February Program—Rewilding 

By Dr. Daniel Kinka

American Prairie’s vision is to fully restore the shortgrass prairie ecosystem in 5,000 square miles of Montana’s Northern Great Plains. As such, the American Prairie Ecosystem must contain ecologically meaningful populations of all non-extinct, native species present in the reference ecosystem (i.e., the Upper Missouri River ecosystem, circa 1800), with management focused on maximizing the integrity, complexity, and resilience of the system. We operate under the guiding principle that there is both an inherent and practical value to restoring and conserving biodiversity at all levels, as well as preserving environmental factors that maintain biodiversity, like habitat connectivity and natural disturbance. Rewilding of this kind not only jumpstarts latent ecological processes and restores wildlife abundance, it also speaks to a sense of wonder and inspiration that can only be found in a wilder world. In this presentation I will provide an overview of American Prairie's rewilding efforts, and how we plan to expand them.

Dr. Daniel Kinka is American Prairie's Wildlife Restoration Manager. His primary responsibilities include restoring and monitoring wildlife on the Reserve and managing the wildlife-friendly ranching program "Wild Sky." He also acts as a liaison to scientists conducting research at American Prairie, other non-governmental organizations, agencies, and other external entities. He joined American Prairie in 2018, shortly after completing his doctoral degree in ecology at Utah State University. In graduate school, he studied the use of livestock guardian dogs to promote coexistence between large North American carnivores and ranchers. Originally from Florida and the Washington DC area, Daniel has enjoyed living “out west” since 2010. In addition to restoration ecology and applied science, Daniel harbors a deep passion for science communication, having worked as a science reporter for Utah Public Radio, publishing in High Country News, and serving as a National Geographic Society Fellow.

This program is via Zoom. Please register at least 30 minutes before the meeting, by 6:30 on the 19^th. And please join the meeting before 7:15 or you will not be allowed in.

Hi there, 

You are invited to a Zoom meeting. 

When: Feb 19, 2024 07:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada) 

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwufumurjMoHdVniEU2pgkiWEWpXJISYM76

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.