Randy Olson, Melissa Farlow Photography

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  • A horse rescuer carries hay to feed her the animals at her sanctuary.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_2737104.jpg
  • Young volunteers at Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary love the animals.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_2737124.jpg
  • Trainers at a camel contest watch over the valuable animals at night.
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  • Hyena cubs and other animals are becoming used to tourists.
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  • Aquatic animals in seaweed.
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  • Two wild stallions eye each other and begin a ritual to establish dominance. They paw the ground establishing their turf and next they will either walk away or fight. Horses are prey animals with a strong "fight-or-flight" response where they flee for safety but they defend themselves or stand their ground when their hierarchy is challenged.
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  • This couple is training their pet on their friend’s treadmill because they fear if they take the dog outside for a walk, they risk having it beaten to death in front of them by a policeman. Beijing at the time of this photo had a "one dog policy." The dog on the treadmill is a Siberian Husky and police cracked down on large dog ownership. <br />
<br />
Owners of big dogs that live within the sixth ring in Beijing and have an illegal pet have purchased treadmills after the crackdown began. Pets were pulled out of the hands of their crying owners. A group protested in front of the zoo because there was suspicion that some of the dogs were being fed to the tigers. The activists claim dog owners tried to take policemen to dinner to bribe them, but it did not work. They believe the policemen sold some of the nice animals and sent the rest to the zoo.
    RANDY OLSON_MM7493_1176590.jpg
  • Portrait of a wild horse in the snow-covered Ochoco National Forest in the Big Summit Wild Horse Territory in Oregon. The origins of the herd are not entirely clear according to the U.SD. Forest Service. Early accounts describe local ranchers in the 1920s turning loose quality animals from a good breeding stock to ensure a future supply of good horses. Recent genetic testing has linked the Ochoco Mustangs to Iberian and Andalusian stock, leaving much to be discovered about their true heritage.
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  • Skeleton of a wild horse likely killed by a cougar in the high desert has teeth intact in the skull. The horse's natural enemies are predator animals: mountain lions, wolves and humans.
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  • Dot, a former wild horse, patiently waits under a guard dog's watchful eye as a sheepherder checks on the animals in his care.<br />
After the mustang was trained by prison inmates, the horse was sold at auction. He earned respect the first week on the ranch in the Wyoming range when he found his way back to the corral in a blizzard saving the life of his mount.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1201771.jpg
  • A submerged alligator is only visible with his armored back poking above placid waters as he  hunts on the muddy bottom of the Okefenokee Swamp. The reptiles skin has embedded bony plates called osteoderms or scutes.<br />
Alligator populations are considered to have recovered from overharvesting pressures through supplemental farming practices and protections placed on wild animals. However, the species is still federally listed as threatened because it looks like the American crocodile, which is endangered.
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  • Cattle in a pen at a feedlot adjacent to a grain elevator in Ingalls, Nebraska.<br />
<br />
The main purpose of feedlots is to help animals reach a certain weight as efficiently as possible. Through providing a steady, high energy diet and managing the cattle, they attempt to minimize health problems and stress. A criticism of feedlots is that they are overcrowded which creates more challenges for healthy animals.
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  • Cattle in a pen at a feedlot near Garden City, Kansas. <br />
The main purpose of feedlots is to help animals reach a certain weight as efficiently as possible. Through providing a steady, high energy diet and managing the cattle, they attempt to minimize health problems and stress. A criticism of feedlots is that they are overcrowded which creates more challenges for healthy animals.
    RANDY OLSON_MM8429_2481124.JPG
  • Cattle are coaxed into pens at a feedlot in Kansas.<br />
The main purpose of feedlots is to help animals reach a certain weight as efficiently as possible. Through providing a steady, high energy diet and managing the cattle, they attempt to minimize health problems and stress. A criticism of feedlots is that they are overcrowded which creates more challenges for healthy animals.
    RANDY OLSON_MM8429_2481053.JPG
  • Wild horses exhibit a "fight or flight" instinct typical of prey animals. As a noise startles the band, the horse on the right flees, the middle one quickly turns to follow while the mustang on the left looks back to see the threat and why the alarm was sounded for them to run to safety.<br />
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South Steens wild horse herd located south of Frenchglen in the high desert country with extremely rocky surfaces divided by deep canyons, rim rocks and plateaus.
