Chris Gill - Pitchstone Waters (Page 68)

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Chris Gill

Ranching, wildlife management, finance, oil & gas, real estate development and management.

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"Invasion Biology"

Bad News for Range and Wildlife Science: An “F” Grade for America’s Elite Colleges

American Council of Trustees and Alumni vice president of policy Michael Poliakoff on the state of the country’s most prestigious liberal arts colleges. NOTE: this originally appeared on WSJ Live Online on 1/28/2014 America’s Colleges Flunk Out If we wonder why our wildlife management practices have

Another Danger Sign for Texas Wildlife: Monarch Numbers in Mexico Hit Record Low

Another Danger Sign for Texas Wildlife: Monarch Numbers in Mexico Hit Record Low

The existence of Monarch butterflies, shown in Mexico, is threatened, scientists say, by manmade changes in their main food source and protective habitat. MEXICO CITY — The stunning and little-understood annual migration of millions of Monarch butterflies to spend the winter in this country is in danger of disappearing, experts said

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Mountain Wildlife - February 2014

The Circle Ranch contains the southeast corner of the Sierra Diablo Mountains. These rise 2,500-feet from the floor of the Chihuahuan Desert to an elevation of 6,500-feet. Here are photos of pronghorn, bighorn and mule deer in the high elevations. These were taken in February, 2014. A buck

Chihuahuan Desert Grassland Restoration in Northern Mexico

Chihuahuan Desert Grassland Restoration in Northern Mexico

Much of the best ecological thinking about desert grassland restoration is coming from Northern Mexico. These folks are way ahead of Texas in their understanding of habitats and restoration practices, including the vital role played by livestock as substitutes for the missing herds of nomadic animals. Late summer, Circle Ranch,

Attacking Biodiversity on Texas' Public Lands: Wild Longhorns May be Nearing the End of the Trail in Park

"Invasion Biology"

Attacking Biodiversity on Texas' Public Lands: Wild Longhorns May be Nearing the End of the Trail in Park

NOTE: Story originally appeared in the SA Express News,authored by John MacCormack, October 23, 2013. PRESIDIO — When the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department bought the Big Bend Ranch from Houston oilman Robert Anderson in 1988, it acquired 215,000 acres of high desert wilderness complete with an extinct volcano,

Restoring Water Function: What is Keyline Contouring?

Erosion Control

Restoring Water Function: What is Keyline Contouring?

We are currently completing 1,000-acres of subsoiling in one of our northern pastures at the Circle Ranch. This is a very effective tool for us, when used in conjunction with planned grazing. Many people ask: * What is Yeomans Keyline? * What is Keyline Contouring? Here is how its inventor, the

New Danger to Wildlife: USDA Gives Green Light to 2,4-D Resistant GM Crops

"Invasion Biology"

New Danger to Wildlife: USDA Gives Green Light to 2,4-D Resistant GM Crops

NOTE: this post originally appeared on SustainablePulse.com – January 3rd, 2014 The USDA has issued a draft statement essentially giving the green light to the marketing, sale and planting of GM corn and soybeans resistant to the hazardous herbicide 2,4-D. Dow Chemical’s GM corn will trigger a huge

Petition Targets ‘Rogue’ Killings by Wildlife Services

"Invasion Biology"

Petition Targets ‘Rogue’ Killings by Wildlife Services

NOTE: Article initially appeared in the Washington Post on December 15th, 2013. Darryl Fears They say U.S. critter assassins work in secret, quietly laying traps, lacing food with poison, sniping at targets from helicopters. Few people know exactly how the hits go down; the methods are largely hidden. What’

Good News for Wildlife and Habitat: Non-GMO Corn Hybrids Smash GMO Varieties in Illinois Trials

"Invasion Biology"

Good News for Wildlife and Habitat: Non-GMO Corn Hybrids Smash GMO Varieties in Illinois Trials

NOTE: Post Originally appeared on Sustainable Pulse November 21, 2013 Corn hybrid trials in Illinois have been harvested, and results are showing Non-GMO corn hybrids performing as well or better than GMO corn hybrids. Spectrum Premium Non-GMO hybrids, used in the testing, produced 3 to 10 more bushels per acre

Increasing Danger to Wildlife and Habitat: Biotech Industry Starts New Era of Pesticide-Promoting Agriculture

Increasing Danger to Wildlife and Habitat: Biotech Industry Starts New Era of Pesticide-Promoting Agriculture

NOTE: Post initially appeared on SustainablePulse.com on August 30, 2013. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has quietly approved the first of a new generation of GE crops resistant to more toxic herbicides. The first crop to pass the low regulatory bar was a Bayer soybean variety genetically engineered

Aoudad, The Bogus Boogeyman

"Invasion Biology"

Aoudad, The Bogus Boogeyman

Eradication Science or Eradication Snake Oil? This piece asks common sense questions about the increasing use of wild animal eradication as a primary conservation tool, and about the foundations on which these practices rest: Why have eradications become so prevalent? Do eradications advance conservation? Are eradications based on science or

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Healing the Carbon Cycle with Cattle

Rancher Tom Sidwell on the JX’s restored grasslands. © Courtney White JX Ranch, Tucumcari, New Mexico In 2004, Tom and Mimi Sidwell bought the 7,000-acre JX Ranch, south of Tucumcari, New Mexico, and set about doing what they know best: earning a profit by restoring the land to health

New Bison War: Should Buffalo Be Reintroduced to the West?

