Mountain Island Ranch Now Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Across 76,000 Acres

Glade Park, Colo. (June 4, 2026) — The Nationwide Audubon Society acknowledges Mountain Island Ranch as the latest recipient of the Audubon Licensed Fowl-Pleasant Land certification. Awarded by Audubon’s Conservation Ranching program, the certification helps ranchers in implementing land administration practices that profit birds, biodiversity, and dealing lands. To qualify, producers should meet rigorous requirements for habitat administration, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare.

Mountain Island Ranch joins greater than 150 licensed ranches throughout the Nice Plains, Midwest, and the West, representing almost 4.5 million acres managed for bird-friendly habitat nationwide. Spanning greater than 76,000 acres in Colorado and Utah, the ranch has been a frontrunner in conservation for the reason that Seventies.

For the reason that Nineteen Nineties, the operation has targeted on bettering ecological well being by habitat enhancements and riparian restoration initiatives designed to assist wildlife, together with the endemic Gunnison Sage-grouse. All privately owned acreage is protected underneath conservation easements, guaranteeing these lands stay conserved in perpetuity.

Mary Conover, proprietor of Mountain Island Ranch, continues to prioritize long-term stewardship of the land. “Within the wide-open landscapes of western Colorado and japanese Utah, our household has been ranching for generations with a deep respect for the land and its wildlife,” stated Conover. “Partnering with Audubon’s Conservation Ranching program strengthens our dedication to wholesome rangelands, resilient wildlife habitat, and preserving these working landscapes for future generations.”

The ranch has practiced holistic grazing administration for the reason that Nineteen Eighties, forming the inspiration of its long-standing Allotment Administration Plan. The operation was additionally an early adopter of natural requirements and, at one time, one of many largest natural cattle operations in western Colorado. In 2020, the ranch expanded its strategy to incorporate extra regenerative practices, reinforcing its dedication to long-term ecosystem well being.

On the coronary heart of bird-friendly land administration is rotational grazing, a land administration strategy wherein livestock are strategically moved between pastures to manage the timing and depth of grazing. Some pastures obtain short-duration, higher-intensity grazing, creating shorter-stature grasslands favored by species such because the Horned Lark and Lark Sparrow. Different areas are rested for longer intervals, permitting vegetation to develop taller and extra structurally complicated—circumstances most well-liked by species like Brewer’s Sparrow, Noticed Towhee, and Gunnison Sage-grouse for nesting and foraging.

“It’s this mosaic of habitat that helps a various chicken neighborhood whereas bettering soil well being, growing plant range, and strengthening general ecosystem resilience,” stated Cidney Useful, Vary Ecologist with Audubon Rockies. “The Mountain Island Ranch group demonstrates a robust dedication to stewardship by regenerative grazing and energetic conservation practices that assist birds and different wildlife.”

With this certification, beef merchandise from Mountain Island Ranch can now carry the Audubon Licensed Fowl-Pleasant seal in promotion and on packaging—signaling to customers that their buy helps land managed for birds, biodiversity, and wholesome working landscapes.

For extra details about Audubon Conservation Ranching, please contact ConservationRanching@Audubon.org.

About Audubon Conservation Ranching

Audubon Conservation Ranching companions with ranchers to maintain wholesome grasslands, ample birdlife, and resilient rural communities. By our bird-friendly land certification and science-based strategy, we empower land stewards to reinforce habitat, enhance soil well being and water high quality, and strengthen the connection between conservation and ranching. By buying merchandise from Audubon Licensed Fowl-Pleasant Land, customers turn out to be conservationists, serving to defend America’s grasslands and the birds, wildlife, and those that depend upon them. For extra info, go to www.audubon.org/ranching.