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  • A foal stands out in the herd as mustangs head down a dusty trail to a waterhole. Wild horse herds have a distinct social order and as with other animals that live in large groups, establishment of a stable hierarchical system reduces aggression. A lead or “alpha” mare guides the herd to food and water while stallions follow behind protecting their bands from predators and threats.
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  • Grizzlies fish for salmon in one of the best spots where the Ozernaya River flows into Kurilskoe Lake under the backdrop of a volcano.  <br />
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Brown bears are not pack animals and an abundant food supply attracts them to the same place to hunt. The Kurilskoe Preserve is the model for poaching enforcement in all of Kamchatka. It is protected and the last wild place that produces all seven species of salmon.
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  • An animal activist watches a young mustang foal roll in the dirt. They were out for a walk when the young foal stopped and dropped. <br />
Horses roll for pleasure and to clean their coats with sand and soil.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222822.jpg
  • Dinka tribesmen and their cattle hide in acacia forests to escape attack by government forces. The Government of Sudan (GOS) dropped bombs nearby, wiping out an entire village and all of the livestock. Animals are a target because they are the last resource in times of famine.
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  • A hyena carries an animal carcass.
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  • The Okapi is a mammal with distinct striped markings that stands less than five feet tall. The herbivore feeds on tree leaves, grasses and ferns and never developed the long neck of a savannah giraffe since all its’ food is low.<br />
<br />
 Okapi are solitary animals whose dark bodies blend into the shadows and stripes break up an animal outline making it difficult for predators to see them. Major threats to this solitary forest creature include habitat loss due to logging, mining and hunting. Classified as endangered,  The Okapi Conservation Project was established in 1987 to protect the species. THE Okapi Wildlife Reserve is a World Heritage site that covers around 20 percent of the Ituri Rainforest.
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  • At the Curry County Fair, a teenage girl covers a sheep in a floral-print "body suit" to keep the animal clean.
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  • The mysterious Nazca lines form a monkey in the desert of southern Peru. Other animals and geometric shapes are best seen from the air. Anthropologists believe the Nazca culture that created them began around 100 B.C. and flourished from A.D. 1 to 700. They were made with light-colored sand when the top foot of rock was removed by an ancient culture.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_1187627.jpg
  • Mysterious Nazca lines form strange two-footed animal figures in the desert of Peru. Many creatures as well as geometric shapes run for miles and are best seen from the air. They were made by exposing lighter colored soil when sun-baked stones were moved and piled up. Anthropologists believe the Nazca culture that created them began around 100 B.C. and flourished from A.D. 1 to 700
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_1187625.jpg
  • Animal figures as well as geometric shapes are part of the mysterious Nazca lines best seen from the air in the Peruvian desert.  The figures--as well as triangles, rectangles and straight lines--run for several kilometers across the dry barren land. The desert floor is covered in a layer of iron oxide-coated pebbles of a deep rust color. The ancient peoples created their designs by removing the top 12 to 15 inches of rock, revealing the lighter-colored sand below. Anthropologists believe the Nazca culture that created them began around 100 B.C. and flourished from A.D. 1 to 700
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_1187622.jpg
  • Mysterious Nazca lines form animal and geometric figures seen from the air.  A hummingbird shape as well as perfect geometric designs like triangles, rectangles and straight lines run for several kilometers across the desert. The desert floor is covered in a layer of iron oxide-coated pebbles of a deep rust color. Anthropologists believe the Nazca culture that created them began around 100 B.C. and flourished from A.D. 1 to 700. The ancient peoples created their designs by removing the top 12 to 15 inches of rock, revealing the lighter-colored sand below.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_1187620.jpg
  • An okapi forages in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve is a World Heritage site that covers around 20 percent of the Ituri Rainforest. <br />
The Okapi is a mammal with distinct striped markings that stands less than five feet tall. It is an herbivore that feeds on tree leaves, grasses and ferns that never developed the long neck of a savannah giraffe since all its’ food is low. <br />
<br />
Okapi are solitary animals whose dark bodies blend into the shadows and stripes break up an animal outline making it difficult for predators to see them. Major threats to this solitary forest creature include habitat loss due to logging, mining and hunting. Classified as endangered,  The Okapi Conservation Project was established in 1987 to protect the species. T
    RANDY OLSON_MM7209_976410.TIF
  • Miniature horses are selectively bred for their small size. They are generally less than 36 inches high and are very friendly with people. They can be trained to pull carriages and be ridden as well as used as companion animals.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7017_737725.jpg
  • Laundry and stuffed animal on a clothesline in Kireka.
