Buffalo Commons

Ted Turner has purchased more land in the Nebraska Sandhills. He is now the largest private landowner in Nebraska, with a reported 380,000 acres of bison ranches. He is also the largest private owner of bison in the country with about 37,000 head. What a deal. I wonder if he makes a good rancher neighbor?

In 1987 the Drs. Frank and Deborah Popper of Rutgers University proposed their controversial concept of Buffalo Commons. I was proud and amazed at a cousin for taking them on in person, in the newspapers and in a book he wrote called "Buffalo Commons Memoirs." As adamant as he was against their idea of turning a huge part of the midwest back into native land for Buffalo, he had a friendly relationship with them. Lawrence Brown, in his book says "While the Poppers may have played fast and loose with their original philosophy, it took a dedicated city media to convert it to a premeditated insult....we often refer to the neighbors down the road as 'regular folks' even though we are not always in complete agreement. I regard Frank and Deborah Popper as regular folks and number them among my friends."

Correspondence between Lawrence and the Poppers is included in his first chapter. Their letter of reply is in part: "Deborah and I appreciate the extensive attention you give our work, and we have no real problem with your treatment of it. We are glad that you realize that we now see the Buffalo Commons as forming naturally as a result of ongoing local and private activity rather than some federal 'condemnation' (a word I believe you use) of land or some other peremptory declaration." The letter goes on to say they only envision a quarter of the land area of the Plains.

Given help by Ted Turner this seems to be happening although, I do not read of the Poppers and Turner collaboration on the mission to move the local ranchers out of the picture in order to put the romanticized Buffalo on the range, it looks a little like Buffalo Commons is happening. Maybe it is a good thing Lawrence didn't live long enough to see the encroachment of Ted Turner on the plains ranch land.