Harvest time at the Gehring Ranch

I am honored to have this photo of the historic Gehring Ranch, northwest of Helena Montana, used as the promotional photo and program cover for this year’s Harvest Moon Banquet and Auction – supporting the Prickly Pear Land Trust. When PPLT reached out to me for this assignment, I was super excited – combing my two passions: conservation and photography, hits a sweet spot for me. . My day job is in private land conservation with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and I routinely visit ranches around the state and meet with landowners. Needless to say knocking on the front door of a ranch I have never visited really does not intimated me anymore, especially when you are meeting Bill Gehring, who is one of the friendliest and kindest landowners I have ever met. . The ranch dates back 150 years when Bill’s grandfather homesteaded here in 1864. The ranch is listed on the National Historic Register and the ranch is now protected forever by a conservation easement held by PPLT. The Gehrings run both cattle and bison on the ranch and the CE will support the property’s agriculture operation, protect the family’s legacy and prevent future subdivision. I had a lovely evening with great light to photograph the property’s iconic red barn. . This weekend I attended the Harvest Moon Banquet and was lucky enough to stand in line with Bill which brought this fortuitous project full circle for me. Thanks again to PPLT for giving me this opportunity to capture a truly special place and for the great night out .