Articles

All our thoughts, opinions and discussions.

"Invasion Biology"

Wild Horses are Neither Pets nor Vermin

The wild horse “crisis” is about ideologies, not biology. Western wild horse management remains aground on the rocks of the competing dogmas of horse proponents and horse opponents. One side wants horses “gone”, while the other wants horses everywhere, but untouched and not used for work or food, as they

bats

Yellowstone Bats

There are at least 13-species of bats found in Greater Yellowstone, which includes Pitchstone Waters Ranch.   Bats are among the most under-appreciated, misunderstood, and necessary of all the mammal predators. All this and much more is discussed in the excellent video posted below.      Bats are the only mammals capable of

Bobwhite Quail

Bobwhite Quail Getting New Welcome in West Virginia

Well-intentioned quail releases like the one described in the article below have never worked, and they have been tried for decades. In addition, private landowners release millions of pen-raised quail every year, without reversing the downward trend of wild quail populations.   Quail species have not vanished across much of the

Bears

Grizzly Hunts With Nose

“The scent-detecting area of a grizzly bear’s nose is a hundred times larger than a human’s. A grizzly can zero in on the smell of food a mile away, from rotting carcasses to vulnerable young elk.”   NOTE: this video initially appeared on NationalGeographic.com and was originally posted

sheep

Sheep Are the Solar Industry’s Lawn Mowers of Choice

Livestock are very useful in maintenance grazing. Any animal is better for the environment than weed and grass poisons.   As described below, sheep are useful in places that are too tight and delicate for machinery or cattle. Sheep are also very good in vineyards. Their only shortcoming is that they

Bio-Diversity

All About American Bison (aka Buffalo) for Kids

This is also very interesting for grownups.

California wildfires

At Yosemite, a Preservation Plan That Calls for Chain Saws

As discussed below, most experts now agree that logging and prescribed burning are necessary to improve forest health.   Other practices which are not discussed in this article –  but equally needed – are hunting and domestic livestock grazing.   All of these are fiercely opposed.   NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.

Africa

Management Comparison - Allan Savory

One minute of your attention could save civilization as we know it. NOTE: this video was originally published to Facebook by Allan Savory. It is provided here with permission. It was originally published to this site on November 25, 2019.   All scientists agree that no life can survive without suitable

sheep

Alone in a New World With Vast Open Space, and Sheep

“ At Pitchstone Waters, our goat herders are seasonal workers from Peru.   NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on September 23, 2022. It was written by Miriam Jordan.   Latin American sheepherders, here on work visas, do the same nomadic work that European immigrants did before them. But do

buying and selling ranches

My Wild Land: Terry Creek Ranch - Trailer

Al and Barb Johnson have witnessed the changing landscape of the West firsthand on their ranch, and in the surrounding area. Their land isn’t just home to a leased cattle operation, but also is used as winter range and during migration by hundreds of deer, elk, and moose. With

beaver habits

5,000 Years Later, Beavers Return to the High Plains

“The Brazos is the longest river in Texas. Beavers  were always found downstream. As discussed below, they are now colonizing the upper Brazos where dams have created large bodies of permanent water.   NOTE: this article was originally published to TexasMonthly.com on September 6, 2022. It was written by Peter

floods

Yellowstone and Grand Teton Park Attendance Falls Below 2021 & 2019

Contrary to the implications of the article below, the primary cause of 2022’s falling Yellowstone attendance is not road closures. Although some roads were closed in 2022, many miles that had been closed for 3-years of reconstruction reopened. Total drivable miles inside the park were much the same over

Bio-Diversity

All About Moose for Kids

The moose is the largest member of the deer family and one of the largest mammals in North America! With its distinctive antlers and unusual face, moose are easy to recognize! They live in northern temperate and subarctic climates, where snow covers the ground in winter. Moose are amazing!   NOTE:

Bio-Diversity

Wolves 101

With their piercing looks and spine-tingling howls, wolves inspire both adoration and controversy around the world. Find out how many wolf species exist, the characteristics that make each wolf’s howl unique, and how the wolf population in the continental United States nearly became extinct.   NOTE: this video was originally

Bio-Diversity

Europe Is Sacrificing Its Ancient Forests for 'Green' Energy

The article below was published by the New York Times, which is consistently anti-fossil fuels. The feature describes an environmental catastrophe being caused by Western Europe’s runaway “green” mandates.   Europe sits on vast shale deposits which could supply its energy for centuries, but its green ideologues block development of

lightning

Lightning Striking a Montana Stream

/content/images/wordpress/2019/08/03JTk-4iSwy7V865p3tnSVCZg90aCGvR-1.mp4   “This is fake news (explosives not lightning) – but a great video.   NOTE: this post was originally publsihed to this site on November 14, 2019

Artificial Beaver Dams

It Was War. Then, a Rancher’s Truce With Some Pesky Beavers Paid Off

The article below has an excellent discussion of the growing recognition that beavers are an essential part of habitat restoration. Quoting one expert, “It may seem trite to say that beavers are a key part of a national climate action plan, but the reality is that they are a force

Bio-Diversity

My Wild Land: Bischoff Ranch - Trailer

My Wild Land: BISCHOFF RANCH – Trailer from Wyoming Migration Initiative on Vimeo.   “Keeping a ranch afloat in a volatile market is a story that hits too close to home for Tyrell Bischoff. After a number of rough winters and low cattle prices, Tyrell’s family faced a formidable reality: sell

forests

Returning Fire to the Land

“This article from the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), a free market environmental think tank based in Bozeman, discusses how states are starting to overcome decades of inertia and entrenched policy challenges to promote the use of prescribed fire.   NOTE: this article was originally published to PERC.org on

Big Game Migrations

Wyoming's Big Game Migrations 50 Years after the Creation of the Wilderness Areas

“Pitchstone Waters is just west of the Winegar Hole and Jedidiah Smith Wilderness Areas shown in this video. At this time, elk are migrating out of the Parks through us as an early winter drops snow and temperatures in Greater Yellowstone. We have observed herds of as many as 100-elk

Biodiversity

Lose Grazing Animals, Gain Wildfires

“As discussed below, well-managed domestic cattle, bison, other livestock and grazing animals can restore ecosystems and biodiversity, upcycle grasses humans can’t eat into bioavailable nutrition, reduce wildfire risk, and help us create a better planet for our future.   NOTE: this article was originally published to Weekly.Regeneration.Works on

"Invasion Biology"

Want to Fight the Feral Hog Problem in Texas? Start With $8k, a Helicopter and a Machine Gun.

“Feral pigs have become a problem for one reason: The food-safety agencies tasked to insure safe, wholesome, and affordable food have made them illegal to sell commercially. The commonsense solution is to put them back in the human food chain where they have been for thousands of years of human

beaver habits

Relocated Beavers Helped Mitigate Some Effects of Climate Change

“As discussed in the article below, scientists have found that when beavers were reintroduced and built new dams, the volume of surface water — streams, ponds, wetlands — increased to about 20 times that of streams with no new beaver activity. Meanwhile below ground, groundwater more than doubled what was stored on

Bio-Diversity

Goats Clearing Meadows and Forest at Pitchstone Waters #4

On the Fall River in Idaho, 5-miles from the southwest corner of Yellowstone Park, we use goats instead of herbicides to control weeds and stimulate grasses in sagebrush meadows. Fourth in a series. NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on November 4, 2019

Fire management

Healthy Forests Make Good Neighbors

“This article from the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), a free market environmental think tank based in Bozeman, discusses the common sense idea of turning federal-lands fire mitigation decisions over to states. NOTE: this article was originally published to PERC.org on June 23, 2022. It was written by