Conservation Achievement Award 2023

/

The Annual Wildlife Society-Utah Chapter awarded Ron & Brandie this years Conservation Achievement Award. This award recognizes people for their outstanding contributions in Wildlife Management!

RECEIVING award at the annual wildlife society convention- utah chapter in grand junction, co

Nomination write up by Clint Wirick

Please accept the following nomination for Ronald (Ron) Johnson and Brandie Hardman of Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch (BMGR) in Boulder Utah.  BMGR and its properties sit at the base of the Aquarius Plateau, located north of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  Ron and Brandie have worked tirelessly across its properties to improve the sustainability of natural ecosystems and agriculture.  They have worked and continue to work collaboratively with state and federal agencies, NGOs, private business, and many other conservation partners.      

 

Ron and Brandie are innovative in their approach to land conservation and willing to do things outside of what is considered ‘normal’ to reach common solutions.  They invest their own resources such as time, equipment, and funding to accomplish collaborative conservation goals.  Many projects have been self-funded throughout the years.  Ron and Brandie have an innate ability to see things at a broad scale, understanding how larger issues may affect local consequences.  This broad vision is illuminated in the diverse ways in which they approach their local business dealings and conservation projects. 

 

Ron and Brandie have taken special interest in ecosystem sustainability and soil health principles.  During this time, they have hosted workshops on soil microbiology and sustainable ecosystem principles taught by themselves and by experts in the field.  They have also implemented many of the practices they teach. 

 

Specifically, Ron and Brandie have implemented innovative methods to keep agricultural lands productive through soil health principles and rotational grazing while increasing ecosystem health for wildlife.  Working with USFWS, private contractors, NRCS, Utah Division of Wildlife, Trout Unlimited, and other partners, Ron and Brandie restored over two-dozen emergent wetland ponds while re-hydrating historically hydric soils on over 30 acres, with more planned for this spring.   

 

Sweetwater creek runs through BMGR and used to be a straitened eroded ditch.  Ron and Brandie worked with several partners to restore natural channel morphology and now Sweetwater Creek looks once again like a creek.  They’ve planted more native plants than can be counted and seeded large acreages to restore native vegetation.  They have also protected, documented, and invited researchers to learn from the beaver conducted restoration on the ranch.  These beavers have stopped erosion, increased streambed elevation, and have now created 47 ponds and wetlands on BMGR.  Pollinators, bats, songbirds, waterfowl, big game, turkeys, rodents, aquatic insects, fish, amphibians, and the local communities have all benefited from Ron and Brandies holistic approach to ecosystem health.     

Clint Wirick

USFWS Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program

UT Program Coordinator

Fish & Wildlife Biologist

From all the employees at Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch, Sweetwater Kitchen, and Headwaters Ranch we want to congratulate these two for this massive achievement!

Thank you for an amazing 2021 season

/

What a year!
Here at Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch, we are very fortunate to be able to offer an eclectic choice of events to attend from sound healing, primitive skill workshops and music festivals. Don’t worry, we have an event for every kind of person!
Here are some of the highlights of our 2021 season.

Matt Graham’s Primitive Survival Skills Workshop
Our own local Matt Graham needs no introduction. He is regular here at Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch and hosts workshops for folks from all backgrounds to come and learn some of the vital survival skills necessary to survive in Utah’s high desert.

Matt Graham overlooking the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Find him here!

Gaia Nights
Organising a music festival in itself is a challenge, but organising it during a global pandemic? It takes a village! For 3 days, we boogied our butts off outside while listening to 11 different bands and DJs out on our lush lawn. The warm spring nights allowed for an excellent start of the season!

Yoga Retreats
We’re lucky enough to have many different spaces that one could use for a relaxing yoga session. From big open-aired decks to private enclosed spaces.
We hosted Gygi from 3B yoga who taught us all about centering on ourselves, our breath and our body. Gygi welcomed yogis and on top of their daily yoga classes, yogis were able to participate in activities such as nature tours, hiking, meditation and inner reflection.

Gather Hear Tour
It’s not everyday that a classically trained pianist shows up with a piano in her van, ready to immerse listeners into the beauty of centuries-old to contemporary music. Miki is on a journey to expose rural areas of the United states to the joys of classical music and offered us an unique concert on the lawn across from the lodge. Our guests were swooned by the experience.

