Bio-Diversity Roundup Verdict Monsanto’s Roundup reckoning will take years, given the power the agro-giants wield within the agencies, universities and courts. Meanwhile, new and more powerful poisons are coming on the market to replace glyphosate/Roundup. NOTE: this article initially appeared on KSAT.com on August 10, 2018. It is via CNN,
"Invasion Biology" Montana Tries to Make Predators Bearable “There are common sense ways to adjust ranch practices to accommodate predators. Here is one. NOTE: the post below is a “Snapshots” snippet from PERC.org‘s PERCReports Summer 2018 edition. It can be found on Page 7. Montana tries to make predators bearable. Dead livestock in bear country can
"Invasion Biology" ‘Rewilding’ Missing Carnivores May Help Restore Some Landscapes Because of how nature works, wildlife and habitats cannot be restored without (1) predators, (2) prey and, (3) keystone grazers. This article looks at one missing piece of this trio. NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on March 16, 2018. It was written by JoAnna Klein If
Bio-Diversity Book Review: Fair Chase, the Sportsman’s Legacy When people discuss Fair Chase, they often view the topic through a tunnel instead of holistically — and miss the fact that predation is central to conservation. Hunters are often as unaware of this natural principle as non-hunters. Hunters defend their tradition because it helps control population, generates conservation revenues and
"Invasion Biology" The Art Of The Cattle Move Part I: The Philosophy The authors of this beautifully-photographed video explain, “The core of Ranchlands’ ranching operations is rotational grazing. The majority of our time is spent preparing for, executing, and checking on the rotation of cattle through pastures in a migratory fashion. From stimulating new plant growth through grazing and returning nutrients to
"Wolves" Wolves Attack Wisconsin With Washington’s Help It is an historic fact that wolves will attack, kill and eat humans along with livestock. As the Canadian deer expert, Valerius Geist, documents in an exhaustive forensic analysis on the subject, wolf predations in North America are historically limited because the human population is heavily armed and wolves are
"Invasion Biology" A Million Tons of Feces And An Unbearable Stench: Life Near Industrial Pig Farms The way we raise our grocery store pork is so repulsive that it is unfit for discussion in polite company. Almost everyone averts their eyes from the filth and cruelty of these pig factories, and the damage they do to rural communities, environments, watersheds and public health. Public indifference gives
"Invasion Biology" Arctic Foxes on a Swedish Mountain Turned ‘Blue.’ It Was a Good Thing Scandinavians’ common sense approach to wildlife restoration led them to increase genetic diversity of endangered fox populations by adding animals which are not precisely ‘native’ – thereby saving the foxes. Likewise, when Texas reestablished Desert Bighorn Sheep, transplants were brought from far-away, isolated populations, none of which were ‘native’. This was
"Invasion Biology" Desert Bighorn Ram Killed at Circle Ranch, July 28, 2018 Desert Bighorn Sheep are the rarest of four wild sheep found in North America. A Circle Ranch guest shot this 169-5/8 Boone & Crockett bighorn ram on July 28, 2018. We see rams this big – or bigger – all the time. In our experience, sheep are easy to raise, and
"Invasion Biology" Can American Soil be Brought Back to Life? Many factors have contributed to the destruction of soil fertility, starting with biodiversity loss which is the root cause of the decline of wildlife, habitat and croplands. Farming, ranching and wildlife practices are best judged according to the extent to which they restore soil fertility. Most everything we do fails
"Invasion Biology" An Ancient Horse Is Unearthed in a Utah Backyard Horses evolved in America. They and their ancestors were in our deserts for millions of years. Horses disappeared about 5,000-years ago, largely because of early Native American hunting. The Spanish brought them back 500-years ago, and by 1830 there were again 2,000,000 wild horses. These were all
"Invasion Biology" Dam Good! Beavers May Restore Imperiled Streams, Fish Populations The picture above shows what can happen when stream beds erode and disconnect from their old floodplains. Wetlands are now fallow meadows. As discussed in the article below, beavers have trouble building dams in these eroded streams where trees have disappeared. Where heavy material is lacking, and contained flood runoff
"Invasion Biology" EU Member States Support Near-Total Neonicotinoids Ban Once again, the Europeans lead the US with policies and practices that ensure public and environmental health. As reported in the article below, neonicotinoid-based insecticides are used on most of our seeds to prevent their being eaten by insects. These are very harmful for the very reason that they are
