THE sheer scale of America's Great Plains is, as they say in these parts, awesome. The wildlife is the sort you rarely get the chance to see other than on a cinema screen – mountain lions, wild horses and even migrating bison.
As human population on the Great Plains has thinned during the past decade, many conservationists have seen an opportunity that is unparalleled since the frontier days of the 19th century brought towns to the region. Outdoors people, big landowners, travel operators and conservationists are now returning much of the area to its wild state – a kind of American steppe.
Conservationists are reintroducing native fauna and flora, and wolf populations are returning to the Yellowstone area. In the future, many hope that one giant fenceless region might be created across the entire plains, which cover much of central North America, east of the Rockies and south to West Texas and New Mexico.
The idea of 're-wilding' the West takes its inspiration from two professors, Frank and Deborah Popper, who two decades ago suggested restoring the Upper Midwest to its native state. They called it the Buffalo Commons, and suggested largely replacing agriculture in the region with eco-tourism.
The American Prairie Foundation (APF), a group dedicated to creating prairie wildlife reserves, has been buying up land in Montana and reintroducing wild American bison, which had largely vanished in the region. Lions won't be arriving any time soon, but travel operators are already taking advantage of the return of the wildlife. "When my wife and I first started, two decades ago, we were one of only two operators in the state," says John Hanson, owner of the Logging Camp Ranch in Bowman, North Dakota. "Now there are thousands."
Off the Beaten Path was one of the first travel firms to take an interest in re-wilding. Among its tours, it runs six-day guided wolf-watching trips. "The growing clientele just want to see wolves," says Bill Bryan, a co-founder of the company.
As the plains have become depopulated by humans, there have been more chances to see other, usually rarer creatures, and there are increasingly regular sightings of migrations of pronghorn antelope, elk, mountain lions, bighorn sheep and bison.
Taking advantage of the animal repopulation, Upper Midwest companies are designing extended wildlife safaris. Twice a year, the APF runs tours across the land it has preserved, trips that at times include private flights offering a bird's eye view of the landscape. In the future, predicts Sean Garrity, the foundation's president, Off the Beaten Path will run these safaris, and many local aviation firms will begin prairie flights.
Though often overshadowed by the nearby Badlands National Park, South Dakota's Custer State Park runs back-country jeep safaris. The trips put visitors within metres of herds of bison roaming in the park, as well as providing background on their habits and history. But even without the jeep rides, it's hard to miss the bison. On one trip to Custer State Park, I woke in the early morning, walked out of my tent and stumbled into a group of the beasts ambling slowly across the road.
Other guides focus on an airborne niche. In North Dakota, Jean Legge leads trips to search for rare birds, such as the Baird's sparrow, whose summer range is in the northern plains. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, among the largest American eco-tourism operators, also runs week-long bird-watching trips to North Dakota, Minnesota and other Midwest destinations.
Hanson's operation draws game hunters who know North Dakota is witnessing a revival of wildlife, but it also attracts visitors who want to go bird-watching or to try working on a ranch. "A lot of people come here because they know this is very remote," he says. "It's not like a tourist ranch."
With the revival of the buffalo herds, ranches throughout the Upper Midwest have also begun offering big-game hunting, with bison as the main lure. Across Montana, companies are running hunts on ranches like the Flying D. But unlike bagging big game in Africa, bison don't come cheap: a bull hunt can cost more than £1,000.
To truly appreciate the wide-open spaces of the prairies, groups like the APF suggest an extended drive. The foundation has begun a self-guided tour, with extensive information on prairie history. North Dakota's Little Missouri National Grasslands, more than a million acres, is also home to a self-drive itinerary. The drive winds through the tall grass and bright prairie flowers, passing eerie buttes standing tall amid the plains, their formations like pieces of rock eroded smooth by water.
For now, though, the Upper Midwest cannot offer the kind of rhino-by-day, riesling-by-night pampering to be found at some of the more luxurious African bush camps. Accommodation on many Upper Midwest trips tends to be rustic, with basic lodges or ranch houses.
On the self-drives, you can cruise for hours through the desolate moonscapes of the plains without coming to a sizeable town. But that will change. "Five years from now, you'll have the infrastructure here for a more upscale experience," says Bryan. Already, the APF has opened an upmarket ranch house on the preserved land.
In the long run, plains advocates hope growing tourism will not ruin the special lure of the destination. "The most incredible thing is, if you want to experience the Great Plains the way it was in the 19th century, you can still have that experience," says Ted Lee Eubanks, chief executive of Fermata, a company that helps regions develop eco-tourism. "You can still stand right in the wagon ruts from that time."
Fact file: Great PlainsFlights from Heathrow to Denver in August with United Airways start from £1,013, and from Edinburgh to Bismark (via Amsterdam and Mississippi) start from £1,070.
For further details, contact the American Prairie Foundation (
www.americanprairie.org); Custer State Park (
www.sdgfp.info/parks/regions/custer/); Off the Beaten Path (
www.offthebeatenpath.com); Logging Camp Ranch (
www.loggingcampranch.com); Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (
www.ventbird.com).
The full article contains 1048 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