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  • A petroglyph of a horned animal carved onto a rock face. Significant late prehistoric archeological sites in the desert Southwest are preserved in Agua Fria National Monument that measures 71,100-acres in Arizona.
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  • Cast in the warm glow of a late afternoon sun, a boy wearing a cowboy hat sits on the back of a pinto pony, affectionately hugging the animal's neck.
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  • A young stud lifts his lip catching a whiff of a mare in heat. The Flehmen response is a biological reaction to smell where an animal curls back the upper lip and senses pheromones.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222815.jpg
  • Wisps of smoke float from a burning Chinese herb on acupuncture needles used by veterinarian Rhonda Rathgeber to treat a mare for fertility troubles. The Chinese have been needling horses for several thousand years. Now Western vets are using such holistic remedies alongside traditional medicine or after it fails. Some believe the quick, painless pricks also boost the animal's athletic performance.
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  • A Pryor Mountain  mustang lifts his lip to catch a scent in a wild horse range in Montana. The behavior is called a Flehmen response when an animal curls his upper lip in this manner.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222832.jpg
  • A man stands near butchered animals at an outdoor slaughtering site.
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  • A hunter, carries a rifle bushmeat followed by his dogs. He provides monkey meat to the town and surrounding community. Estimates are that between 30 and 85% of daily protein intake of Africans comes from bushmeat. <br />
<br />
Population growth and the commercialization of the trade in bushmeat creates hunting pressure upon wild animal populations. Wildlife numbers are rapidly declining, and there are concerns that animal diseases may be transmitted to humans.
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  • Vicunas live near the arid Atacama Desert in Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca. They survive eating nutrient-poor, tough, bunch grasses. Highly valued for their wool, vicunas are protected by law. The vicuna is the national animal of Peru and appears on the Peruvian coat of arms.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_1187564.jpg
  • The mysterious Nazca lines form a spider, one of many animal and geometric shapes best seen in the air in Peru's southern desert.  Anthropologists believe the Nazca culture that created them began around 100 B.C. and flourished from A.D. 1 to 700. They were made with light-colored sand when the top foot of rock was removed by an ancient culture.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_1187631.jpg
  • Hunters provide monkey meat to the town and surrounding community.<br />
<br />
Estimates are that between 30 and 85% of daily protein intake of Africans comes from bushmeat. <br />
<br />
Population growth and the commercialization of the trade in bushmeat creates hunting pressure upon wild animal populations. Wildlife numbers are rapidly declining, and there are concerns that animal diseases may be transmitted to humans.
    RANDY OLSON_MM7393_1053901.JPG
  • Atlantic bumpers are a crucial food source in Senegal and elsewhere in Africa, where 200 million people depend largely on seafood for their animal protein. Worldwide, fish sustain one billion people, many of them poor. As pressure on stocks increases, the challenge for developing countries—whose share of fish production is projected to increase to 81 percent by 2015—is to balance the need for revenue with the need for food.
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  • After ritualistic pawing and sniffing, an aggressive gray stallion goes for the throat of another wild horse in a confrontation to establish dominance. Fur flies as the stallion rears back, caught off guard at the attack. Although many conflicts are short and not so brutal, serious injuries can occur as stallions fight. Many mustang studs have missing ears, and their bodies are battle-scarred from bite marks and strikes from front hooves. <br />
White Sands herd from the missile range in Utah have a rare gaited gene.
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  • As night falls, a blur of galloping horses reveals a stud that is chasing a younger male from the band. When males come of age showing sexual maturity, they are driven from the family to find a mate. It is believed this is their natural way of warding off inbreeding. The younger horse must find other males to form a bachelor band or win a mare for his own.
