Bio-Diversity Turning a Dangerous Arroyo Into a Flood Irrigation Resource in the Deserts of Far-West Texas Here is how we harvested water out of Circle Ranch’s worst gully, and used it to re-wet 5-miles of desert meadows.
Animal Development Understanding Mule Deer and Winter Feeding Fact Sheet Supplemental feeding of deer and elk – especially in winter – is widespread across the West, including far-West Texas and New Mexico. In this report, the Mule Deer Foundation concludes that, “At best, feeding has a limited nutritional benefit often negated by undesirable, even catastrophic, behavioral and biological effects.” NOTE: This document
Bio-Diversity Circle Ranch: A Chihuahuan Desert Sky Island Laurence Parent’s stunning pictures of the Sierra Diablos in far-West Texas. Renowned Texas author and photographer Laurence Parent has done 44 books. His latest, Colorado: A Photographic Journey was published in 2016. New Mexico: A Photographic Journey was published in 2014. Texas: Portrait of a State, was published in
far-west Texas Capturing a West Texas Winter Wonderland “Texas Monthly’s beautiful photography of winter scenes in far-West Texas. NOTE: this article originally appeared on TexasMonthly.com,authored by Lauren Smith Ford. Now that the sun is out, it’s easy to forget the recent sub-freezing temperatures around the state, like in areas of West Texas where temperatures
News 10,000-Year Clock Next Door to Circle Ranch Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is building a giant clock inside a Texas mountain from CNBC.
"Invasion Biology" States Confront the Spread of a Deadly Disease in Deer The creation of CWD – a new wildlife disease – in a Colorado experimental station, and its subsequent spread, proves the adage that “Industrial agronomic principles applied to ecological systems will almost always cause harm.” NOTE: this article is from the NYTimes.com, and was published on January 8th, 2018. The author
"Invasion Biology" Rancher Takes an Unconventional Path to Restoring His Land “Chris Gill, 72, together with his family own Circle Ranch in far-West Texas. He thinks of the desert habitat, its flora and fauna, as a single system.” NOTE: this article was initially posted to ReportingTexas.com on December 12, 2017. It was written by Austin Price, and all photography credits
Beavers Leave It to Beavers Beavers are still found in Rio Grande tributaries including the Devils and Pecos rivers. Friends of wildlife in far-West Texas should encourage their reintroduction in the narco-infested lower Juarez Valley, between Juarez and Ojinaga. In this depopulated no-man’s land, the reestablishment of Rio Grande marshland combined with the beavers’
Archaeology In the Bones of a Buried Child, Signs of a Massive Human Migration to the Americas “Most likely, people were in Alaska by 20,000 years ago, at least,” say the scientists conducting the study reviewed below. This conclusion contradicts the accepted view that humans arrived in North America around 10,000 BC. Recent findings in far-West Texas also suggest earlier dates. In our own Circle
"Invasion Biology" Greening the Chihuahuan Desert Chihuahuan ranchers are at the forefront of restorative grazing practices.
Bio-Diversity The Great Nutrient Collapse Food nutrition is changing. This article blames atmospheric carbon, ignoring genetic modification of plants combined with the effect of the agricultural poisons our food plants have been engineered to survive. For example, a bushel of corn weighs significantly less than before corn was reengineered to withstand Roundup, which blocks cells’
"Invasion Biology" Survival of Trans-Pecos Gambel’s Quail The rapid disappearance of quail across North America, including the iconic Gambel’s Quail, is of great concern and merits study. Objectivity, though, is missing because the universities, agencies and conservation organizations that conduct the research and give advice assume the practices they promote are beneficial for ranches and wildlife.
"Invasion Biology" The Hard Truth About the West’s Wild Horse Problem Horses belong in the Desert Southwest where they and their ancestors co-evolved with wildlife and plants over millions of years. With that said, though, we have a problem. Removing large nomadic grazers as well as most prey and most predators combined with the sincere but misguided prohibition of herd culling
Bio-Diversity A Gloomy Forecast for Climate Change Planned grazing of cattle is an inexpensive and effective tool for restoring damaged grasslands, thereby helping habitat and wildlife. It also helps to reduce – and possibly reverse – the atmospheric carbon accumulation discussed below. NOTE: This article is taken from Worldview.Stratfor.comand was published December 6th. Feature image is with
"Invasion Biology" Mexican Grey Wolves Reintroduced For almost 20 years, controversy has followed the Mexican Grey wolves as they’ve struggled to survive their reintroduction in Eastern Arizona and Western New Mexico.
"Invasion Biology" Soil Power! The Dirty Way to a Green Planet “People reap more benefit from nature when they give up trying to vanquish it and instead see it clearly, as a demanding but indispensable ally. Because of carbon’s climate change connection, we’ve been conditioned to think of it as the enemy, when in fact it’s as vital
"Invasion Biology" Jaguars Return to Southern Arizona In Southern Arizona, the top predator is the mountain lion, but over the last 15 years, solitary male jaguars, typically one at any given time, have migrated from Northern Mexico into Southern Arizona and New Mexico. There is no reason this could not happen in far-West Texas.
Animal Development If We All Stopped Eating Beef, What Would Happen to the Land? The indictment of cattle as environmental polluters is correct with respect to factory meat farms, but completely mistaken as to cattle raised the old fashioned way – on grasslands, grazing as in nature. NOTE: This article initially was published to Popular Science (PopSci.com) on October 31, 2017 Does #NoRedOctober make
"Invasion Biology" Arizona's Mexican Wolf Restoration Project See what Arizona Game and Fish and its federal, tribal and private partners are doing to recover the endangered Mexican wolf.
Ancient Spearpoints Discovery of Ancient Spearpoints in Texas Has Some Archaeologists Questioning the History of Early Americas It seems as if every month brings fresh archaeological evidence to push back the dates of human arrival in North America. NOTE: this article was originally published to Gizmodo.com on October 24, 2018. It was written byGeorge Dvorsky. Archaeologists have discovered two previously unknown forms of spearpoint technology at
"Invasion Biology" Shy Elk and Bold Birds Become Partners in the Wilderness Complex relationships between species such as birds and grazers are common, but often unrecognized by over-simplified wildlife management theories. As a result, wildlife managers routinely attack species whose interdependence we do not understand. For example, in Texas, tax policy rewards landowners who attempt to eradicate brown-headed cowbirds, a species that
Soil Understanding Brittleness to Better Understand Your Land Learn the concept of brittleness and how understanding where your region falls on the brittleness scale can affect the management options for your ranch or farm. Understanding Brittleness to Better Read Your Land from Savory Institute on Vimeo.
Bio-Diversity The Elephant Permit in the Room Once again, conservationists harm the species they hope to protect. This time it’s economic. The legal, licensed hunting of African game gives elephants huge economic value to the communities and countries where they are found. Hunters pay big license fees and hire locals to work the hunts. Because of
"Invasion Biology" Wild Burros Providing Water for Wildlife In far-West Texas, a coalition of government agencies, agricultural universities and conservation organizations has decided that wild burros on public lands should be eradicated. The coalition based its decision on the belief that what the burros are doing in the video above harms wildlife – especially Desert Bighon Sheep and Desert
Bio-Diversity Get Paid for Watching the Grass Grow: Carbon Sequestration, Texas-Style Fans of carbon credit transfers should focus on grassland restoration through holistic planned grazing. Unlike many carbon credit boondoggles, planned grazing is not based on fake science. And it works – thereby helping wildlife, habitat, and ranchers. NOTE: this post is taken from Forbes.com. The article was published on December
