MALPAI BORDERLANDS GROUP

ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO, 1994-PRESENT

Project Description

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.

Finance and Support

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. As an incorporated non-profit organization, the Malpai Borderlands Group also fundraises and accepts donations from a number of businesses, organizations, individuals, and agencies. In addition to financial support, MBG receives a significant amount of in-kind support, mostly in the forms of labor, expertise in land management or group facilitation, and cooperative ranching.

Stakeholders

Primary stakeholders were the ranching families living in the region (numbering fewer than 100). Other stakeholders included public land managers, scientists, and those involved in the ranching industry.

Methods

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. A Board of Directors is now comprised of ranchers, scientists, land managers, and other citizens, and is responsible for setting MBG’s agenda and working on projects.

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. Finally, MBG works directly on ecological issues as a way to protect character. Staff research, implement, and lobby for changes relating to prescribed burns and fire suppression, endangered species protection, and habitat conservation planning. MPG’s Science Program maintains more than 200 permanent plots in the region for the study of grassland ecology, and hosts an Annual Science Meeting to explore science-related issues in the region.

Outcomes

MBG has protected 75,000 acres of land with conservation easements since the project began. This total includes the Gray Ranch, which has been called one of the last great places in the region. By opening the Gray Ranch to grassbanking for area ranchers, the project has prevented damage and encouraged restoration of thousands more acres of land, caused by drought and overgrazing. Other groups nationwide have followed suit, and there is now a National Grassbank Network in place to facilitate information sharing and development of new tools for rangeland sustainability.

MBG and partners have performed prescribed burns on 69,000 acres in the region in order to prevent unmanageable wildfires and improve the quality of grassland; scientific evaluations show that the health of the land is much improved with this change in policy. MBG hosts workshops and meetings to teach ranching techniques to local residents, and also uses the region as a demonstration site for like-minded groups (Fig. 1.7.), who come to learn about the Borderlands and to discuss similarities between the challenges they all face.

Evaluation

Most of MPG’s program measures have evaluation components, from evaluation of actual ecosystems to the ranching economy. Ecologists and local universities are primarily responsible for monitoring the health of the land and the success of land management techniques (a required step on all eased lands). MPG and other partners evaluate the success of grassbanking and other programs at improving the economic stability of the communities, knowledge about processes and tools, and collaborations. Newsletters, annual reports, and meetings all serve important roles in maintaining transparency and informing the community about developments.

Innovative Ideas

One of the true innovations of the Malpai Borderlands Group makes the project difficult to replicate: its grassroots, local origin. Nathan Sayre argues, “Not that the Malpai story can be copied in any simple manner—no, [other] stories will have to emerge from the grass roots, like the Malpai Borderlands Group did, adapting to particular places, people, histories, and landscapes.” This specific Group likely would not have formed or been successful at another time in history, in another area, or with different players. The project’s success is due in large part to the partners’ deep understanding of, and appreciation for, the idiosyncrasy of place.

Also important is the vision for the region, which in many ways is a reflection of the past. While many communities want only to move forward, the Malpai Borderlands area recognized that the ranching lifestyle has changed very little in the past hundred years or so, and that lifestyle is at the center of the area’s heart and soul. At the same time, partners understood from the beginning that an endangered landscape and lifestyle could only be protected by inventing new institutions and partnerships, epitomized by the conservation easement structures and the Grassbanking system. MBG recognized early on that it could address a small set of issues—namely land conservation, environmental restoration, and Grassbanking programs—which would by default address other issues of concern, from economy to community pride, historical resources to sprawl. Using one or two areas to leverage change can be a more efficient way of implementing a vision than addressing each area individually, as most plans do.

A final important aspect of the project is its ongoing nature, born out of necessity. MPG recognized that threats to the region’s character would keep coming, so ongoing training and projects would be necessary to head them off. Many community character projects have a set duration, or at least fizzle out after awhile; the strength of the Malpai Borderlands community comes from its persistence.

http://www.malpaiborderlandsgroup.org/

 MALPAI BORDERLANDS AT A GLANCE

COMMUNITY TYPE
    Rural

AREA
    1,250 square miles (Sayre 2005)

POPULATION
    Fewer than 100 families (MBG website)

LOCATION
Southernmost border region of Arizona and New Mexico

PROCESS
    N/A

PROJECT LEADERS
    The Malpai Borderlands Group
    USDA Forest Service
    The Animas Foundation
    The Nature Conservancy

PROJECT THEMES
    Conservation
    Land Management
    Preserving Way of Life