Lava Lake Conservation

When you buy our lamb, you are helping to support one of the West's most important wildlife and land conservation efforts.

Lava Lake staff conducting stream restoration on Bradsfield Creek

Nature Conservancy biologist Alan Sands and a field assistant monitoring the health of an aspen stand.

Lava Lake sheepherder using radio telemetry to locate wolves.

Lava Lake Land & Livestock was formed in 1999 with the purchase of Lava Lake, an historic ranch on the Oregon Trail. Because the Ranch is bordered on two sides by Craters of the Moon National Monument and on a third side by a region that constitutes the largest roadless area in the Lower 48 States, we saw an opportunity to protect a large, connected landscape. Over time, our holdings of private land and public grazing leases have grown to nearly 1 million acres.

Our vision for the Ranch is of a working landscape that is rich with healthy wildlife populations and functioning ecosystems, preserving the wild nature of the land while using it carefully.

Over the past ten years, Lava Lake has established itself as a national leader in grazing management and landscape-scale conservation and we have received a number of awards for our work, including the U.S. Forest Service's prestigious National Rangeland Management Award in 2009.

Our science and conservation program includes the following aspects:

Permanent Land Protection: In 2001, we permanently protected 7,500 acres of private land by putting it under a conservation easement held by The Nature Conservancy. The easement ensures that these lands will never be subdivided and will be managed in such a way that habitat for wildlife is maintained and improved.

Creation of a Non-Profit: In 2004, we created the Lava Lake Institute for Science and Conservation, a non-profit organization that serves as a permanent institution dedicated to the protection of this unique landscape. Through the Institute, we are expanding our scientific research program, developing educational outreach programs and working to catalyze conservation throughout the region. See www.lavalakeinstitute.org.

Conservation Advisory Board: Some of the foremost rangeland ecologists, conservation scientists, and ranching practitioners in the world serve on our volunteer Advisory Board. The Board provides with us crucial and rigorous review of our strategic plans and on-the-ground projects. View a list of our board members.

Partnerships: We also work closely with a wide variety of government agencies and non-profit organizations, from The Nature Conservancy and Defenders of Wildlife to the National Park Service, collaborating on scientific research and grazing management issues. View a list of our conservation partners.

Coexistence with Carnivores: Since 2002, Lava Lake and its partners have been at the forefront of developing approaches to preventing conflicts between wolves and livestock. In 2008, we helped form the Wood River Wolf Project, a ground breaking collaboration between ranchers, land managers, and conservationists. Read More:Article 1 Article 2.

Scientific Research and Conservation Planning: We have conducted extensive scientific research, including nearly two dozen field studies on topics including rare plants, weeds, water quality, songbirds, amphibians and reptiles, sage grouse, elk, and pronghorn. We also support experimental research projects conducted by visiting scientists. See a list of studies.

Habitat Restoration: In 2002, we took our first steps to restore degraded streams by installing fencing along Fish Creek, thereby reducing bank erosion and allowing regeneration of native willows and other streamside plants. In 2008, we began an ambitious creek and wetland restoration project at Lava Lake (see story).

Fish Creek before restoration, 10/6/2001

Fish Creek after restoration, 6/27/2008

Grazing Management: Guided by a multi-year management plan for our entire 900,000 acre grazing area, our staff has pioneered ways to graze sheep in a sustainable fashion. Through our grazing management practices, the ecological conditions of thousands of acres of habitat have improved, with direct benefits to wildlife. For example, annual studies have documented a 30% increase in the number of songbirds along our creeks from 2002 to 2007 that is due to the recovery of riparian vegetation that songbirds need for cover, food, and nesting. In 2008, Lava Lake won the U.S. Forest Service’s National Rangeland Management Award (see story).

A monitoring site on the West Fork of Fish Creek

Scientific Monitoring: We also began our long-range monitoring program in 2002, so that we would have a scientific basis for evaluating change in the landscape over time, and to ensure that our grazing practices are in line with our conservation goals. We have installed 34 photo monitoring sites and 46 measurement transects in our aspen, riparian and sagebrush steppe ecosystems.

Consulting: Since 2006, we have offered consulting services to other landowners, companies, and non-profit organizations. We have helped develop conservation easements, grazing management plans, and conducted environmental surveys and assessments. If you are interested in this part of our work, see www.pmgadvisors.com or contact Mike Stevens at

For more information on our conservation efforts, please click on Blog or Ranch News or feel free to Contact Us.