"Invasion Biology" Black-Footed Ferrets They’re cute and cuddly, but nearly went extinct. Follow scientists in South Dakota as they capture black-footed ferrets to help save them. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, “Historically, the Black-footed Ferret occurred in the High Plains, Rolling Plains, and Trans-Pecos regions of North America. Black-footed Ferrets have
"Invasion Biology" Coyotes Conquered North America. Now They’re Heading South. Most landowners and wildlife managers think that killing coyotes is a good practice. They are mistaken – to put it mildly – that coyote ‘control’ is even possible. The more coyotes we kill, the faster coyotes breed. Biologists say we would need to kill 75% of all coyotes every year for 50-years
cancer diagnoses Can Eating Organic Food Lower Your Cancer Risk? Quoting the authors below,” …the most frequent consumers of organic food had 76 percent fewer lymphomas, with 86 percent fewer non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, and a 34 percent reduction in breast cancers that develop after menopause.” And, all these agricultural chemicals are bad for wildlife and habitat for the very same
"Invasion Biology" Book Review of "Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History" Paraphrasing a reader: “A wonderful book on coyotes, which covers several broad themes: coyote resilience, coyote individualism, coyote biology (including a little evolution, the science of which is easily understood), coyotes and people (in the broad sense—native American tales, coyotes in the city and more). Much of the book
"Invasion Biology" Elk Country Chronicles - The Sounds of Elk Country Volume 9 Nothing is as peaceful as elk country. The sounds of nature and bugling elk ringing in the landscapes are the perfect getaway from your day. This video will provide you exactly what you need – an escape to elk country. Note: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Published on Oct 16, 2018
Bio-Diversity Giving Malaria a Deadline Here is a beneficial form of genetic tinkering which stands in contrast to the horrible GMOs which in reality are drivers of agro-chemical poison sales. We wiped out screwworm without poisons, and, we can do the same with malaria. NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on September
Beaver To Restore Salmon, Think Like a Beaver When Europeans arrived in North America about 500 years ago, it is estimated there were 300 million beavers and 50 million acres of beaver ponds. Within 200 years, 98 percent of this was destroyed, profoundly harming the hydrology of what is now the United States. In much of the United
Bio-Diversity Researchers: 80 Percent Drop in Butterflies in North Florida Quoting the article below,” …researchers believe two major factors could be responsible. Milkweed is the favorite food of young monarchs, and its availability has been sharply reduced by development and by glyphosate (Roundup®), an herbicide widely used in agriculture to kill weeds.” NOTE: this article was originally published to ExpressNews.
Bio-Diversity Report Finds Traces of a Controversial Herbicide in Cheerios and Quaker Oats “Of course glyphosate is in Cheerios: It’s in everything. Because grape growers use Roundup® (glyphosate) to suppress weeds between vines, most wine has glyphosate residue – as does beer. Cotton growers use it to defoliate plants before harvest. Farmers’ GMO seeds like soybeans and corn are modified to survive repeated
Bighorn What We Know About Mule Deer Subspecies Far-West Texas is home to the Desert Mule Deer, one of eleven subspecies of Odocoileus hemionus. Though larger than the Texas whitetail, Texas’ mule deer are smaller than their northern cousins. For many reasons, far-West Texas’ mule deer numbers have been falling irregularly for years. The many perversities of so-called
"Invasion Biology" Guadalupe County Begins Feral Hog Bounty Program Feral pigs would be valuable assets for landowners if we went back to the rules that applied until 30 years ago, which allowed feral pigs to be sold into the commercial food chain. Imagine getting $100 – $300 apiece and creating an additional annual revenue stream for the ranch while helping
Agriculture Notable & Quotable: Unsubsidized Farming Works in New Zealand After 80 years of subsidies – paid primarily to the agro-giants – most ranchers and farmers accept as a matter of faith that farming and ranching is unprofitable and unsustainable as a business without government payments. Here in the U.S., we should follow New Zealand’s lead and (1) break up
