Pitchstone Waters (Page 28)

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Rangeland Restoration: Subsoil Contour Plowing at Circle Ranch, in far-West Texas

Rangeland Restoration: Subsoil Contour Plowing at Circle Ranch, in far-West Texas

Subsoil contour plowing is an excellent way to increase water absorption in the desert grasslands of far-West Texas and Southern New Mexico. The effectiveness of the practice is shown in these before-and-after comparisons. NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on October 9, 2017.

Herd Impact

Husband and wife ranchers Emry Birdwell and Deborah Clark have been going against the grain of North Texas ranching for decades – hiding their ability to raise many, many more cattle per acre than any of their neighbors. They are a fiery couple, prone to snips as they get their field

Our Land, Our River?

Our Land, Our River?

Here is an excellent explanation of Western water rights, especially those of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah. It was written by the Property and Environmental Research Center (PERC) a free market conservation think tank based in Bozeman. Quoting the article, “While it is true that Montana is less heavily regulated

Judge Restores Protections for Gray Wolves Across Much of US

Judge Restores Protections for Gray Wolves Across Much of US

“This was inevitable once Montana, Wyoming and Idaho resumed their 150-year long war on wolves. NOTE: this article was originally published to APNews.com on February 10, 2022. It was written by Matthew Brown and John Flesher. BILLINGS, Mont (AP) — A judge restored federal protections for gray wolves across much

Chihuahuas and Keyline

Chihuahuas and Keyline

“Chichuahuas and Keyline” explains Chocolate the Keyline Dog’s take on contour subsoil plowing. NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on September 13, 2017.

Hunters Kill 20 Yellowstone Wolves That Roamed Out of Park

Hunters Kill 20 Yellowstone Wolves That Roamed Out of Park

About 500-wolves have been killed in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana since they were delisted as endangered species in 2020. The war on wolves was a grave mistake for wildlife and cattle, since these large predators are the best natural control of the brucellosis and CWD epidemics rampaging through the Yellowstone

Gulleys for Grassland Restoration #12: Chupacabra Dam

Gulleys for Grassland Restoration #12: Chupacabra Dam

Another example of a small dam that spills water from an eroded gulley, to reduce road washing and to irrigate a few acres of grassland at Circle Ranch in the high-desert mountains of far-West Texas. NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on October 2, 2017

Nearly Half of US Bald Eagles Suffer Lead Poisoning

Nearly Half of US Bald Eagles Suffer Lead Poisoning

“According to the article below, scientists say that eagles are still getting lead poison from carrion contaminated by bullets and fishing tackle. NOTE: this article was originally published to APNews.com on February 17, 2022. It was written by Christina Larson. WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s national bird is more beleaguered

ORVIS–How to Spot Trout in Deep Water

ORVIS - How to Spot Trout in Deep Water

Spotting fish in deeper water is a great skill for an angler to have, and the key is to teach your eyes what to look for. Rarely will you see an actual fish shape. Instead, it’s about searching for an out-of-place “smudge” that seems as if it doesn’t

Bootleggers and Baptists in ‘Yellowstone’

Bootleggers and Baptists in ‘Yellowstone’

Many environmental lawsuits are not intended to help the environment, habitat, or wildlife

Gulleys for Grassland Restoration: #7 Best Equipment

Gulleys for Grassland Restoration: #7 Best Equipment

When we divert rainstorm runoff from eroding gulleys to restore desertifying canyons and grasslands, what are the best equipment & practices? Our conclusions might surprise you. NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on September 4th, 2017

Nature Reserve Buys Ranch, Grows to More Than 700 Sq Miles

American Prairie Reserve

Nature Reserve Buys Ranch, Grows to More than 700 Square Miles

According to the article below, the American Prairie Reserve has plans to assemble millions of acres of adjoining public and private lands to create a vast wildlife preserve. As further explained, many traditional ranchers see this as a threat to their way of life. NOTE: this article was originally published

Whose River Runs Through It?

habitat restoration

Whose River Runs Through It?

“Western rivers access and fishing rights are discussed in this excellent article from PERC. NOTE: this article was originally published to PERC.com’s Winter 2021 Newsletter (Volume 40). It was written by James Huffman. How stream access laws affect recreation and conservation This special edition of PERC Reports uses

Gulleys for Grassland Restoration #9: Harvesting Water in Steep Canyons

Gulleys for Grassland Restoration #9: Harvesting Water in Steep Canyons

Restoring the Southwest’s desert grasslands takes water. Most ranches treat eroding gulleys and roads – and their stormwater runoffs – as liabilities. In fact these are potential water assets on every ranch. This little diversion dam harvests water from a steep desert canyon and returns it to water-starved meadows, restoring upstream

ORVIS Moment of Chill: Playing in the Yard

ORVIS Moment of Chill: Playing in the Yard

Young fox kits play around their den, just off the walkway near Orvis headquarters in Sunderland, Vermont.

‘Oh, I’ll Keep ‘em Out’

‘Oh, I’ll Keep ‘em Out’

Quoting the article below, “Buying a house in cattle country and complaining about cattle is like buying a house in a nudist colony and complaining that people don’t wear clothes.” NOTE: this article was originally published to PERC.com’s Winter 2021 Newsletter (Volume 40). It was written by

The Once-Extinct Aurochs May Soon Roam Europe Again

"Invasion Biology"

The Once-Extinct Aurochs May Soon Roam Europe Again

According to the article below, restoring large wild grazers like bison and aurochs (wild giant cattle) will enhance the health of European forests. Quoting the authors, “By disrupting forest growth, these mammals created varied terrain, all the while fertilizing the ground and distributing seeds with their droppings. The natural disturbance

Gulleys for Grassland Restoration #5: Upper Pennel Canyon at Circle Ranch

"Invasion Biology"

Gulleys for Grassland Restoration #5: Upper Pennel Canyon at Circle Ranch

Using a mountain gulley for erosion control and desert grassland restoration at Circle Ranch in far-West Texas. NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on August 14, 2017. This little dam took 45-minutes to build.

Shane Mahoney Speech on the Wild Harvest Initiative

Shane Mahoney Speech on the Wild Harvest Initiative

Shane Mahoney discusses the Wild Harvest Initiative, a landmark study to compile and analyze data relating to the significant amount of food that comes from non-commercial fishing and hunting in North America. It additionally, considers the resources that would be required to replace this wild harvest.