John and Vanessa are the third generation to live and work on the Buyok Ranch near the old mining town of Monarch in Sheridan County.  ohn’s uncle began putting the ranch together in 1946 as coal companies sold off parcels. His uncle finished purchasing the current ranch in 1953 with the closing of the coalmine. John and Vanessa began purchasing portions of the property in 1990 and finished assembling the total acreage in 2006.

The Buyoks are true stewards of the land and have implemented several habitat projects to improve forage and cover for livestock, game animals and game birds. They have added water tanks to distribute livestock grazing and installed fencing to protect sensitive riparian areas.

In 2010, the Buyok’s partnered with the Sheridan Community Land Trust (SCLT) to implement a conservation easement on their property to protect their portion of the Tongue River Valley from development. At the time, it was the largest conservation easement in SCLT history. 

The day the easement was signed, John and Vanessa  said “Although our ranch is small by Wyoming standards, we have been fortunate to share it with an amazing variety of wildlife and native plants. Sometimes being rich has nothing to do with money. We’re rich because of the biodiversity and productivity of our small corner of the planet along the Tongue River in Sheridan County.”