"Invasion Biology" Like Your Steak Aged 36 Months? Try 17 Years As anyone who has had a grass fed steak in Argentina will tell you, mature beef raised on pasture is unsurpassed in flavor and texture. NOTE: this article initially appeared on WSJ.com on July 10, 2018. It was written by Oliver Griffin. Restaurateur lets his steers wander mountain meadows
Conservation Book Review - "In the Shadow of the Carmens: Afield with a Naturalist in the Northern Mexican Mountains" A reader comments, “It’s like getting a personal tour of a spectacular area that not everyone gets to see. Chapter after chapter, the author put me there with her. You might think it would be boring reading about flora and fauna but this book is never boring! There’s
"Invasion Biology" Aerial Shooting in Big Bend Park Spooks and Angers Hikers On Texas’ public lands, helicopters are routinely used by bighorn sheep managers to kill ‘exotic’ animals and predators – often while counting game. This terrifies wildlife. Years of doing this has taught sheep, deer, elk and pronghorn to associate helicopters with mortal danger. This places extreme stress on animals – especially fawns
American Prairie Reserve Ecosystem Essential: The Prairie Dog Town Prairie dogs are a keystone species. Over 150 other species depend on them as food, and, the habitat which they create. Five species of prairie dogs were once common across the central and western grasslands of North America, likely more than one billion strong. But the widespread destruction of prairie
Bio-Diversity Philanthropist Wyss to Devote $1 Billion to Conserve Habitat From Development If this much private wealth was devoted to conservation based on holistic thinking, it would transform environmentalism. NOTE: this article was originally published to WSJ.com on October 31, 2018. It was written by Timothy Puko. WASHINGTON — One of the biggest philanthropists in U.S. conservation wants to go global
Bio-Diversity The New Outdoor Getaway: Landscapes That Have Been ‘Rewilded’ Predation has been part of natural systems forever. Human predation (hunting) has been present in North America for at least 12,000-years. Hunting shaped the natural systems Europeans found when they arrived around 1500. Rewilding is a great idea, but, restoring ‘wildness’ while excluding hunting is a self-contradiction. And remember:
Cattle Ranching for Profit “This outstanding one week intensive ranching course teaches ranchers how to (1) make a profit, (2) create unity among owners and family and (3) improve their land. The school was started by Alan Savory’s fellow Rhodesian and former partner. NOTE: all content below is from the home page of
Cotton Cottonseed Hummus, Anyone? Texas A&M Researchers Win USDA Approval, Hope to Help Feed the World with Cotton Improving crops to make them more edible is a great idea. Unfortunately GMO technology to this point has focused on increasing herbicide sales. Let us hope that this new approach will focus on sustainability. NOTE: this article was originally published to ExpressNews.com on October 19, 2018. It was written
"Invasion Biology" Sheep on the Mountain A great article from TWA. At Circle Ranch, we have enjoyed considerable success with Desert Bighorn. Here is our take on how to help these majestic animals get re-established in their native range: 1. Increase water. Add a lot of water everywhere. Provide water in more locations and use “big
beepocalypse Monarch Butterfly, Bee Decline Discussed at Capitol Hearing According to the testimony reported below, honeybees and Monarch Butterflies are being harmed by genetically modified crops (GMOs) for two reasons. First, cotton no longer has pollen on which bees can feed. Second, the poisons – Roundup and neonicoinoids – with which GMO crops are grown kill bees, butterflies, many other insects
Bio-Diversity Trump Administration Seeks Authority for More Logging to Fight Fire Danger Decades of neglect have turned much of America’s forests into fire traps. Many need immediate attention to reduce brush, dead trees and overcrowding. Excess trees could be logged to help pay for the cleanup. Aesthetics matter because ugly logging – leaving behind brush piles and stump fields – reduces public support
"Invasion Biology" Conserving Wild Bison: Finding Space for an American Icon Bison might seem to be an obvious addition to wildlife at Texas’ state and national parks, but there are problems to be overcome. Rick Wallen, lead biologist for Yellowstone’s bison program, explains the challenges and successes of managing wild bison in the 21st century.