Miki from the Gather Hear Tour performing . Click here

Spirit Dive and East Forest
East Forest and Marisa Radha Weppner hosted a retreat concentrating on diving deep into ourselves and becoming one with nature. We went on hikes, participated in grounding sound healing, we journaled, enjoyed a wood-fired sauna and ate amazing food from Sweetwater Kitchen.

Le Animale Portail: Hallows Eve
The last weekend of our season concluded with an awesome halloween celebration. We welcomed Red Giant Project, Marion Skor and her Sirens, as well as DJ TahRei, Starbass and many cool others. They put on a real show for us and it was the perfect way to end an amazing year here at Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch.

Le' Animale Portail on Hallow's Eve

/
RedGiantProject-2.png

Red Giant Project

Featured Artist at Le' Animale Portail on Hallow's Eve 2021

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - It would be much shorter to list the genres that Red Giant Project doesn’t incorporate than the ones that they do. The core group of Blues Americana singer Shane Hall, rapper Burkey, and producer Matt Madonna unite not only their musical talents but also an impressive roster of other artists. “The music goes everywhere from Lo-Fi to Neo-Soul to Jazz, Acid Jazz, all the way to Bass Music, Trap, Dubstep, all that grimier stuff. You have the beautiful musical aspect of it and also rappers that add a grittier element. Or we decide to do a New Age Dubstep Trap with a rapper,” says Burkey. These ideas can be heard on the group’s debut, self-titled album and is available now.

A red giant is a star glowing at its brightest, and that name evokes the skill of the musicians in the group as well as the beauty of the music. “It’s a very loose but intentional ship we're sailing, and it's going to be fun to watch and experience. Plus, we're going to create tons of music that hopefully can be a part of people's lives and special moments in their lives,” says Hall. The project was born when Burkey met producer Matt Madonna and recognized an instant symbiosis. “We got pretty motivated by one another and we started reaching out. When people heard his production, everybody was intrigued and like, ‘I got something for this.’” Madonna, a devotee of David Tipper’s work, was excited by a project without genre boundaries. Shane Hall joined, rounding out the core trio with his vocals, guitar, and songwriting.

Burkey remembers finding a focus for the project. “I said, ‘What's the intention, man?’ What's the narrative?’ Shane said ‘Beauty man, we're here to make beauty.” Hall and Burkey had both recently become fathers to daughters and that drove their quest for beauty. “I'm really a different person since I had my daughter. Being selfless is what led to this project, and writing in an altruistic way with deeper aphorisms and universal truths that everyone could relate to --that happened organically,” says Burkey. Their song “For You,” promises lifelong support for their young girls. The music fades out to a sample of the girls singing, and they’ve closed festival sets with the song. “It’s like the best ending to any show ever,” Hall says.

Red Giant Project thrives in live shows, especially festivals. Onstage, they show off some of their secret weapons including the Rolling Stones’ sax player Karl Denson. Their other horn player, John Avery, plays lead tenor sax. Tah Rei plays 20 instruments during the show including the Piccadilly baritone sax, various clarinets, and the Theremin. All the sounds and voices of Red Giant Project hold their own while blending in immaculate sound production.

At their shows, they play 60-minute sets without breaks or talking, making performances a true experience. The sound starts off psychedelic and then takes off for other realms. “These bass producers are so good at mixing their audio files so they can have a key chain dropping in the left upper corner underneath what sounds like a bunch of rocks rolling down a mountain. And it's all going to clear up and suck away when Shane goes to drop this beautiful guitar melody before we have the horns and Theremin and all that come in with the waves and the snare,” Burkey describes.

He adds that he was floored by early responses to the band’s shows. He remembers a time they performed before they had much of an online presence, didn’t even have a banner up with their name. He came home to 60 messages from attendees who’d sought them out on Instagram. “It was an organic response. And it was from love and it ended with the ultimate love. The experience ended with the love that we had when we wrote these songs for the people who we were dedicating them to.”

This is love full-circle. This is the Red Giant Project.

Listen on Spotify | Follow on Instagram | Follow on Facebook

Logo-RGP-black-1000.png

Dreamy Monsoon Season this Summer at BMGR

/

Every summer, the dry environment of the Southwest is blessed with a brief season we call the Monsoon Season. Unfortunately due to the overall drying of the west, those much needed rains have not arrived in the past 5 years or so.

