"Probably the thing I love about ranchingthe most is the fact I get to spend all my time with the kids growing up,and now working with them. They're my best friends. They're my partners. They're my family." -DUKE PHILLIPPS III L COWBOY CONSCIOUSNESS Clockwise from top: Moving cattle in the grazing rotation at Chico Basin Ranch, the family-run, working ranch that the Phillips family calls home. Duke Phillips III guides Chico with a holistic management philosophy that attempts to understand complex ecosystem processes. Sam flashes some rope. R WIDE-OPEN PERSPECTIVE "We're trying to live in harmony with nature, as opposed to trying to figure out ways to beat it," says Duke Phillips III. Ranchlands (ranchlands.com)opens up to the public with camps and events ranging from branding cattle to birdwatching in order to create pathways of understanding between conservation and ranching communities. Summer 2018 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 65