History of the Sheyenne Valley Grazing Association Mcleod North Dakota

The History of the Sheyenne Valley Grazing Association of McLeod, North Dakota describes the background and development of this community organization in the Sheyenne River delta of southeastern North Dakota: "a unique ecology in the Western hemisphere," (Audubon Society). The book surveys the fascinating prehistory of the area; and the development of a Grazing Association cooperative which began in 1941 and continues to the present. This Association began with a set of communitarian...
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The History of the Sheyenne Valley Grazing Association of McLeod, North Dakota describes the background and development of this community organization in the Sheyenne River delta of southeastern North Dakota: "a unique ecology in the Western hemisphere," (Audubon Society). The book surveys the fascinating prehistory of the area; and the development of a Grazing Association cooperative which began in 1941 and continues to the present. This Association began with a set of communitarian values, with a unique and complex management system for the local grassland ecologies. This management has been shared with various U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies over the years. This history places each decade of the Association's development within the context of events in U.S. society and reveals insights gained by working through the social and environmental effects of the droughts of the 1930s and the ups and downs and radical administrative changes of the Soil Conservation Service and U.S. Forest Service. The social values and management system suggest models which support a vibrant community life, and communities' economic and environmental health. Interviews with founding and senior members of the association emphasize the policy of stewardship of the environment, animals and people, and that this approach to life is "a sacred trust" that needs to be passed down to following generations.