| Brought back from the brink of extinction, conservation efforts are finding a home for plains bison on the North American prairie once again. This paper examines the impact that such efforts have had on Val Marie, Saskatchewan and Saco, Montana, two ranching communities separated by a national border, but sharing similar demographics and a prairie landscape. Historical differences between the two countries have led to two distinct paths toward bison conservation in each community. Interviews with Canadian participants reveal a government--led conservation program that is now largely embraced by residents of Val Marie. American interviews highlight a privately led environmental effort that has created a schism between conservationists and ranchers in Saco. Building off of concepts put forward by Paul Robbins and William Cronon, a qualitative media content analysis shows how these two projects are socially constructed in each country. The research suggests that nature and conservation is framed by communitarian values in Canada and individualistic values in the U.S. |
