Biodiversity Helps High Desert Grasslands: Circle Ranch Game Cameras, Fall 2015.
Because plants need animals as much as animals need plants, a biodiverse plant community requires a biodiverse animal community.
Conventional wildlife “management” and “conservation” theory is based on invasive species biology, which is an ideology not a science. Invasive species biology maintains that most of the animals, including the predators pictured below, harm “native” plants and animals through “competition,” and should be removed altogether or reduced in number to “help” favored species like bighorn, deer and pronghorn.
We review 5,000 game photos every month. We post a few of the most interesting. These pictures show that this supposed “competitive” biodiversity, which is supposed to harm wildlife and habitat, is actually very good for both. Year-after-year the photographic evidence shows these animals are compatible. Again this fall, plants and animals are in excellent shape, and there are a lot of young.
Wood Canyon:Bighorn, mule deer, elk.
West Rim: Wild burros, javelina, bobcat, road runner, mule deer, coyote.
Tres Papalotes: Javelina, mule deer, alpacas, llamas, pronghorn.
Oncie’s Fenceline (Mountains): Mule deer, aoudad, bighorn, javelina.
Meadows (Mountains): Mule deer, llamas, elk, javelina.
Lobo Tank (Desert): Elk, mule deer.
Indian Cave: Javelina, wild burros, pronghorn, roadrunner, scaled (blue) quail, mule deer.
Diablo Peak (Mountains): Mule deer, fawns, bighorn, eagles, javelina.
Bull Pasture (Desert): Rainstorm, sunset, wildflowers, mule deer, elk.
Box Canyon Rim: Llamas, mule deer, pronghorn, fox.
Bezos Rim (Mountains): Eagles, mule deer, aoudad.
17 Draw Windmill (Desert):Longhorn, jackrabbit, mule deer, wildflowers.
Two Section (Mountains, interior at Panther Pass): Javelina, mule deer, elk.
Two Section Rim (Mountains on escarpment):Aoudad, mule deer,javelina, sunrise, sunset, eagles.
Sheep Tank: desert bighorn, llamas, alpacas, pronghorn, mule deer.
Why do universities, agencies and NGOs wear blinders regarding cattle and other non-natives as essential tools for habitat restoration? Because the invasive species ideology is taught as science in Texas’ land grant college wildlife programs and is accepted and practiced without question across our state.
Pseudoscience is known for refusing to acknowledge conflicting data, not testing assumptions, exaggeration of limited truths, and circular arguments. (“If it’s not native it’s bad, and the reason it’s bad is because it’s non-native.”) Invasion biology fits this pattern.