rider Who Tracks Predators on Horseback
Range riders are reemerging in the western U.S. in response to the slow but sure resurgence of apex predators. As the animals return to their former territories, now also home to people, new tensions are emerging.
In a quest to learn how local ranchers coexist with grizzlies and wolves in Montana’s Blackfoot Valley, TriplePundit reporter Emily Senkosky joined range rider Sigrid Olson on the job.
The once omnipresent range riders are reemerging in the western United States in response to the slow but sure resurgence of apex predators like wolves and grizzly bears. As the animals return to their former territories, now also home to people, new tensions are emerging.
Many local ranchers credit limited human-wildlife conflict in the Blackfoot Valley to the ranger riders’ presence on the landscape. They keep an eye on grazing livestock, reporting back so ranchers can make informed decisions about their herds.
Blackfoot Valley range rider Sigrid Olson and her horses work with local ranchers to keep livestock safe from the growing number of apex predators in the region. Olson is a steady presence on the landscape, tracking herds of cattle while keeping a sharp eye on nearby wildlife. (Image: Emily Senkosky)Wolves and grizzly bears are making a comeback in Montana thanks to state and federal protections. Several range riders track grazing livestock across the fringes of the Blackfoot Valley from May to October each year, when encounters with these predators are most likely. (Image: Emily Senkosky)Range riders first emerged in the 1800s era of Westward Expansion when open-range cattle ranching was prevalent. It was once commonplace to see them patrolling large herds of cattle across swaths of unclaimed land. (Image: Emily Senkosky) Nowadays, far fewer of these conservation cowgirls and cowboys traverse the far reaches of the remaining rangelands in America’s western frontier. Three will roam the Blackfoot Valley this year. (Image: Emily Senkosky)Quite a few female range riders patrol the mountains and valleys of Montana, but Olson is the only one working in the Blackfoot Valley. (Image: Emily Senkosky)To be a range rider, one must be a skilled equestrian with a keen sense of wildlife. Long days in the saddle fine-tune their acute sense of observation and knowledge of local wildlife. (Image: Emily Senkosky)The Blackfoot Valley flanks one of the largest grizzly populations in the nation. The local nonprofit Blackfoot Challenge is a guiding force amid the tensions that arise here between people, cattle and predators. It has funded a range rider program for more than a decade. (Image: Emily Senkosky)Olson prepares her horse, Jake, for a ride through the valley. The duo is setting out to track down a roaming herd of cattle Olson is keeping watch over. (Image: Emily Senkosky)Olson keeps her ears perked and her head on a swivel, looking for signs of the cattle and predators. She will report any sightings back to the local ranchers. (Image: Emily Senkosky)During her rides, the range rider may stop to use her binoculars to scan for wandering livestock or photograph wildlife tracks. (Image: Emily Senkosky)Each rancher’s experience with predators depends on how secluded the property is and what kind of animals live there. Many ranchers in the valley believe a human presence on the landscape is one of the best deterrents of human-wildlife conflict. (Image: Emily Senkosky)After following muddy tracks to the bottom of the valley, Olson spots the cattle she was looking for bunched up in an enclave of trees. To her relief, none were taken by predators. (Image: Emily Senkosky)
As a freelance writer, and photographer, Emily Senkosky is dedicated to telling stories that explore the many different ways that people connect to place — particularly in the context of the natural world. She recently graduated from the University of Montana with a master’s degree in natural resources and environmental science journalism. After making a life for herself in South America, the environmental parallels that connect us all drew her to journalism and the Western landscapes that raised her.
TriplePundit brings solutions journalism to sustainability news, reporting the under-told stories of how business, environmental conservation and social good connect.
