Biodiversity

A collection of 86 posts

Agriculture

Livestock: A Powerful Tool for Wildfire Control

Quoting the article below, “Livestock grazing is also proposed as a potential solution for wildfires such as those that have devastated several western states this year. Researchers with the University of California Cooperative Extension are evaluating how much fine fuel — grasses and other plants known to start fires — cattle eat.

Bio-Diversity

The Gray Wolf Leads the Way for Other Endangered Species

“Common sense advice on how best to advance wolf restorations, from the PROPERTY AND ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH CENTER of Bozeman Montana. PERC is the home of free market environmentalism.   NOTE: this article was originally published to PERC.org and the Duluth News Tribune on November 9, 2020. It was written by

Bears

Grizzly 399’s Diet Takes a Concerning Turn

“It is a tragic fact that once a grizzly associates people with food, it likely will have to be destroyed.   Counter-intuitively, limited hunting of grizzly bears, which would give them reasons to fear humans, could reduce the number of bears killed by people each year.   NOTE: this article was originally

Bio-Diversity

US Officials: Climate Change Not a Threat to Rare Wolverine

Contrary to the popular narrative, a slightly warmer climate, particularly in areas that are usually covered by snow and ice, expands the habitable area for many species.   Furthermore, endangered species listings should not be regulatory one-way streets. As species recover, onerous restrictions should be relaxed. These rules are often straight

Bio-Diversity

Trumpeter Swan Cygnets Released at Yellowstone to Boost Population

“The trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) is a species of swan found in North America. The heaviest living bird native to North America, it is also the largest existing species of waterfowl, with a wingspan of 6′ 2″ to 8′ 2”.  By 1933, fewer than 70 wild trumpeters were known to

Biodiversity

The Elwha Dams Are Gone and Chinook Are Surging Back, But Why Are So Few Reaching the Upper River?

“As reported below, King Salmon recovery on the Elwha River is going slowly. It will require that wild sea-run fish find their way back into the river, spawn, and then after several years, return to spawn again. The spawn-to-spawn time for the really big (100-pound) salmon once common in the

Biodiversity

Allan Savory - Saving Western Ranching Culture

“In this interview Allan Savory explains why the Western ranching culture is dying along with other cultures. NOTE: this interview was originally published to WorkingCows.net on August 10, 2020. /content/images/wordpress/2020/08/Working-Cows-Ep.-150-Allan-Savory.mp3

Biodiversity

Documents Detail Push To Manage Yellowstone Bison as Cattle

The article below summarizes various objections to managing Yellowstone bison more like cattle in order to control brucellosis, among other things. Yellowstone’s elk and bison are now a regional reservoir for this disease, which causes spontaneous abortion in cattle and wild animals and can threaten human health. Because of

Aleutian Islands

When the Otters Vanished, Everything Else Started to Crumble

Quoting the authors of the article below, “In the Aleutian’s delicate seascape, otters hold the entire ecosystem together. As they have disappeared, the rest of the local food web has started to crumble. NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on September 10, 2020. It was written

Biodiversity

Climate Change Mitigation is a Side Effect of Regenerative Ranching: Insights From Australia And The United States

“Whatever the causes of climate change, human damage to our environment cannot be denied. As the authors of this paper explain, more and more people are rejecting industrial agriculture in favor of regenerative (restorative) ag practices. NOTE: this paper was recently published to RoyalSocietyPublishing.org on August 14, 2020. It

Biodiversity

Save a Sage Grouse, Drop a Fence Line

“As discussed in the article below, barbed wire fences are dangerous to grouse. Apparently grouse don’t see the wires, so they fly in to them. Many are killed. As the authors explain, there are many ways to reduce this risk, and help other species in the process. NOTE: this

Biodiversity

Ranching Alongside Predators in an Idaho Forest

“Using domestic animals to restore overgrown forest near Yellowstone Park in Idaho.” Cattle, Goats, Bears and Cougar from Christopher Gill on Vimeo.

