"Invasion Biology" How Feral Hogs Hurt The Environment Quoting from the article below, “But the scientific consensus today is that in North America, feral pigs are a growing threat to both ecosystems and the economy.” The author continues, “Interestingly, in their native range in Europe and Asia, pigs do not cause as much ecological damage. In fact, some
Bio-Diversity Restoring Forests Could Help Put a Brake on Global Warming, Study Finds We can disagree about the causes, extent or consequences of so-called global warming, and still acknowledge that great damage is being done to grasslands and forests by human impact. We can and should address the ongoing damage, even though we might disagree on other climate issues. The best way to
bear hunting Fourth Montana Hunter Attacked by a Grizzly Bear in 10 Days The safest places shared by bears and humans are those where bear hunting in some form is permitted because bear hunting makes bears fearful of humans. Counterintuitively, the most dangerous places for bears is where bear hunting is prohibited. This is dangerous for bears because it emboldens them. Aggressive bears
American wilderness areas Wild Horse Fire Brigade: Lessons in Rebalancing North American Ecosystems by Rewilding Equids In North America, plants and animals including horses coevolved over many millions of years. But, around 10,000 BC, horses disappeared from their original home likely because of early Native American hunting. Meanwhile, horses had crossed out of America over the Bering Strait’s land bridge. In this way, America’
Animals How Wildlife Bridges Over Highways Make Animals—And People—Safer “These remarkable structures are restoring wildlife migrations. NOTE: this article was originally published to NationalGeographic.com on April 16, 2019. It was written by Starre Vartan. Roaring traffic doesn’t stop big mammals like moose and bears from crossing highways—nor does it keep myriad smaller creatures from being squished
Bio-Diversity The Bugs We Can’t Live Without “As discussed below, “Without insects, the world’s populations of larger insectivorous species like birds, bats and freshwater fish would simply collapse”. NOTE: this article was originally published to WSJ.com on June 20, 2019. It was written by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson. Insect populations are in dramatic decline, and the consequences
Conservation The Rangeland Analysis Platform “This innovative platform marries Landsat satellite imagery with thousands of on-the-ground vegetation measurements. NOTE: this content below is originally published to Rangeland App’s Home Page,. The Rangeland Analysis Platform is an innovative online mapping tool that can be used by anyone—no fees or registration required! This free tool
The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation Rethinking the North American Wildlife Model Why not seek an economic basis for wildlife conservation? Quoting the authors of the article below, “If we are to have success with a North American Wildlife Model during the 21st century, then our solutions must evolve too.” NOTE: this article was originally published to PERC.org on June 19,
"Invasion Biology" Lessons From the Prairie A Land-Management Legend Offers 50 Years of Soil-Nourishing Wisdom. NOTE: this article originally appeared in the September edition of Acres magazine. It was written by Tracy Frisch.
"Invasion Biology" How to Let Grow “How do we “rewild” areas where the native species are now extinct? In England, they use “exotic” species as substitutes. This common sense would collide with so-called “invasive species biology” in most of the US. NOTE: this article was originally published to WSJ.com on September 27, 2019. It was
Bio-Diversity A Deer Migration You Have to See to Believe | National Geographic Researchers have only recently found the longest large animal migration in the continental United States: mule deer migrate 150 miles in western Wyoming each year. As shown on the video’s map, one end of this migration terminates across the mountains not far from Pitchstone Waters. And it’s no
Animas River Colorado Wildfire Killed 80 Percent of River's Fish Population The forest agencies maintain their regulations curtailing grazing and logging help fisheries, habitat, wildlife and the public. As this article shows, the opposite is true. An unintended consequence of curtailing active management is catastrophic wildfire. This devastates not just fish but also plants, animals, and birds. The article fails to
bull moose Bull Moose at Pitchstone Waters These photos, taken on October 5, 2019 along the Fall River on Pitchstone Waters’ north meadows about five miles below the northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park, features a bull moose. As winter approaches, we see several species moving out of the higher elevations ahead of the heavy snows that
climate change Dozens of Failed Climate Predictions Stretch 80 Years Back According to the article below, the many dire climate predictions issued over the last 80 years have one thing in common—they were mostly wrong. And speaking of completely mistaken forecasts, for more than a century the “experts” said the United States was about to run out of oil and
"Invasion Biology" The War On Nature Quoting the authors below, “In reality, the problem is not herbicide resistant weeds; it is the perception that they are an enemy that must be destroyed at all costs. Military imagery – especially words like “war” and “battle “- is very common in the literature on weed control. But there is
Artificial Beaver Dam Videos Pitchstone Waters Artificial Beaver Dams #3 Building artificial beaver ponds in an Idaho forest. This is the third in a series. Pitchstone Waters Artificial Beaver Dams #3 from Christopher Gill on Vimeo.
Bayer Banish Roundup From the Farm? It’ll Take More Than Lawsuits Considering that three generations of American farmers, ranchers and wildlife managers have been taught that pesticides are inherently safe, and the answer to most agricultural problems can be found in a bottle, the attitudes expressed in the article below are no surprise. What is very surprising is that there is
carbon Carbon Emissions Get a Fix on the Farm “Regenerative agriculture offers inexpensive ways to address global warming. NOTE: this article was originally published to WSJ.com on January 13, 2019. It was written by Karen Weintraub. ‘Regenerative growing practices’ sequester in the soil carbon released from burning fossil fuels. AINSWORTH, Iowa—What if there was a way to
Bio-Diversity Goats Clearing Meadows and Forest at Pitchstone Waters #2 On the Fall River in Idaho, 5-miles from the southwest corner of Yellowstone Park, we use goats instead of herbicides to control weeds and stimulate grasses in sagebrush meadows. Goats Clearing Meadows and Forest at Pitchstone Waters #2 from Christopher Gill on Vimeo.
"Invasion Biology" Scorched Portugal Turns to the Goat as a Low-Cost Firefighter In nature, different animals eat different kinds of plants and there are specific species for every such “ecological niche”. Where native animals have gone missing, domestic goats can be used to replace animals that once ate brush and weeds, just as cattle replace herds of nomadic grazers like bison. Goats
eating Secret of a New York Farm Stand’s Success: An Eye for the Next Big Thing “Growing better food with technology and farmers from one of the world’s oldest, most advanced agricultural nations: Egypt. NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on July 30, 2019. It was written by Priya Krishna. Photographs were taken by Shane Lavalette. The Greenmarket go-to for high-end chefs
Artificial Beaver Dam Videos Pitchstone Waters Artificial Beaver Dams #2 Restoring an abandoned beaver meadow in an Idaho forest near Yellowstone Park. Second of a series. Pitchstone Waters Artificial Beaver Dams #2 from Christopher Gill on Vimeo.
Climate Head of Key Meteorological Organization Slams Climate Extremists, in Unprecedented Move The head of the world’s foremost weather science organization issued a surprise rebuke to climate alarmists in remarks published on Sept. 6, marking what may be, according to some experts, one of the most significant developments in the climate debate in decades
Canada As Wolverines Battle to Survive, Warming Poses a New Threat “Wolverines are threatened by climate change according to the authors of the article below. What they miss however, is that as warming climate moves weather-zones north and south, habitat loss in one any range of latitude will be offset by habitat gain in other latitudes. A short time ago, the
Bayer Bayer’s Roundup Woes Deepen as Germany Bans Key Chemical “Considering that the Europeans are far ahead of the US in their efforts to address the health and environmental hazards of agricultural chemicals, including glyphosate (Roundup), it is incredible that Bayer management – a European group – approved the Monsanto acquisition, thereby trapping Bayer in this company-killing tarbaby. NOTE: this article initially
