TU ranching partner wins environmental stewardship award from cattle industry

Maggie Creek Ranch manager John Griggs receiving the Environmental Stewardship Award during the Cattle Industry Convention. Photo courtesy of the Cattle Industry Convention.

By Brett Prettyman

A long time Trout Unlimited partner in conservation was recently honored during the Cattle Industry Convention held in San Diego.

Maggie Creek Ranch, the Searle family and ranch manager Jon Griggs were presented with the 2015 Environmental Stewardship Award during the industry convention last week.

“One of the things we’re most proud of is that we’ve had those collaborative projects with federal agencies and private partners,” Griggs said during the convention. “It’s so important to build those relationships and to showcase them when you can. We have common goals and we’ve figured out how to get things done, and that’s probably the biggest reason why we’re here today.”  

Maggie Creek Ranch is located near Elko, Nevada, and roughly one-third of the land used for cattle grazing is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Lahontan cutthroat trout, considered threatened on the Endangered Species List, are found in the creek that provided the name of the ranch.

“We have partnered with Trout Unlimited and some agencies to conserve their habitat,” Griggs said. “We had a diversion structure that irrigated some hay meadows and it was a fish barrier. It blocked passage of the migrating trout. Trout Unlimited took the structure out and put in a fish friendly structure that also works better for us.”

The following video includes footage with Griggs explaining why the owners of the Maggie Creek Ranch care about helping wildlife, including threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout.

 TU has countless ranching partners across the country and we look forward to increasing that number in years to come.

Brett Prettyman is the Intermountain Communications Director for Trout Unlimited. He is based in Salt Lake City.