Biodiversity

Hunting Is Conservation: A Paradox Explained

Quoting the authors of the article below, ” Non-hunters are often surprised to learn that it was hunters who spearheaded the conservation efforts that rescued our nation’s wildlife from the cusp of extinction. The truth is: hunting and conservation have had a symbiotic relationship since the close of the 19th

Bio-Diversity

Allan Savory on Permaculture and Holistic Management

Here is a very interesting interview with the ecologist Allan Savory who, in the opinion of many, knows more about rangelands than anyone alive. He is best known for his discovery that global desertification can best be addressed and reversed by using livestock to mimic the grazing patterns of the

Beavers

Beavers Rule the Roost at Crater Lake

Whether we are talking about bears, bison or beavers, the best safety rule with wild animals is this: “Do not invade their space.” It is amazing how often the rule is violated.     NOTE: this article was originally published to jhnewsandguide.com on July 15, 2020. It was written by Doreen

"Wolves"

25 Years After Returning to Yellowstone, Wolves Have Helped Stabilize The Ecosystem

As discussed in the article below, “by reducing elk numbers and thinning out weak and sick animals, wolves are helping create more resilient elk herds.”   This is true, but another likely reason for falling elk numbers is brucellosis, an infection known as “contagious abortion” that affects ruminant animals including cervids

"Invasion Biology"

Scientists Disagree on Bison Impacts to Yellowstone’s Northern Range

“According to Yellowstone’s senior bison biologist who is quoted below, Yellowstone is the only place in North America with a complete set of predators and herbivores – both of which shape their habitat in ways conventional “managers” neither understand nor like.   NOTE: this article was originally published to NationalParksTraveler.org

"Invasion Biology"

Take ‘Charisma’ Into Account When Managing Invasive Species, Scientists Say

As Groucho Marx asked all those years ago, “Who are you going to believe: Me, or your lying eyes?”   According to the doubtful premise underlying invasive species biology, any new creature entering a system is, by definition, harmful to it. This paper, written by invasion “biologists” warns against being “fooled”

"Invasion Biology"

A Natural Classroom, Run by Wolves

Wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone has been a scientific and tourism bonanza.   NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on March 27, 2020. It was written by Jim Robbins. Mr. Robbins, a longtime contributor to The Times, is based in Helena, Mont.     Twenty-five years ago this month, 14 wolves

"Invasion Biology"

Pablo Escobar’s Hippos Fill a Hole Left Since Ice Age Extinctions

According to the article below—and the study on which it is based—humans have caused the extinction of many large animals over the past 100,000 years. This has changed ecosystems greatly, generally for the worse.   Introductions of so-called exotics have somewhat compensated for extinction losses. As incongruous as

Bio-Diversity

Coronavirus Outbreak Shows The Risk in Ignoring Human Activity’s Impact on Nature

Paraphrasing the authors of the article below, “The role of healthy, intact ecosystems is being overlooked, together with the essential link between human, domestic animal and wildlife health. Biodiversity — the richness of life on Earth — is essential to maintaining a planet that supports all of us.”   In other words we

Bio-Diversity

Protecting America’s Duck Factory

As described in the article below, the success of waterfowl conservation efforts proves it is possible to save bellwether species. This conservation success stands in stark contrast to the fate of other iconic species like quail, salmon, and monarch butterflies.   While these species are not currently “bouncing back,” we can

Bio-Diversity

Stewardship with Vision – Episode 1: Jeff Laszlo

As a result of the O’Dell Creek restoration, Granger Ranches has documented a 900% increase in waterfowl species and a 600% increase in species diversity. The ranch now hosts at least fifteen species of concern, including the American White Pelican, Clark’s Grebe, Great Blue Heron, White-Faced Ibis, Franklin’

"Invasion Biology"

How Feral Hogs Hurt The Environment

Quoting from the article below, “But the scientific consensus today is that in North America, feral pigs are a growing threat to both ecosystems and the economy.”   The author continues, “Interestingly, in their native range in Europe and Asia, pigs do not cause as much ecological damage. In fact, some

"Invasion Biology"

How to Let Grow

“How do we “rewild” areas where the native species are now extinct? In England, they use “exotic” species as substitutes. This common sense would collide with so-called “invasive species biology” in most of the US. NOTE: this article was originally published to WSJ.com on September 27, 2019. It was