Volunteers play a vital role in supporting American Prairie’s conservation efforts, and we’re so grateful for each and everyone of the volunteers we get the opportunity to work alongside! Their passion and enthusiasm is what makes our mission possible.
We had such a fun summer full of prairie time, and knocked out some big projects thanks to our volunteers. We hope you enjoy this wrap-up, and consider joining us next field season!
Beaver Dam Analogs
We’ve been fortunate to partner with the Montana Conservation Corps for the past few summers on a very special riparian restoration project: the installation and maintenance of beaver dam analogs.
A beaver dam analog (or BDA) is an example of “Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration” – restoration work that mimics natural processes and typically makes use of primarily natural materials. In the case of BDAs, we use a mix of woody materials to mimic the construction of beaver dams and natural log jams.
The goal isn’t to perfectly imitate the beaver or completely impede the flow of water. Many of the prairie creeks on our properties have become deeply incised, so the priority is to just slow the water down and discourage further erosion. Research has also shown that the presence of human-constructed beaver dam analogs can attract beavers that might be in the area. The beavers see the BDA as a sort of fixer-upper: an opportunity to build on an established foundation, rather than starting from scratch.
Over the course of three weeks this summer, the Montana Conservation Corps built 54 new BDAs and log jam structures and did some maintenance work on 17 existing structures. They were joined by a crew of volunteers for part of that stretch, and generously shared their knowledge of low-tech process-based restoration. Thank you MCC!
Prairie Dog Crew
Prairie dogs are one of the most important keystone species of the prairie: their burrows are used as homes by many species including burrowing owls and prairie rattlesnakes, and the closely cropped grass that prairie dogs cultivate serve as ideal habitat for nesting birds and encourages the growth of fresh, protein-rich grass for grazers like bison and pronghorn. Prairie dogs are also an important source of food for many prairie species.
Today, prairie dogs occupy approximately two percent of their historic range across the Great Plains, making their recovery a top priority for American Prairie. One of our primary strategies is plague mitigation: prairie dogs have no natural defense against the non-native sylvatic plague that was introduced to North America in the early 1900s, and an outbreak can quickly wipe out an entire prairie dog town.
We hosted two Prairie Dog Crews this summer! Volunteers helped disperse specially treated grain (designed to target the fleas that carry the plague, but not impact any other element in the ecosystem) to prairie dog burrows on Sun Prairie and Blue Ridge.
Fence Removal and Flagging
Barbed-wire fencing is the most significant contributor to habitat fragmentation on the prairie. Fence removal and modification (to wildlife-friendly fencing) are two of our ongoing efforts to increase connectivity and better facilitate the movement of animals like pronghorn and elk.
Fencing also impacts ground-dwelling prairie bird species like sage grouse. Fencing can be difficult to detect for low-flying birds who are most active in the pre-dawn or twilight hours. The reflective clips that we attach to the top wire of our wildlife-friendly fences have been shown to reduce collisions by as much as 70 percent.
This summer we hosted three fence removal crews who helped us remove 4.5 miles of unnecessary barbed wire fence from the prairie.
PN Maintenance
The historic PN property (“PN” for Powers-Norris, after the ranch’s founders, P.H. Power and G.R. Norris) is home to American Prairie’s hut system: two backcountry yurts and the Lewis & Clark hut, a bunkhouse-style lodge that overlooks the Missouri River.
We hosted a busy volunteer weekend in April to spruce up the yurts and the Lewis & Clark hut ahead of the summer visitation season. Volunteers joined American Prairie staff in painting, sanding, window cleaning, and much more! The crew made time to enjoy some of the PN’s famed scenic overlooks and were even serenaded one night!
We loved having the opportunity to spend some prairie time with all of our volunteers, and we’re so grateful to each and every one of them. Their dedication and love for the prairie is truly an inspiration, and we can’t wait for next season!
Our volunteer program was featured in the Fall 2025 edition of the American Prairie Field Notes newsletter – a publication we mail out to our neighbors twice a year full of stories about our field operations. Check out the Fall 2025 issue and all past issues on our website.
Want to learn more about our volunteer program, the kinds of activities volunteers can participate in, and when the next opportunity is? Explore our Volunteer page on our website, and sign up for the Volunteer Newsletter!