Ranching, Biodiversity, and a New Economic Logic

Undoing generations of his own family’s work, Madison valley guide Jeff Laszlo worked with the several public and private partners to restore the natural water flow on his grandfather’s ranch. The result: a spectacular recovering of fish habitat and an example of how the value of biodiversity has taken hold in the western psyche.
“Within weeks, trout began to move up from downstream, and they are now abundant. Water temperatures in the stream have dropped significantly, and daily variation in temperature has decreased. The subterranean water table has risen, and bird populations have greatly increased and, more importantly, diversified. Aquatic insects are again proliferating.” Verlyn Klinkenborg in The New York Times.