Because there was a community vision and sense of character already identified, the Malpai project instead focused on protecting the local ranching lifestyle by working to conserve land and prevent sprawl, to enhance the character of the region.
Nothing if not unique, the Malpai area is a study in contradictions: the number of species in the area dwarfs the number of humans; ranchers welcome fire as a way to keep down brush, even as wildfires threaten homes and livestock; and the even balance of land ownership (53% private; 47% public) means that even ranchers and government sometimes get along.
Unlike most of the plans and case studies here, the Malpai project did not include visioning or character identification components; it started with a vision and sense of character already identified. The small number of people living in the area could find consensus in the desire to protect their ability to continue ranching, even if they never formally conducted a visioning process. The goal of protecting ranching meant conserving land, preventing sprawl, and boosting the economy, and which in turn would improve the environment and the character of the region.
The Malpai Borderlands Group (MBG) evolved out of several issues that threatened all of these elements of vision—wildlife and humans, grassland and fires, public lands and private. Residents felt that cattle grazing on public and private lands was threatened; that fire suppression led to loss of grassland, which in turn led to loss of jobs and income; and that development trends were likely to lead to a region of “20 acre ranchettes,” which alone could spell the end of ranching. MBG’s strategy continues to combine land conservation, assistance to ranchers, and improvements in land management practices, all facilitated by an increase in technical knowledge and collaboration.
Initially called the Malpai Group, partners focused not on visioning, but on implementing the vision that was already tied to the place. Given the status of the community, small number of residents, and existing vision, MBG did not need to use an established process or spend significant time on gaining local feedback and participation. Instead, MBG focused (and continues to today) on specific projects that address the community’s critical issues.
Working with a local scientist, the group first drafted proposals for protecting open space and improving the health of the land. Around the same time, The Nature Conservancy purchased one of the largest and longest-running ranches in the area, and residents feared that it would be sold again to the federal government. The Malpai Group instead approached a wealthy local ranching family, which formed the Animas Foundation and bought the ranch.
Subject to conservation easements and monitoring procedures, the Gray Ranch became a resource for local ranchers and the center of MBG’s new Grassbanking programs. A concept developed by MBG, grassbanking allows ranchers to graze their cattle on other ranches, in exchange for applying conservation easements and sustainable management strategies to their own properties. In the case of the Gray Ranch, locals can graze cattle there while letting their own lands recover from drought or overuse; through the process, their ranches are added to the roster of lands that will not be developed and will undergo scientific monitoring and improvements. MBG further assists ranchers with private projects that will improve the overall health of the region, including reconstruction of waterways, development of wildlife habitat, or microfinance programs that will help the ranching economy to recover. Staff also research, implement, and lobby for changes relating to prescribed burns and fire suppression, endangered species protection, and habitat conservation planning.
Partners in the ongoing project include local ranchers; more than eleven state and federal agencies and departments; four universities; the Animas Foundation; The Nature Conservancy; and Fundacio San Bernardino.
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