57 Preserving America's Grasslands: Insights from Tate Lantz on The Central Grasslands Roadmap

In this insightful episode, Tate Lantz joins hosts Joe Dickie and Buz Kloot to discuss the Central Grasslands Roadmap. Lantz shares his personal journey from a childhood on a South Dakota cattle ranch to his current role in conservation, reflecting a deep connection to the grasslands. Tate grew up on a cattle ranch near Winner, SD and after high school attended SDSU majoring in range science. His career began at the Conservation District in Kingsbury County, after which he joined the NRCS in 1998 and currently serves as Assistant State Conservationist for field operations in Rapid City, SD since 2016. Lantz first got involved in the grasslands roadmap mission when the operation was temporarily housed in the Sturgis field office where he was positioned. He was immediately drawn into the aim: to combine the efforts of three countries and eight sectors to save one of the most vital ecosystems on earth- the grasslands. Grasslands face threats from urban sprawl, agricultural conversion, and tree encroachment, leading to grassland loss (32 million acres since 2012) as well as significant biodiversity loss. The Roadmap aims to raise awareness of grasslands' value in carbon sequestration and climate mitigation. To do this, the Roadmap emphasizes community involvement, including indigenous voices and industry partnerships. The Roadmap highlights the interconnection between grassland health and economic resilience of rural communities. It aims to bolster collective understanding and action, influence and push forward impactful legislation, heighten efficiency of resource use and allocation, refine shared progress monitoring standards and construct sustainability models to support scaling programs in grazing, regenerative agriculture, and industry. Tate Lantz's conversation sheds light on the Central Grasslands Roadmap's importance in preserving one of America’s most vital ecosystems. Stay tuned for more discussions on grassland conservation and the roadmap's impact across North America. Useful Links: Central Grasslands Roadmap Home page: https://www.grasslandsroadmap.org/ Our recommendation for understanding the roadmap: Roadmap Executive Summary New Feature Video on Grasslands loss and reclamation: Two Regenerative Ranchers Share Shocking Soil Health Discovery (growingresiliencesd.com/videos) Other Notes on the Central Grasslands Roadmap: History: 2018- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (backbone organization) – Tammy VerCauteren’s (exec director of BCoR) vision. Need/Context: 50 million acres (size of SD?) lost in last 10 years? “Measures of human community health and healthy grassland ecosystems across the biome continue to decline. The time to act is now.” Scale: Mexico, US and Canada, 600 million acres, eight sectors (e.g., indigenous communities, landowners & ranchers federal agencies, industry/ag and private sector, state and provincial agencies, NGO’s, academia, foundations and funders). Diverse ecosystems and diverse communities What is the Central Grasslands Roadmap? A hub for information and connection across countries and sectors - “We must think, collaborate, and act differently.” Vision: Eight outcomes – all look like related to thriving economic, environmental and equity (3 tectonic plates of sustainability) outcomes for these communities, beginning with indigenous populations, but includes ranchers/landowners, NGOs policymakers.. Principles: Respect, priorities to sustain indigenous communities, ranching and rual communities, science priorities, eight sectors.