Annual trail ride at Bison Range is Kallin's swan song

By Karen Peterson

Leader Staff

MOIESE — Refuge project leader Steve Kallin led more than 200 horses and riders on the 18-mile long National Bison Range Trail Ride coordinated by the Mission Rangers Saddle Club Sunday — one of his last leadership roles at the range before he moves to the National Elk Refuge.

The ride was bittersweet for Kallin, who will pack up his office and head to his new home with his wife, Susan, to Jackson, Wyoming where he will manage the National Elk Refuge.

"We knew that we would be moving around with this job. It's somewhat of a requirement," Kallin said of his job as a wildlife manager and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee. "We did stay long enough at our last location to raise our children, but, now, after three years here we think it is time to move on. And I elected to transfer."

Assistant manager Bill West is replacing Kallin.

"Bill has been here the longest and he knows the most. I couldn't think of a better person for the job," Kallin said. "He has 19 years of experience at the range giving him a long term perspective."

Kallin has a history of working in areas with spectacular views but he said that the Bison Range has been one of the best.

"I'm going to miss this area and this view but Jackson also has some spectacular scenery. And yes, there is also controversy there, too," he said.

As the project leader, Kallin has been a part of the Annual Funding Agreement between the FWS and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, a situation that has ignited much controversy, especially when the AFA was pulled in late December. Added to that, FWS announced earlier this spring that it is cutting some staff there at the range, and will transfer many of the buffalo to other herds in order to bolster them.

In Jackson, Kallin faces controversy of a different sort, he said.

"The continuation of feeding the elk is what they are dealing with there," he said. "So, I'll be dealing with controversy but more due to wildlife issues."

In Montana, Kallin worked to provide policy for the refuge systems with a staff that he says was invaluable to his work.

"My job was to develop an annual work plan with detailed instruction to ensure the tribe knew what was required of them. The annual work plan included background information and operational standards. I also evaluated performance, and that was the most contentious part of the job because the tribe did not agree with our assessment," he said.

Kallin also helped develop a project created to thwart unwanted disease from coming in contact with bison on the range, a danger that would devastate the bison Kallin said.

"In 2004 before the funding agreement, we built a bison transfer station," he said. "It was one of the protections that we felt necessary to protect the herd."

Also on Kallin's list of duties was habitat restoration.

"At the Lost Trail National Refuge, we restored over 1,000 acres of wetland habitat. That was a great project," he said.

Looking back on his service at the range, Kallin said that he was honored to have the chance to work with a great staff.

"I've not worked with a more talented group of people," he noted.

Most of Kallin's work required him to be in the office but it was the outdoors that motivated him to pursue a career in wildlife management.

"I have a love for the outdoors and wildlife. My interest in the outdoors began when I was a kid. I spent time on my grandparent's farm and I spent time camping and hunting. Now, I feel fortunate to have a job that I can make a positive contribution in an area that I love," he said.

On the trail ride, at the highest point at the range, riders stopped to give their horses a rest, eat a catered lunch and hear a few words from Kallin.

"This ride has been an annual event for the last 50 years," Kallin said. "It is an amazing ride. The scenery is just incredible. For next year's ride, we'd like to encourage more children to get involved. Kids today don't spend enough time outdoors," he said, saying the ride was available to children 10 and older.

After the trail ride ended, co-workers and friends passed by Kallin on the way to their horse trailers to thank him for his work and to say good-bye. Kallin will leave for Wyoming later this month.