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<p class="MsoNormal">Hello again, Soil for Water members! Kara and I are thrilled to see a flurry of sign-ups coming in from Colorado and New Mexico. Welcome, everyone!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I hope you’ll all jump in with an introductory post: Who are you, where are you, what do you do, and why are you a member of the network? Is there anything in particular you’d like to learn or share?
<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I’ll give it a go. I am Linda Poole, a new hire with the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) as a regenerative grazing specialist. I’ve spent 30+ years working at the intersection of ranching and conservation, with most of
that time spent managing cattle, wildlife and people on The Nature Conservancy’s 30,000 acre Sycan Marsh in Oregon and 60,000 acre Matador Ranch in Montana. My family has ranched in northcentral Washington for generations and my university training (MS in
wildlife ecology) cemented my determination to herald and expand the role of regenerative ranching as the most swift, sure, cost-effective and durable way of saving the iconic landscapes and rural heritage of the Western US.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My homebase now is a half section in northern Montana where I (am) run (by) a flock of fine-wool, natural-colored crossbred sheep. I share shepherding chores with livestock guardian dogs and a herding dog or two. In good grass years, I
also run leased cattle or some stockers or cows of my own. I quit haying my irrigable meadows a couple years ago and am making the shift toward year-round grazing – or as close to that as I can get with short-legged livestock in deep-snow, drought-prone country
along the Canadian border. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am excited about the Soil for Water network as a way to connect with people about soil health strategies to increase the capacity of land to handle drought, which is happening here in a major way right now. I’m especially eager to get
to know you all, hear about the challenges you’ve faced, the solutions you have devised, and the questions you’re wondering about. I’m fortunate to live in a strong, close-knit ranching community, but I look forward to joining with other ranchers exploring
regenerative approaches that don’t quite fit the mold of business-as-usual – because I hope that by learning together, it won’t be long until regenerative ranching will be business as usual throughout the US!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks again for joining the network, and please introduce yourself with as much or as little information as you’d like. Looking forward to getting to know you,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Linda<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><img width="92" height="92" style="width:.9583in;height:.9583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D761CB.BDE9CAF0" alt="NCATFB"></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#5B9BD5"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#5B9BD5">Linda Poole<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt">Regenerative Grazing Specialist<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt"><a href="https://www.ncat.org/">National Center for Appropriate Technology</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:2.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:8.0pt;color:#5B9BD5">Email</span></b><span style="font-size:8.0pt">
<a href="mailto:lindap@ncat.org">lindap@ncat.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F4E79">Helping people build resilient communities through local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen self-reliance, and protect natural resources. </span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F4E79"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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