Photos by Clifford Carter

Steve Williams (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director), Dale Hall (Regional Director, Southwest Region), and Hannibal Bolton (Chief, Division of Fish and Wildlife Management and Habitat Restoration) went on a Walk a Mile in My Boots exchange to Southwest Texas. They were hosted by Bob McCan, President of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, and several of Bob's neighors. "As fish and wildlife partners and land stewards Bob McCan and his neighbors practice habitat management that benefits wildlife and livestock grazing. My recent visit to the McCan and neighboring properties allowed me to see a partnership effort in practice. It was especially interesting to hear Bob as he explained the benefit of having wildlife on his property and how the management complimented his livestock production. I hope the McCan example can be used as a model for management of other properties and that the communication established through the Walk a Mile in my Boots program strengthens the relationship between the Fish and Wildlife Service and private landowners" Dale Hall - Regional Director, Region 2

Photo by Mr. Kirkbride

"The biggest lesson I learned was that most ranchers are very conscious of their responsibility as land stewards. Modern day ranchers are very aware of their role in the world of fish and wildlife conservation. Most ranchers, including the one I stayed with, are open minded and actively looking for new and innovative ideas in order to maintain their way of life." Kyle Graham - Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, Nebraska.

Photo by Bob Lee

"During my exchange, I assisted with the final preparation involved in shipping cattle to market, including: loading cattle into a semi (got some "green" on me), sorting the herd and weighing. I know now what it means to be a "good looking cow." The exchange gave me the opportunity to step out from behind the desk and gain a perspective of the issues and concerns that private land managers deal with. We talked about everything from the current price of calves to the importance of riparian areas. Over all it was a great experience and I think this program is an excellent means to build relationships with private landowners." Dan Brewer - Ecological Services Field Office, Helena, Montana.

Photo by Rocky Brown

"I spent a lot of time horseback and had a chance to work along with Jim Little and his crew doing all the things they did during the fall gather at the Van Duessen Ranch. I extend my thanks for their gracious hospitality while participating in the Walk a Mile in My Boots program . I greatly appreciate Jim Little's willingness to support the program and his attitude towards collaborating with the Service in finding solutions to complex issues. It was a great experience and increased my understanding of how hard ranchers work and the regard they have for the rangeland resource. I thoroughly enjoyed working with the cowboys, Rocky, Mike, Arturo, and Toni. They are a great bunch of people; very dedicated and hard working. The meals provided by Rocky's wife at the cook shack where excellent." Bryan Kenworthy, Hagerman National Fish Hatchery Manager - Idaho