"Invasion Biology"

New Bison War: Should Buffalo Be Reintroduced to the West?

Our neighbor Dr. Jimmy Labaume passed along this piece on bison. Circle had a great little herd which escaped, got involved in a wreck, and got shot up! It all wound up in a lawsuit. Bison are cool but uncontrollable! Laura says “No more buffalo!” “This is a bit long

Circle Ranch - Low-Stress Loose-Herding

Differences Between Conventional Cattle Placment and Placing to Graze As a Herd

Here is an interesting piece by our friend “Cowboy” Bob Kinford, discussing cattle placement on a Nothern Mexico ranch where he was training recently. If you can get it done, “loose-herding” is the way to manage herds. In conventional placing, we hold the cattle in one place until they are

Creosote Bush: An Unassuming But Ancient Form of Life All Around Us

"Invasion Biology"

Creosote Bush: An Unassuming But Ancient Form of Life All Around Us

Though sometimes regarded as a nuisance by residents of the arid Southwest, the creosote bush is a complex and fascinating plant – and creosote colonies constitute some of the oldest organisms known to inhabit the planet. The shrub-like plant’s scientific name is Larrea tridentata, and it is known by many

Planned Grazing and Keyline-Contour Subsoiling Restores Damaged Land at Circle Ranch, March 2009 – September 2013

Animal Development

Planned Grazing and Keyline-Contour Subsoiling Restores Damaged Land at Circle Ranch, March 2009 – September 2013

In the southwest corner of Circle Ranch in the deep, steppe-shrub desert, we have a stock tank which we call “Lobo” because it was the last place that the Mexican wolf was seen in Hudspeth County before being hunted out. When we bought the ranch, it was grazed around a

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Animal Development

Beyond Stockmanship At Rancho Las Damas, by Bob Kinford

The problem I was asked to solve is one of the reasons many cattlemen do not want to try holistic, planned grazing. During calving season the cows would leave their calves behind on the daily pasture changes, resulting in a loss of 15 to 20% of the calves. As it

Creating A Flerd on the Circle Ranch

Creating A Flerd on the Circle Ranch

“Cowboy Bob” Kinford is working with us to combine all of our domestic longhorn, alpaca, llamas, horses and burros into a mixed flock/herd “flerd” as is done elsewhere around the world. These animals will then be run as a group according to a grazing plan. Bob, a master of

Borderlands Staples: Margaritas y Nachos

Borderlands Staples: Margaritas y Nachos

Reprinted From South Texas: The Newsletter (August-October 2004); By Richard Holland Bennett, with research from David Killam, John Stockley, Alan Dreeben and John Lettunich In this age of media bombardment concerning nutrition, dieting and obesity, one cannot ignore the components of our dietary intake. The dictionary defines a staple as

"Drought Busters" at Circle Ranch

"Drought Busters" at Circle Ranch

These are pictures of areas that were holistic-planned grazed and sub-soiled on contour with a Yeomans Plow earlier this year. All of our subsoiled areas were first grazed then plowed on contour, using Keyline techniques and a Yeomans Plow. Most treated areas remain full of creosote and tarbush. We don’

Trans-Pecos Mule Deer Population Declines 40 Percent - Mule Deer Hunting Season is Lengthened

Trans-Pecos Mule Deer Population Declines 40 Percent - Mule Deer Hunting Season is Lengthened

Far-West Texas: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has extended the mule deer season through the last Sunday in January for those properties operating under Managed Land Deer Permits (MLDP). West Texas mule deer population trends remain alarming. According to the report posted above, the TPWD count “raw data” of

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Animal Development

Cows and Plows: Transformation Solutions

Commercial Farm Projects, Courses/Workshops, Land, Livestock, Rehabilitation, Soil Conservation, Water Harvesting — by Owen Hablutzel May 3, 2013 Though too often vilified, both ‘cows’ and ‘plows’ have proven to be among our most effective and available tools for restoring healthy ecological and eco-agricultural systems in our landscapes. Bucking the trend

Regarding Holechek and Briske, and Rebuttals by Teague, Gill & Savory

Animal Development

Regarding Holechek and Briske, and Rebuttals by Teague, Gill & Savory

Correcting Misconceptions about the Supposed Discrediting of Savory’s Approach By Seth J. Itzkan Planet-TECH Associates Somerville, MA. 02144 www.planet-tech.com seth.@planet-tech.com June 2011. Updated May, 2013 Abstract This paper investigates the grazing management assessment reports authored by Briske (2008), and Holechek (2000) in light of their

Circle Ranch Savory Institute Research

Savory Institute: Holistic Management Research Portfolio

Allan Savory at Circle Ranch, June 2009 Almost every American wildlife agency, conservation organization, university, wildlife and range scientist is pledged to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. The Model lists its Core Principal #6 as: “6. Science Is the Proper Tool to Discharge Wildlife Policy In his classic

Cows and Quail (Food)

Cows and Quail (Food)

Circle Ranch is in the high-mountain deserts of far-West Texas, where we get about 11 inches of rainfall annually. Generally, our lower country like this desert is very dry, but the ranch has big draws that run throughout it which create unique ecosystems in a very dry area. Much of