An Eco-Entrepreneur’s New Model Of Sustainability:

What would you do if your boat came in? We’ve all spent idle moments contemplating it, what we’d do if we won the lottery or, say, started and then sold a successful derivatives and financial risk management software company. OK, maybe not so much the last part, but that’s what happened to Roger Lang when, in 1996, he led his company, Infinity, to a successful (and profitable) merger with SunGuard Data Systems. Three years later, at age 40, Roger ‘retired’ and set his sights on a bold experiment in conservation that’s been described as “part anthropology, part economics, part Gunsmoke and part Greenpeace.” With no previous ranching experience, Roger purchased Sun Ranch, a 20,000 acre ranch in Montana’s Madison Valley, 40 miles north of Yellowstone National Park, and set about challenging the traditional relationship between ranching and conservation and to demonstrate that not only could cattle ranching and environmentalism coexist, but, ultimately, they can save each other.

The traditional view holds that the goals of environmentalists are fundamentally at odds with the goals of ranchers. Environmentalists often object to ranching, especially on public lands. Overgrazing by cattle and sheep can negatively impact an entire ecosphere (leaving damaged streams and meadows left vulnerable to noxious weeds). For many ranchers, any mention of environmentalism conjures images of uptight, tree-hugging vegans who don’t understand the realities of the west.

Though it hasn’t always been easy, Roger has managed to speak to and on behalf of both sides. “I came up here with the Sierra Club ethos, thinking ‘Cows are bad!’” Roger explains. “I was a classic detached from the land suburbanite. But if you  manage for wildlife, there’s a win-win. For the next 20 to 30 years, cows are what will preserve open spaces.” The equation is simple, Roger suggests: “keeping ranches profitable reduces the chance that ranch families will sell out to land speculators.

Roger started the Sun Ranch Group (SRG) in large part to promote dialogue and collaboration between conservationists and ranchers. A blended value enterprise of integrated businesses, SRG invests in and supports sustainable agriculture, responsible construction, conservation real estate settlements and eco-tourism. SRG’s non-profit, Sun Ranch Institute, manages land conversation and restoration, ecological monitoring and scientific inquiry, as well as education and community outreach initiatives.

LTT: You’ve said that one of your goals in launching the Sun Ranch Group (SRG) was to demonstrate that environmentalism and cattle ranching are not mutually exclusive concepts, that not only can they coexist but ultimately save each other. You seem to be challenging conventional wisdom on both sides. What have been some of your biggest hurdles?

RL: I suppose trying to figure out how to ranch with wolves on the landscape. Environmentalists think wolves are native to the land and should be there. For ranchers, wolves represent a real threat. It’s a total flashpoint issue- the abortion issue for ranchers and environmentalists in the west, and it’s difficult to reconcile that divide. Ranchers have come a long way in their thinking. A rancher who does the right thing from a land stewardship standpoint knows he’s doing the right thing from a business standpoint- he sees himself as a Teddy Roosevelt environmentalist- and I think environmentalists are starting to acknowledge the value of that approach. When the alternative to a failed ranch is condos and strip malls, neither side want that. It’s been an interesting challenge, but relationships are on the mend.

LTT: SRG’s focus has been the American West, but what are the broader applications of your research and investments? What could people in other parts of the world learn from your experiences?

RL: Our approach is to think of it as an eco-enterprise, a table with four legs. Sustainable agriculture- farming, ranching, hay, timber and so on- the impetus to be sustainable, to keep the land healthy, but profitable. Sustainable Recreation, or eco-tourism- people need to participate in the land (fishing, hiking, riding), where enjoyment of the land depends on its health. Sustainable Real Estate Development- to create a model that turns a profit, where we not only appreciate nature, but set up a human enterprise that can coexist with nature into the future. And finally, Scientific Study- it’s vital to have a scientific arm, not biased by money. The Sun Ranch Institute’s primary goal is to validate the sustainability of the other three legs. It’s not enough to be sustainably economic. You need to be socially sustainable- you can’t ruin relationships with those around you. But there needs to be a governing role of science, because without being ecologically sustainable, the whole table collapses.

LTT: When it comes to conservation, does one need to be an optimist?

RL: I don’t think so. I have dark days when I’m convinced developers will pave all these beautiful open spaces. But I think these bouts of pessimism actually keep me engaged- pure optimism is synonymous with naivete. I think to be dedicated to conservation means you better have a good appreciation of the challenges, or else you’ll be blind-sided by them.

LTT: What do you read or watch that helps shape your views on environmentalism and conservation?

RL: Anything by E.O. Wilson. Anything by Carl Sagan. Anything by Thom Hartmann. Any books rooted in fact-based analysis.

For more info visit:

Sun Ranch  Group

Sun Ranch Institute

[all images courtesy of Sun Ranch]