Staff Retreat: Hardware Ranch

Each winter we set aside a day for a staff retreat. It is full of meetings, goal-making, and excellent discussion. In addition to getting down to business, we also make sure that we get out and do something fun and educational. Most of our work days are spent in the office, so it's a great opportunity for us to get out in the fresh air and remember what all of our sweat and blood is for.

From left to right: Josh, Andree', Michael, Carolyn, Sarah, Charice
Photo by Nicole Thomas

This year we were lucky enough to be invited up to Hardware Ranch Wilderness Management Area where we were greeted by our lovely hostess, Marni Lee. Marni is the Assistant Manager of Hardware Ranch and boy did she have a special treat for us! Marni had arranged for us to feed the elk!

Marni estimated there were between 350 and 400 elk at the refuge that day.
Photo by Nicole Thomas

Checking out the horses: Michael, Josh, Sarah, and Charice
Photo by Nicole Thomas

Hardware Ranch was loaned to the state by the federal government in the '40's and was designated as a wildlife management area to help mitigate the herds of elk that were coming down from their mountain ranges into Cache Valley. The idea was to feed the elk at the ranch to keep them from migrating down into the valley during the cold winters to forage off of farmers' supplies of hay and alfalfa in their search for food. The ranch still continues this practice today. Feeding normally begins in December and continues until the middle of February. In fact, the day of our visit was the last day of winter feeding.

Discussing the intricacies of elk feeding: Andree', Sarah, Charice, and Josh
Photo by Nicole Thomas

How does one feed about 400 elk, you ask? Well, it's more simple than you might think. When we arrived, there was a massive metal trailer on skies loaded with giant bales of grass. The trailer hooks up to a big green tractor which pulls the "sleigh" through the massive field where the elk are waiting for their breakfast. Once out in the field, we needed to cut (and collect) the twine holding the bales together. Then, as the tractor pulled us all along, we flaked off one section of grass at a time and pushed it off the end of the trailer, depositing the flakes about every three feet.

Sarah and Josh hooking up the trailer to the tractor, with direction from Marni.
Photo by Nicole Thomas

Andree' flaking grass to feed the elk!
Photo by Nicole Thomas

The elk came to eat with a vengeance. They followed us closely, eager to munch on the new grass, as we continued to flake section by section off of the giant bales, making a long horseshoe across the field. The staff at Hardware Ranch feed the elk daily, usually around 8:00 in the morning. The bales that are used to feed the elk are composed of native grasses that grow on the acreage owned by Hardware Ranch, making it very nutritious and natural food that is easy to digest for the elk. However, as the weather begins to get warmer and the southern slopes of the mountains become less covered with snow, the ranch stops providing free breakfast to the massive herd. Small groups of elk will then split off from the major herd and begin dispersing back up into the hills and higher elevations.

Carolyn and Sarah Flaking Grass
Photo by Andree' Walker Bravo

Here they come!
Photo by Andree' Walker Bravo

During the elk-feeding season, the ranch sells tickets for sleigh rides out onto the field where the elk stay. Giant sleighs filled with student groups, as well as the general public, are pulled by the biggest horses you have ever seen onto the snowy expanse. The tour guides answer questions and teach about the ranch, the elk, and the other wildlife in the area.

School Group Tour
Photo by Nicole Thomas

Lunch Time!
Photo by Andree' Walker Bravo

Sleigh Horse
Photo by Nicole Thomas

After our amazing adventure with Marni, we ate lunch overlooking the refuge while discussing our progress as an organization over the past year and our goals for the upcoming one. It was very invigorating to be in the mountains contemplating our accomplishments since our last staff retreat and brainstorming where our organizational and personal goals could be by the next time this year. Finally, to finish up a day's hard work, we took a brief walk up a snowy road past Hardware Ranch before heading back to Salt Lake.

From left to right: Sarah, Charice, Carolyn, Josh, Nicole, Michael
Photo by Andree' Walker Bravo

From left to right: Sarah, Nicole, Michael, Charice, Carolyn, Josh, Andree'
Photo by Marni Lee

To see more of our staff retreat adventure, check out our Facebook album, A Day at the Ranch! We would also like to thank Marni and the rest of her staff at Hardware Ranch for such a spectacular day - we will never forget it!