Rooted in the Prairie: How Kate Rasmussen is Building a Future for Grasslands through Collaborative Conservation
- Buz Kloot, Ph.D.
- Apr 14
- 4 min read
By: Buz Kloot
The prairie does not demand attention. It whispers, it hums, it endures. But to those who know it well, who grew up watching the grasses sway in the wind like a great breathing organism, the prairie teaches everything worth knowing about balance, resilience, and belonging. Kate Rasmussen is one of those people.
Raised in the Badlands of south-central South Dakota, Kate was shaped by the very landscapes she now works to protect. Her early days on the family cattle ranch were spent moving cattle, working horses, and learning the subtle language of grasses and wildlife. It was a way of life, but it was also an education—one that led her to a role at the World Wildlife Fund’s Sustainable Ranching Initiative, where she now works with ranchers across western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming to improve grazing practices and restore native grasslands.
“My roots are here,” she says, “and so is my purpose.”
Why Grasslands Matter—And Why They’re Disappearing
The grasslands of North America—once stretching from Alberta to Mexico in a near-continuous sea of life—are now vanishing at a pace that alarms even the most seasoned conservationists. According to WWF’s 2021 Plowprint Report, 32 million acres of grassland have been lost since 2012. In that year alone, 1.6 million acres were destroyed—a number greater than the size of Delaware.
And yet, these grasslands remain essential. They store carbon, filter water, support pollinators, and provide habitat for countless species. “They’re not just grass,” Kate says. “They’re an ecosystem—quiet, but crucial.”
Restoration Through Relationship: A Different Kind of Conservation
What sets Kate apart is her deep belief in collaborative conservation. “This isn’t about enforcing a set of rules,” she says. “It’s about listening—truly listening—to the people on the land and finding shared goals.”
Kate’s work is grounded in partnerships—with ranchers, scientists, nonprofits, and agencies. Her role is part ecologist, part connector. She helps producers reseed degraded pastures with native grasses, rethink their grazing rotations, and implement regenerative practices that not only protect the environment but also support long-term ranch viability.
“It’s not either-or,” she emphasizes. “We can produce food and fiber and support biodiversity. The two can work together.”
Her conviction is born of experience. Having worked on ranches throughout the West, Kate understands firsthand the economic pressures, the family dynamics, the unpredictability of weather. She knows what it means to make a living off the land—and how fragile that livelihood can become without healthy soil, reliable rainfall, and functioning ecosystems.
The Heart of Regenerative Ranching
Like the ranchers she supports, Kate believes in the core principles of regenerative agriculture: keeping living roots in the soil, maintaining ground cover, promoting plant diversity, minimizing disturbance, and integrating livestock. But she also champions a sixth principle—context—recognizing that every landscape is unique, every operation different.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all model,” she explains. “The key is adapting the principles to your own land and learning to read what it needs.”
This kind of responsiveness—this trust in nature’s wisdom—is what makes Kate’s work both humble and powerful. She’s not prescribing solutions from a distance; she’s walking the fence lines, feeling the soil, reading the grasses.
Carrying the Message Beyond the Fence Line
While much of Kate’s work happens in conversations with ranchers and partners, she also sees the value in reaching a broader audience. “People in urban areas don’t always know how much of their well-being is tied to these landscapes,” she says. “We need to tell that story better.”
That story, as Kate tells it, is one of interconnectedness—between the prairie and the pollinator, the rancher and the rangeland, the soil and the supper table. “You can quote statistics all day,” she says, “but what sticks with people is the feeling they get when they experience the prairie. When they feel the wind, hear the birds, see the grasses move. That’s what makes them care.”
And Kate is right. Conservation is not only about numbers. It’s about stories. And hers is one that speaks to both urgency and hope.
Looking Ahead: A Future Rooted in Collaboration
Kate Rasmussen is part of a growing movement of young conservationists and land stewards who understand that saving the grasslands won’t come from top-down mandates, but from bottom-up partnerships. It’s not just about preserving what’s left—it’s about restoring what’s been lost and reimagining how we relate to the land.
“I’m hopeful,” she says. “Because I see the energy out there. I see ranchers who care deeply, who want to do right by the land, who are willing to adapt. And when you combine that with strong partnerships and good science, you get real, lasting change.”
In a world that often favors speed and spectacle, Kate’s approach—like the grasslands themselves—is quiet, steady, and enduring. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the most powerful transformations begin not with declarations, but with listening. Not with conquest, but with care.
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