"Invasion Biology" Monsanto’s New Weed Killer, Dicamba, Divides Farmers The ever growing use of stronger and stronger poisons defines Industrial Agriculture. This article tells how farmers who try to avoid using the GMO seeds that are bred to withstand these poisons have their crops ruined. This is one small example of the vast damage Industrial Agriculture is doing to
"Invasion Biology" Invasive Species Alert! Trillions Upon Trillions of Viruses Fall from the Sky Each Day Microorganisms are by far the most abundant lifeforms. For that reason, 90 percent of the cells and more than 99 percent of the genetic material in a human body are found in its microorganisms including viruses and bacteria. As explained below, these microorganisms are not parasites. They govern all life
Bighorn The American Prairie Reserve A visionary public-private effort to recreate a portion of the Northern Great Plains ecosystem is underway in Montana. Many hope another such effort will materialize on the Southern Great Plains, perhaps centered around Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Panhandle. NOTE: this article initially appeared on ShootingSportsman.com It was
Beavers Leave It to Beavers - The Atlantic Quoting the authors below, “In the 1600s, as many as 400-million beavers were waddling about the continent. Just 6-million to 12-million remain today. You have to imagine that there was a beaver dam every half mile, on every stream, in every single watershed in North America.” Given that on most
"Invasion Biology" Could the Mexican Gray Wolf - Source of Fascination and Hostility - Return to the West Texas Wilds? In far-West Texas, there is strong resistance to Mexican Wolf reintroductions. This is based on unwarranted assumptions about their danger to humans and livestock. Ranching can be adapted to co-exist with the Mexican Grey Wolf, which is a smaller version of its Northern cousin found in Montana and Wyoming. The
"Invasion Biology" This Man Wants You to Eat More Meat “We’ve had about a hundred years of ‘range science.’ I hate that term because it’s not science, it’s range beliefs that assume scientific proportion. They come up with rotational grazing and other approaches on and on endlessly, and those have turned pastures into deserts.” … Allan Savory NOTE:
"Invasion Biology" In Far-West Texas, an Artificial Beaver Dam Repairs a Desert Gully - and Reverses Erosion Artificial beaver dams are a recent addition to the desert restoration toolbox. Where trees have disappeared along stream-sides, beavers lack materials to build dams that can survive flood surges. But, if restoration managers provide a superstructure of deeply sunk vertical posts, then cane, brush and grass can be placed within
food safety Roundup’s Toxic Chemical Glyphosate, Found in 100% of California Wines Tested You can run but you can’t hide…. Grape growers use Roundup® (glyphosate) to suppress weeds between vines. Cotton growers use it to defoliate plants before harvest. Farmers’ GMO seeds like soybeans and corn are modified to survive repeated spraying of this non-selective “weed” poison. Because it remains long after
"Invasion Biology" All by Itself the Humble Sweet Potato Colonized the World Is the seed potato an ‘invasive’ ‘exotic’ which by definition harms plants and habitats? Or do new plants – like new animals – enter systems all the time, and in so doing benefit other plants and animals including humans? NOTE: the article below is from NYTimes.com and can be found here.
Beavers An Artificial Beaver Dam to Restore an Eroded Stream Bed Pataha Creek Beaver Dam Analog Timelapse from Snake River Salmon Recovery on Vimeo. You are looking at a downcut stream bed. Note the vertical bank at upper left: this means active downcutting continues. Due to erosion, the water flows at least 10-feet lower than the old meadow floodplain above. This
Animal Development The Case for a Carbon Tax on Beef This article does a good job of summarizing the many environmental problems caused by Big Meat’s method of raising beef. However, the author mistakenly assumes that there is no other way to raise beef than in these artificial, energy-intensive, environmentally-destructive, cruel and unhealthy mega-feedlots. And the author seems to
Bio-Diversity Bird Deaths a Setback in Texas Feral Hog Poison Testing It turns out Texas’ latest wonder poison was a Pig in a Poke. Times Record News reports: “Field testing of a new feral hog control method experienced a major setback recently after nearly 200 birds were found dead. Justin Foster, Texas Parks and Wildlife Research Coordinator for Region 2, said
