Managing Resources. Provoking Thought.

Ranchers. Entrepreneurs. Environmentalists. Increasing biodiversity for a better ranch—and a better tomorrow.

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Experience from the high deserts of Texas to the Rocky Mountain West.

For 20 years, our family owned and managed Circle Ranch, 32,000 acres of high desert located in the Sierra Diablo Mountains of far-West Texas. Our goal? Leaving the land more diverse, and therefore healthier, than we found it.
We steward the resources in our care by considering delicate ecosystems as a whole. Looking at the big picture allows us to improve the land, the water and the wildlife in concert.
The hard-earned lessons of West Texas apply to the Rocky Mountain West.
Welcome to Pitchstone Waters, our newest living laboratory. Increasing biodiversity requires equal parts perspiration and inspiration. Join us as we manage the resources within our fence lines, but think beyond the box.

Latest articles:

Leave It to Beavers? Not if You’re a Wolf

Leave It to Beavers? Not if You’re a Wolf

“As discussed below, wolves improve beavers’ positive effects on habitat, and, wolves help beaver to thrive.

Watch a Beautiful New Film on Grand Teton Migrations

Watch a Beautiful New Film on Grand Teton Migrations

Animal Trails: Rediscovering Grand Teton Migrations produced in collaboration with Grand Teton National Park, documents more than a decade of migration research. It reveals how the mule deer and pronghorn that summer in Jackson Hole actually depend on […]

Attacking Aoudad on Behalf of Bighorn

Attacking Aoudad on Behalf of Bighorn

NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on February 6th, 2017   The Borderlands Research Institute (BRI) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) say aoudad harm desert mule deer, pronghorn and desert […]

Cattle History

Interesting Facts About the Early Cattle Business

“Ranching’s always been a tough business…  

Woman Trampled to Death by an Elk in Arizona, Prompting Officials to Warn Against Feeding Animals

Woman Trampled to Death by an Elk in Arizona, Prompting Officials to Warn Against Feeding Animals

“As discussed in the article below,  fed elk can be very dangerous.   Arizona Game and Fish warns that bear, elk, moose and any other species that are fed by people, or get food from […]

Bisoncast: Where There’s Smoke

Bisoncast: Where There’s Smoke

What can art about fire teach us about our past, present, and future?   With thanks to The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Wyoming  

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Our Philosophy: wildlife and habitat only prosper when their ecosystem is in balance.

First at Circle Ranch and now at Pitchstone Waters, we manage by maximizing biodiversity. It’s good for production, it’s good for the bottom line and it’s good for the planet. In our world, we don’t label a species “good” or “bad.” We’ve come to understand all species can play a role in a healthy environment if—and it’s a big if—they are in balance.
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Holistic Management

Is a value-based decision-making framework that integrates all aspects of planning for social, economic and environmental considerations.

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Industrial Agriculture

Efficiencies gained through chemical fertilizers and pesticides, allowing fewer people to produce more livestock and crops, intensifying and industrializing agriculture.

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Institutions

Over time institutions—land grant universities, state and federal conservation agencies, NGOs and grassroots conservation organizations and big business—have become as inextricably linked as the ecosystems they explore, manage and regulate.

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Invasive Species Biology

Since the beginning of time, species have spread and contracted their ranges. A variety of factors including weather and climate influenced their spread and movement.

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Our Resources: the objective of biodiversity conservation is to maintain viable native animal and plant populations of all kind.

The complex issue of biodiversity encompasses virtually all plants and animals at genetic, species, community, and landscape scales. We provide resources and our working insights on the topic across the following areas.
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Fisheries

Fisheries, both freshwater and saltwater, serve as the proverbial canaries in the coal mine when it comes to water quality.

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Rangelands

Rangelands act as nature’s factories, while also providing wildlife habitat and the viewsheds that lift the human spirit.

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Forests

Native forests are as diverse as native rangelands or any other healthy ecosystem. Like rangelands, forests produce oxygen, sequester carbon, provide wildlife habitat and play a role in the water cycle.

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Waterfowl

Waterfowl reflect the conditions of the land and the water across the North American continent. As they migrate from north to south and back again, they, depending on species, rely on a wide range of environments.

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Livestock

Instead of being a threat, well-managed livestock can reinvigorate landscapes that have devolved into barren unproductivity, helping restore other essential ecological processes along the way.

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Water Management

The quality and quantity of water available in America is directly correlated to the condition of the land.

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Predators

When we look at nature’s big picture, we have to recognize the role predators play in the health of the natural world. True biodiversity must also include fangs and claws.

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Wildlife

Wildlife are part of nature’s whole. To improve their future, we have to improve their habitat from the soil up.

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Dig into our thoughts and our collection of articles and resources focused on biodiversity.

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Join us!

Follow along as we manage the resources within our fence lines, but think beyond the box.