The Wyoming Stock Growers Association and Sand County Foundation have announced the Padlock Ranch as the recipient of the 2013 Leopold Conservation Award. Given as part of the Wyoming Environmental Stewardship Award Program, the Leopold Conservation Award recognizes private landowners who practice responsible land stewardship and management.

padlock-ranchThe award will be presented at the Wyoming Stock Growers Association summer convention, June 5-8 in Cheyenne. The ranch will also be featured at the 2013 Environmental Stewardship Tour July 9.

On 500,000 acres spanning the Wyoming–Montana border, Padlock Ranch operates a sustainable and profitable cattle operation raising natural beef.  Of those 500,000 acres, the Padlock Ranch has conserved a portion of their land with two conservation easements held by the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust.  “They’re a great group of people at the Padlock Ranch who practice superb land management strategies” states Lance Schutte, Stewardship Coordinator with the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust.  “The Padlock Ranch has ensured that some of the most productive agricultural lands will remain in production through the voluntary use of conservation easements.  This in turn will help to provide clean air and water, provide wildlife habitat, and contribute to local economies for generations to come.  We, along with the rest of Wyoming, applaud the Padlock Ranch for their outstanding stewardship.”

“Successful ranches enable the community to continue to have vast amounts of open space that would otherwise be used for uses that would not enhance water and air quality, wildlife habitat and provide recreational opportunities to the public,” said Wayne Fahsholtz, President and CEO of Padlock Ranch. “When I came here 10 years ago, we really had the opportunity to look at our practices and decide what we needed to do to have as good a ranch as we could and to grow as much grass as possible.”

Padlock Ranch is owned by the Homer Scott family and has been operating since 1943. Scott and his wife Mildred started the operation on 3,000 acres and continued to grow the property to its current size.

The $10,000 Leopold Conservation Award, which is presented as the most prestigious award within the Wyoming Stock Growers Association’s Environmental Stewardship Program, recognizes Wyoming ranchers who demonstrate outstanding, sustainable management of natural resources. The Leopold Conservation Award is presented in honor of famed conservationist and author Aldo Leopold, who called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.

“We salute the owners and operators of Padlock Ranch for their dedication to conservation practices that make them great stewards of the land,” said Sand County Foundation President Brent Haglund, Ph.D.  “They exemplify what our Leopold Conservation Award stands for.”

“Each year the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and our partners look forward to honoring more landowners for the contribution they make to our state’s economy, environment and culture,” said WSGA Executive Vice President Jim Magagna.

Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., Peabody Energy, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and the Monaghan Foundation sponsor the Leopold Conservation Award in Wyoming.

The deadline for nominations is July 12, 2013. For more information please visit: www.leopoldconservationaward.org

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