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  • A stallion nips at at another stud as they fight for dominance in a wild horse herd. Dust rises as the pair clash in the dry summer months in the West.
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  • A white mustang stallion challenges another stud as the herd adjusts to the new dynamic of status as horses introduced.
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  • China's only full-time pet photographer kisses one of three Chow Chows wearing hats and scarves..
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  • With a burst of speed, a white mustang stallion charges at another wild horse.
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  • A young mustang foal romps to play in a meadow running circles around his mother while she grazes with other mares in the horse herd.
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  • A mare watches over a newborn foal that is her grandson, scolding him for trying to nurse with her. Although he is minutes old and just standing for the first time, she is teaching him his first life lessons while his mother rests after just giving birth.
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  • Two yearling mock battle to earn confidence to battle a stallion. As they mature, stallions fight for dominance in a herd.
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  • A sleek stud challenges a paint stallion as they clashed near a water hole in Oregon's high desert. Wild horses drink in order of hierarchy that is determined by their dominance. Their hooves thud when pounding each other in a fight within the herd.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222867.jpg
  • Bachelor mustangs spar and mock battle to practice their fighting moves and build up the courage to challenge a stallion to steal mares for their own bands. A thick blanket of fog made it tough for the dominant stallion to keep a watchful eye to protect his band.
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  • Tension mounts as two battle-scarred wild stallions face off. In a wild horse herd, the dominant stallion is challenged by other studs in a brutal quest for hierarchy. Eye to eye, the horses stare and smell each other which is the beginning of the fight ritual. Many mustang studs have missing ears, and their bodies are battle-scarred from bite marks and strikes from front hooves.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222817.jpg
  • Head lowered and ears laid back in an aggressive posture, a stallion is "herding" or "snaking" or to control his mare and foal. The white mustang is also sending a warning to others. Wild stallions protect their families and this behavior is in reaction to a threat to his band.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222801.jpg
  • Phantom, a charismatic white mustang, fights a roan stallion at the Wild Horse Sanctuary. He was captured by the U.S. Forest Service and rescued by loyal fans who raised money to save him. Once released with other horses, he was tested for hierarchy in the herd.
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  • Young studs playfully mock battle to earn confidence to battle a stallion. They practice their moves by chasing, biting, kicking and fighting.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222876.jpg
  • A playful bachelor band of young studs mock battle building up their fighting moves.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_2737098.jpg
  • A stallion chases a colt away from his band when a young male reaches sexual maturity.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_2737094.jpg
  • The horse herd grazes in the last hours of light, and a mustang mare locates and nuzzles her foal.
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  • A white, miniature poodle gets a bath in a small blue bucket by a worker at a pet spa.
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  • A wild mustang stallion chases studs away from his mares. Other horses in the herd graze, rarely stopping to watch.
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  • A wary foal stands with his mother near other mares in the herd as they graze together.<br />
Foals are often born with a pale shade of their adult color. In the wild, the dull colored coat camouflages babies from predators. However, they typically shed their fuzzy foal coat at three or four months of age and evolve into their adult coloration.
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  • A dominant stud shows aggression biting the mustang's neck while attempting to mate in Steen's Mountain.
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  • A dog treat motivates a canine to exercise. Large pets dogs are illegal, so this woman exercises her pet inside on a treadmill in a pet spa.
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  • Two young foals explore a scratching post tree after watching other horses in the herd pass under it  creating a well-worn path.
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  • Two gray stallions put their heads together to smell a territorial marking. Although it may look friendly, the mustangs are exhibiting behavior typical in a wild horse herd when studs are vying for dominance. At this point, they may fight or walk away to battle another time.
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  • Stallions battle for mares during the foaling season which is generally in the spring, There are constant conflicts that interrupt the wild horse's grazing habits.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222810.jpg
  • Two young studs playfully spar as they gain confidence and moves that will help them challenge older stallions for hierarchy in the herd. They bite and kick, running in circles and kicking up dust around the other horses.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222806.jpg
  • Stallions kick up their heels as they spar in a battle for mares during the foaling season.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222791.jpg
  • Young studs playfully practice their moves to fight for dominance in the White Sands Herd. A well placed bite may give one an advantage in a battle for mares during breeding season. The instinctual training is to insure preservation of the strongest in the herd. Brutal fights can leave mustangs scarred and injured so the yearlings practice as they mature.
