Dodson's Buddy and Sheila Walsh win Good Neighbor conservation award

A perfect example of cooperation, community spirit and good stewardship are this year's winners of the Montana Neighbor Award presented by The Nature Conservancy, including ranchers Buddy and Sheila Walsh of Dodson.

Founding members of the The Nature Conservancy's Matador Grassbank, both are active with a long list of other groups, from the Fort Belknap Livestock Marketing Cooperative to the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, where Sheila serves as treasurer.

"It came as quite a surprise," Bud Walsh said of the award. "I really didn't know it existed, but it is certainly a great honor."

He was quick to say the award is shared, equally, by his wife, Sheila.

"We are true partners and she takes care of a lot of the business, so it's as much hers as it is mine," Walsh said.

Brian Martin, Montana Grasslands Conservation director, praised the Walshes as excellent stewards and neighbors.

"Our Matador Ranch shares more than two miles of fence line with Buddy and Sheila, and we've always been able to count on them for their excellent stewardship and pitching in to help, whether rounding up a stray heifer, fighting weeds before they get a toe hold or being a leading voice for management of the grassbank," Martin said.

The Matador Grassbank is an innovative program in which local ranchers receive discounted leases to graze on Nature Conservancy land in exchange for implementing good conservation practices on their own land. As a result, the team has put conservation to work on more than 250,000 acres of the Northern Great Plains.

Dale Veseth, another member of the Conservancy's Grassbank and Ranchers Stewardship Alliance said that the Walshes are full participants in all aspects of community life.

"Bud and Sheila Walsh are big part of our local community," he said. "The Walshes are very active in community events and youth sports activities. (They have) both served as directors on the community conservation organization, the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (and were) an integral part of the World Sustainability Beef Round Table tour."

The Montana Neighbor Award is given annually to recognize landowners who work collaboratively with their neighbors to enhance Montana's sense of community. In addition to the Walshes, the winners hail from all parts of the state.

The other 2016 winners of the Montana Neighbor Award are:

• Doug Salsbury, Whitehall

• Neil and Dixie Meyer, Swan Lake

• Joe and Debby Perry, Brady

• Randy and Emily Smith, Glen

• Tim Crawford, Kathy Hansen, Belgrade

The awards were presented at the Capitol March 22 by Gov. Steve Bullock, who praised the winners for their great stewardship and service to the community.

The Montana Neighbor award is sponsored by The Nature Conservancy in Montana, Artemis Common Ground, Montana Council of Trout Unlimited, Montana Association of Land Trusts, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and the Office of the Governor.