While presenting today before the Clinton Global Initiative, American Prairie Reserve (APR) President Sean Gerrity will be telling attendees about the 3+ million acre wildlife reserve they’re putting together in northeast Montana and how that’s been made possible with private funding, ranch acquisitions, and public land. As part of the conversation, he’ll also tell them about a program APR has put together to market cattle.
Through “Wild Sky Beef,” Gerrity says a rancher in the region of the APR can be guaranteed a premium if they adhere to certain wildlife-friendly standards and sell beef into the program.
Gerrity explained the program to the Northern Ag Network on Tuesday.Gerrity says they want the reserve to be a net benefit to the ranchers around it. However, most area landowners continue to vocalize their concerns of turning land over from production agriculture into a wildlife reserve.
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. Gerrity will be presenting during a breakout session this afternoon. Titled “Protecting the Earth: Species and Habitats in Peril,” it’ll run from 4 pm to 5:30 pm Eastern.
© Northern Ag Network 2013
Haylie Shipp