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  • A rescued orphan foal leaves little time for sleep, so a bed is moved into the makeshift horse nursery in the house.
    MELISSA FARLOW_04526_2737103.jpg
  • A family of trumpeter swans and a cygnet swims in blue waters of Tangle Lakes near Alaska's Denali National Park. Trumpeter Swans forage in shallow water, reaching under the surface to eat aquatic vegetation. Although Trumpeter Swans have been dubbed “a classic conservation success” and numbers have increased, human threats affect the population. The swans are extremely sensitive to human disturbance at their breeding sites and will abandon nests and cygnets if disturbed.
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  • Kiger mustangs graze peacefully on public land in southeast Oregon.
    MELISSA FARLOW_RF4115_2737064.jpg
  • A family of trumpeter swans and a cygnet swims in blue waters of Tangle Lakes near Alaska's Denali National Park. Trumpeter Swans forage in shallow water, reaching under the surface to eat aquatic vegetation. Although Trumpeter Swans have been dubbed “a classic conservation success” and numbers have increased, human threats affect the population. The swans are extremely sensitive to human disturbance at their breeding sites and will abandon nests and cygnets if disturbed.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_705764-3.JPG
  • A family of trumpeter swans and a cygnet swims in blue waters of Tangle Lakes near Alaska's Denali National Park. Trumpeter Swans forage in shallow water, reaching under the surface to eat aquatic vegetation. Although Trumpeter Swans have been dubbed “a classic conservation success” and numbers have increased, human threats affect the population. The swans are extremely sensitive to human disturbance at their breeding sites and will abandon nests and cygnets if disturbed.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_705764-1.JPG
  • Wild horses graze while ducks swim by in a waterhole they share with other wildlife.
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  • Wild horses graze in a remote area of  high desert on western public lands.
    MELISSA FARLOW_RF4115_2737061.jpg
  • A band of wild horses drink from a Cold Creek pond in the parched desert.
    MELISSA FARLOW_RF4115_2737055.jpg
  • Wild horses graze at an abandoned industrial site near a waterhole in Nevada. The scrappy equine are survivors on sparse, dry range as they roam across state, private and public federal land.
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  • A young foal rests in a bed of chamomile flowers creating an idyllic scene as he watches the herd graze. Newborn horses sleep up to twelve hours during the day, but graduate to adults that sleep only three hours -- and often standing.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222802.jpg
  • A protected wild mustang foal naps in a meadow near his mother. Newborn horses sleep up to twelve hours during the day, but graduate to adults that sleep only three hours -- and often standing.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222774.jpg
  • A family of trumpeter swans and a cygnet swims in blue waters of Tangle Lakes near Alaska's Denali National Park. Trumpeter Swans forage in shallow water, reaching under the surface to eat aquatic vegetation. Although Trumpeter Swans have been dubbed “a classic conservation success” and numbers have increased, human threats affect the population. The swans are extremely sensitive to human disturbance at their breeding sites and will abandon nests and cygnets if disturbed.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_705764.jpg
  • A family of trumpeter swans swims in clear waters of Tangle Lakes hiding in the grasses in the shadow of Alaska's Denali National Park. Trumpeter Swans forage in shallow water, reaching under the surface to eat aquatic vegetation. Although Trumpeter Swans have been dubbed “a classic conservation success” and numbers have increased, human threats affect the population. The swans are extremely sensitive to human disturbance at their breeding sites and will abandon nests and cygnets if disturbed.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_705759.jpg
  • Brown bears competing for salmon in Kuril Lake. So many salmon—pink, chum, sockeye (above), coho, chinook, and masu—flood the waters that typically solitary brown bears crowd together
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  • A brown bear breast-feeding her cubs at Kurilskoye Lake Preserve. There are almost 15,000 grizzly bears on Russian Kamchatka peninsula that provides habitat and plenty of salmon for bears to thrive on.
