By Dave Thompson
Bismarck, ND – Two Rutgers University professors say people in the Great Plains are beginning to deal with the trends that led to their "Buffalo Commons" theory.
Frank and Deborah Popper were roundly criticized when they published the "Buffalo Commons" proposal in the late 1980s. But they say since that time, people in the Plains have begun to deal with the depopulation trends.
Frank Popper says those people are no longer in denial -- and are coming up with ways to try and keep people in the Plains states.
"I can't point yet to any community that reduced its population decline because it did a 'buffalo commons' thing. But I think that in the next 10 to 15 years, I will be able to. That's part of the promise of the idea -- that you don't have to just sit there and watch your community disappear around you. The really long-term possibilities are not realized yet."
Debroah Popper says the Great Plains have a lot to offer -- from an ecological perspective.
"What you have here is an extraordinary landscape. Use it. It's a great resource. It's a grassland -- and people don't understand grasslands. Make them aware. Teach them the pieces of it. What is a healthy grassland? What's on it?"
The Poppers say after the study was published, some ranchers got into raising buffalo instead of cattle. And they say that even though that market has been depressed for a few years, we may see more growth in that. And they say the region could promote "eco-tourism" initiatives.