SCLT Big Goose Natural Area is nearly ready to fly, will open to the public in 2025

Wednesday, December 18, was a landmark date for outdoor recreation, conservation, and historic preservation in Sheridan County as the Sheridan Community Land Trust announced the formal creation of the SCLT Big Goose Natural Area. This conserved property will open to public access in 2025.

SCLT Executive Director Brad Bauer described the property’s 117 acres as a “community jewel” that brings together outdoor recreation, agriculture, conservation, and historic preservation in a way that directly connects people to land and history – and will do so for generations to come.

He outlined the vision for the SCLT Big Goose Natural Area, saying, “The creation of the SCLT Big Goose Natural Area means morning walks on an amazing trail through the land, grandfathers teaching granddaughters how to fish during an evening hatch, and weekend floats down the water trail. It is seeing conservation in action on the land with wildlife-friendly fences and in the water with streambank willow plantings. It is learning about the people and cultures who have hunted, gathered, farmed, ranched, and called this land home for tens of thousands of years. And it is learning about its future as groups gather for Discovery Sessions, Unplugs, Explore History, and other programs on the land and welcome center, and teach one another in the community rooms.”

SCLT worked with the Homer A. and Mildred S. Scott Foundation to purchase the property, which had been a portion of the foundation’s larger Bridges campus located off Big Goose Road just outside of Sheridan city limits.

“It is a testament to the good work of SCLT,” said Jenny Craft, Executive Director of the Homer A. and Mildred S. Scott Foundation. She said the foundation believes that “investment in community and our youth is vital for the future” and that SCLT’s vision for the Big Goose Natural Area aligns with the foundation’s vision at Bridges “to engage the community as we work to foster a premier natural setting for active and passive uses for outdoor programming.”

The SCLT Big Goose Natural Area comprises SCLT’s office, the SCLT Community Rooms, which host workshops and programs and are available as gathering spaces for nonprofit and community organizations, and about 117 acres of surrounding pasture, grassland, and streamside.

SCLT utilized existing funds to purchase the property and intends to invest about $500,000 into the site over the next five years to steward the land for agricultural use, enhance outdoor recreation opportunities through fishing, floating, and trails, and preserve the history on site.

Recently, the Powder River Basin Chapter of Trout Unlimited awarded SCLT $5,000, allowing SCLT to improve the stream, like stabilizing banks that improve the stream for all animals and fish that call it home. It will also enable SCLT to open the stream to public fishing with sustainability and stewardship in mind.

SCLT is also partnering with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service to test new invasive grass control treatments on the property’s range land. It also anticipates hosting a public archaeological survey to uncover more of the property’s hidden history, which began to be revealed when archaeologists were on site investigating a stone rock ring that was determined to be a navigation aid for pilots in the earliest days of flight. These partnerships enhance SCLT’s plans for future mowed trails, allowing visitors to explore the property and participate in entertaining, educational, on-site programming.

About 600 people attended the SCLT Backyard BBQ in August, where SCLT announced its intention to purchase the property. With that goal complete, Bauer said the nonprofit organization can now focus on “helping this community jewel truly shine.”

“As Sheridan County continues to grow, places like this — this open space where you can come and connect directly to land and history — are going to be even more important, not just to the Sheridan County of tomorrow but the Sheridan County 50 years from now and 100 years from now. The SCLT Big Goose Natural Area is permanent. It is conserved. And it will be here for our community to enjoy for generations to come,” Bauer concluded.

For now, the SCLT Big Goose Natural Area is closed to the public. SCLT anticipates gradually opening portions of the property to the public in 2025. However, SCLT invites the public to visit its offices at 14 Lane Ln, where staff can tour people around the site. The SCLT office is generally open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.