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  • Lured by vegetation, wild horses wander through subdivision yards in the Virginia Highlands.
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  • A mare and foal crest a hill under darkening gray skies of a looming storm in South Dakota.  The silhouetted pair are part of the Gila herd of wild horses with Spanish origin that came to North America with the Conquistadors in the 1600s.
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  • Under a threatening storm, a herd of horses crosses a stream following the lead mare. In a wild horse herd, she leads them to food and water while the stallions follow behind to guard. A herd is similar to a neighborhood and made up of bands that are like families. These horses have dark dorsal stripes and primitive markings. They are genetic descendants of the Gila herd that came with Spanish Conquistadors to North America in the 1600s.
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  • Strong winds blow rain from a storm cloud that violently erupts with loud claps of thunder that sends a band of horses running for safety. The young foal runs behind, following her mother and another mare.<br />
The wild horse herd nervously watched as a storm approached in central South Dakota. When lightning and thunder began, they galloped to a far away fence where they could go no further. The "fight or flight" instinct of behavior is powerful and horses often panic and flee when they sense danger.
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  • A cowgirl drives her herd down a dusty trail from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. In the last rays of light, the cowgirl works late to move her cattle on public land near Monticello, Utah. Land whipped into dust by a dry winter offers little forage for cattle on this Bureau of Land Management grazing allotment. In the spring, ranchers pay a fee to drive cattle onto higher, wetter ground.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-16.jpg
  • A cowgirl drives her herd down a dusty trail from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. Her son ranches with her and works to move cattle on public land near Monticello, Utah.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-15.jpg
  • A cowboy drives a herd down a dusty trail from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. In the last rays of light, the sky glows as the rancher works late to move cattle on public land near Monticello, Utah. Land whipped into dust by a dry winter offers little forage for cattle on this Bureau of Land Management grazing allotment.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-14.jpg
  • At sunset, a cowgirl drives her pick up back to the ranch in Indian Creek. Respected for her tough grit, skills and determination, the woman has lives in a region rich with Native rock art and amazing natural beauty to the surrounding landscape.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-13.jpg
  • A cowgirl drives her herd down a dusty trail from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. In morning light, the cowgirl works to move her cattle on public land near Monticello, Utah.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-12.jpg
  • A cowgirl brands a calf while ranch hands pin others in the corral to be castrated. Cowboys on horseback sort cattle in the spring near Monticello, Utah. The Indian Creek ranch is worked but ranchers are respectful of the land for preservation.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-11.jpg
  • A cowgirl feeds her horses some oats on her ranch near Monticello, Utah. The Indian Creek Ranch is highly valued for water rights and for the amazing pristine land and red rock canyons.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-10.jpg
  • A cowgirl dons her black hat as ranchers prepare to brand and castrate calves in Indian Creek. Respected for her tough grit, skills and determination, the woman has lives in a region rich with Native rock art and amazing natural beauty to the surrounding landscape.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-09.jpg
  • A cowgirl checks her horse and sits back to relax after a long day in the saddle moving her herd from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. Land whipped into dust by a dry winter offers little forage for cattle on this Bureau of Land Management grazing allotment. In the spring, ranchers pay a fee to drive cattle onto higher, wetter ground.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-08.jpg
  • A cowgirl prepares to saddle horses at the ranch near Monticello, Utah. Ropes and halters adorn the stalls at the Indian Creek ranch is highly valued for water rights and majestic scenery, the working ranch is an example of preservation.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-07.jpg
  • A cowgirl sits back to relax with her horses and a ranch hand after a long day in the saddle moving her herd from their winter range in Beef Basin, Utah. Land whipped into dust by a dry winter offers little forage for cattle on this Bureau of Land Management grazing allotment. In the spring, ranchers pay a fee to drive cattle onto higher, wetter ground.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-04.jpg
  • A cowgirl leads her horse to a corral under towering red rocks near Monticello, Utah. The Indian Creek ranch is owned by the Nature Conservancy. Highly valued for water rights and majestic scenery, the working ranch was saved from development and is an example of a working ranch respectful of the land.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM6659_680961-05.jpg
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