October 2021 • Nebraskaland 39
the blowouts, the managers will again use intensive bison
grazing to re-initiate sand movement.
To date, Spikebox staff have received no negative comments
regarding the Hunt Pasture blowouts, even though they
are clearly visible from a county road. "I understand why
ranchers have worked to reduce blowouts, but, in all honesty,
we're glad to have these blowouts back on the ranch," said
Kruse. "Blowouts are a vital part of the Sandhills ecosystem
and could be important habitats for reptiles, insects and
other organisms. We just don't know." He added that because
the Hunt Pasture occupies a minute fraction of the ranch and
that it continues to be grazed, the project has had no aff ect
on the ranch's bison production or economics.
Turner Enterprises has begun a second blowout penstemon
project at their Fawn Lake Ranch, also located in Cherry
County. This past winter, intensive bison grazing began in
their 300-acre Hayden Pasture. Once open sand appears,
blowout penstemon seed will be scattered. Greenhouse
plants will not be used.
"This project is a unique challenge for me," said Fawn
Lake Manager John Halstead. "Such intense grazing to
promote blowouts is a total paradigm shift from how the
Sandhills have been grazed in recent history and is counter
to everything I have been taught about range management.
Still, I'm excited for the chance to work with such a special
plant."
The project partners hope that the Fawn Lake and Spikebox
ranch projects will increase awareness of the blowout
penstemon, encourage other ranchers to become involved
in its conservation, serve as a model for future penstemon
projects and, most critically, help ensure an endangered
plant's survival.
N
A drone photograph shows the Hunt Pasture as it appeared in July of 2021. DAKOTA ALTMAN AND ETHAN FREESE, PLATTE BASIN TIMELAPSE