But low and behold, this summer we were blessed with a true monsoon season! It rained here on the property and in the area everyday for about 5 or 6 weeks. Not only was it a relief from the summer heat, but we were able to water our gardens and alfalfa fields more efficiently.

Because of all the much appreciated water, we added a new water catchment system attached to the main lodge. We just couldn’t stand seeing the water not being used more efficiently. A large 500 gallon IBC tank filled up in only 5 days.

You can tell how much it has rained just by the lush greenery in the valleys and the mountain. The deep desert is also sporting lots of colorful wildflowers, many that have not blossomed for several years due to the lack of precipitation.

Now we are in the final throws of Summer, August is the best time of the year for the late summer harvest; peaches, corn and tomatoes. Then when September rolls around we will find yet again another wave of relief in the form of slightly cooler days and nights.

Make sure you set aside some time to visit us before we close for the season at the end of October!

Thank you from the BMGR staff

/

The team at BMGR wants to extend a sincere thanks to all of our guests and restaurant patrons who visited our ranch during this unique and unprecedented season. Your feedback and support was invaluable to us we navigated how to best provide lodging, meals, and an unforgettable experience. As we wind down for the 2020 season, we would express our gratitude for you patronage and patience during this year. Thank you for coming to see us, and we hope you all can return soon!

Our latest addition to the Ranch family: A Mongolian Yurt

/

New for summer 2020, we just installed a new and funky glamping site for guests to explore- a hand-crafted, authentic Mongolian yurt. Yurts have been around since the Bronze Age, and stepping inside this one makes it easy to understand why yurts have been a staple in many different cultures for so long. This traditional yurt is both fabulous and functional, keeping you cool during the hot days of summer and warm at night when the temperature drops.  Inside is intricately decorated, with hand-painted floral designs and eclectic furniture. We’ve fashioned the yurt to be self-sufficient as well, with a small kitchenette and private bathroom, so campers can be comfortable during their stay in this unique spot. 

Spring 2020 Renovation of our Great Room

/

We’ve recently finished refurbishing the Great Room in our main lodge and we’re so excited by how it turned out! Overlooking the garden and sweeping views of the property, the Great Room is a first stop for our guests to unwind after their journey and we want it to be as welcoming and comfortable as possible. Our unique wooden furniture is handcrafted by some talented members of our own staff and the walls feature works from several local artists. The health of our guests and the environment is very important to us, so we used a waterborne, sustainable floor finish that has much lower emissions than regular commercial finishes. Thanks to our staff for making the Great Room a perfect spot to relax, have a cup of coffee, and take in the view of the pristine landscape outside. 

Plantings by the wetland ponds

/

This April, we are planning a massive seeding effort near our wetland ponds. Over the last few years, we have been working to remediate Sweetwater Creek and create a series of wetland ponds above it. Last fall This project was made possible with the help of Tom Biebighauser, a Wildlife Biologist and Wetland Ecologist, and Craig Sponholtz, the founder and owner of Watershed Artisans. We now have a series of 9 wetland ponds that control erosion, clean runoff, and bring a diversity of plants and animals back to the ecosystem. The project was set up to support habitat for the following rare species: Bald Eagles, Bluehead suckers, Boreal Toads, Columbia Spotted Frogs, Colorado River Cutthroat Trout, and Lowland Leopard Frogs. By seeding a bunch of plant species back to that area, we hope to encourage growth and habitat in that zone. 

Grass Fed Grass Finished Round 3

/

On May 1, we will be getting 80 head of cattle. The cattle are raised up at our other ranch in North Boulder, Headwaters Ranch. They are a Red Devon/Black Angus mix, and some have a little Hereford in them as well. They will arrive from Paradise Valley, Montana as yearlings, which means their average age upon arrival will be about 10-11 months. Currently the ranch has 80 yearlings which are moved through 1.5-2 acre paddocks daily, using temporary electrical fencing. The cows are provided with fresh water using our mobile trough systems attached to our irrigation, and they are provided with supplementary minerals to improve digestion and food absorption. These cows are grass-fed, grass-finished, and raised on pasture for their entire lives. Rotational grazing keeps the land healthy by ensuring that the cows don’t over graze and aren’t on any one space for long enough to create compaction issues. Rotationally grazing not only protects the land from overuse, it actually helps the soil when the cows eat at a rate that promotes growth and fertilizes the soil with their manure.