Sheilah and Buddy Walsh honored as 2016 Montana "Good Neighbors"

Sheilah and Buddy Walsh, ranchers south of Dodson, were recently honored with a 2016 Good Neighbor Award in a ceremony with Governor Steve Bullock presenting. Six couples and individuals were honored for their service and volunteerism to the cause of conservation. The six awards were nominated by various conservation groups around the state. Sheilah and Buddy Walsh were nominated by The Montana Nature Conservancy, primarily for the work with the Matador Ranch Grass Bank project and other conservation related activities.

In a phone interview, Sheilah Walsh said, "We were surprised and honored. Buddy and I strive to be good partners with conservation groups and neighbors. Part of that is being good communicators to further conservation, being active in our community, opening our land to scientists doing research and providing access to hunters." Nominees are judged on four categories: cooperation, neighborly land access, land stewardship and conservation and community leadership.

The Walsh family lives on a ranch once owned by Buddy's grandmother. Sheilah added, "Buddy has lived her his entire life. The ranch has been in the family for over 100 years." The ranch is located at the southeast edge of Fort Belknap Reservation, on State Highway 191. A press release from the Governor's Office accompanying the announcement of the award winners, noted, "The Walsh family has worked cooperatively with the Fort Belknap Reservation, The Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund to help gather wildlife information from their ranch. They allow access to their ranch to hunters who respectfully ask. Buddy and Sheilah are also members of the Ranchers Stewardship Alliiance."

Buddy and Sheilah have been active in The Nature Conservancy's Matador Grassbank, an innovative program in which local ranchers receive discounted leases to graze on the Matador Ranch. The grazing leases are in exchange for implementing good conservation practices on their own land. The program has put conservation to work on more than 250,000 acres of the Northern Great Plains. Matador Ranch is near the Walsh ranch in Phillips County.

In an earlier comment Buddy Walsh said the award was a shared recognition. He added, "Sheilah and I are true partners. She takes care of a lot of the business, so the award is as much hers as it is mine."

The "Journal" congratulates Buddy and Sheilah Walsh, not only for the award but for being, well, good neighbors and good members of our larger community.