Laszlo Family and Granger Ranches to Receive Foundation’s 2012 “Friend of Madison” Award

The Madison River Foundation has awarded the Laszlo family, owners of the Granger Ranches, the Friend of Madison Award for 2012 for its work on O’Dell Creek, a major tributary of the Madison River.  In 2004 the family set about to undo all a network of excavated canals put in place in the 1950s.  The scale of the project is significant, having removed 16,000 feet of drainage canals, creating or restoring more than 35,000 feet of stream channels, and restoring 500 acres of wetlands.  The area, which is an important spawning channel for Madison River rainbows and browns, is now dramatically improved for fish, birds, vegetation and large mammals.

The family is no stranger to environmental accolades.  The operation’s broader vision of sustainable cattle ranching has resulted in numerous awards from various entities including one of six National Wetlands Awards from the Environmental Law Institute.