EAGLE BUTTE, SD — This summer, six youth from the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation had the opportunity to spend three nights at Turner Enterprises’ Standing Butte Ranch in South Dakota. The special camping trip, organized by the Cheyenne River Youth Project with support from the Turner Foundation, took place July 22-23.
Formerly known as the Triple U Buffalo Ranch, this unique property was featured in the award-winning 1990 film “Dances with Wolves.” Most of the 45,921 acres are still natural prairie, with rolling hills, deep creek breaks, unbroken prairie grasses, native grasses and other indigenous plants, and thriving wildlife.
The ranch’s programming is designed to share knowledge about the prairie, including soil health, native plants, traditional foods and medicines, and of course, the American bison. A herd of about 2,000 bison call the ranch home.
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The campers ranged in age from 13 to 17. Four CRYP staff members served as counselors: Jerica Widow, program director; Wakinyan Chief, arts manager; Danielle Reynolds, program assistant; and Nation Cowins, program assistant intern.
“It was a good experience for our youth to see how buffalo ranches differ from cattle ranches,” Widow said. “It was also interesting to learn about the important role Ted Turner’s ranches play in our local buffalo processing centers, and their connection to the clothing company Patagonia through buffalo hides.”
Each day at the ranch began with an opening prayer, and each day’s lessons gave the young campers new ways to engage with their surroundings—and with their Lakota culture, so closely tied to the natural world. On the first day, Monday, the campers took a fire-making class and learned about the land; on Tuesday, they toured the bison herd—which is maintained without any bovine DNA—and learned about the animals and their diets.
“On Wednesday we learned about soil health on the ranch, including enzymes and biomatter in the soil, green manures and soil temperatures,” Widow said.
“The ranch managers gave us a thorough lesson on soil health and biodiversity,” agreed Wakinyan Chief, CRYP’s arts manager. “They also took us on a hike to see a prairie dog town and burrowing owls. They taught us how important prairie dogs, prairie chickens and bison are to the well-being of the grasslands.”
Later that day, the CRYP group visited the South Dakota Discovery Center in Pierre, where they learned about life on Earth and space science. On their last night at camp, the teens harvested traditional foods and medicines.
“As the sun was setting, Danielle taught us how to play hand games, and we played several rounds,” Chief said. “Then she led us all in a round dance and taught the young women about different styles of women’s powwow dancing.”
On that final evening, the children also participated in a debriefing and learned more about how they can help plan future camping activities.
“Sarah Berndt, who is 16, was asked by the Turner Foundation to possibly plan the next trip so that it would be youth-led,” Widow said. “She has some great ideas, such as including more evening activities for the group. All the youth gave great feedback.”
During that debriefing session, the campers also mentioned that they loved swimming in the Missouri River. It kept them cool and their spirits high in the hot summer weather.
Sabrienne Grindstone, 13, said she loved swimming and seeing the buffalo. Emma Berndt, 15, said her favorite parts of the experience were meeting and connecting with new teens, as well as enjoying the peace and quiet at Standing Butte Ranch.
“The teens said they loved digging for timpsila and learning about native plants,” Chief said. “They all had a great time playing hand games and dancing in circles. It was also fun to watch Sarah and Emma present their camp T-shirt designs! Everyone got a T-shirt, and ever since then I’ve seen our campers come to the teen center wearing their camp T-shirts.”
“We are so happy that our children were able to have these experiences,” Widow said. “We are so grateful to the Turner Foundation for their time and support, which made this incredible opportunity possible.”
Turner Enterprises, Inc. (TEI), a privately held company, manages Ted Turner’s business interests, land holdings and investments, including oversight of two million acres in eight states and more than 45,000 bison. TEI also works closely with Turner’s philanthropic and charitable interests, including the Turner Foundation. For more information, visit tedturner.com.
About the Author: “Levi “Calm Before the Storm” Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded the 2021 Native Media Award for Best Column in the print/online category by the Native American Journalists Association. He serves on the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at levi@nativenewsonline.net.”
Contact: levi@nativenewsonline.net
