Conservation

A collection of 837 posts

"Wolves"

Understanding the Ecological Role of Wolves in Yellowstone National Park

Loathed as a threat and nuisance, the wolf population in Yellowstone National Park was essentially wiped out by the mid 1920’s. That changed in 1995, when the National Park Service reintroduced them there, with the goal of restoring a natural predator/prey dynamic to the landscape.   NOTE: you can

climate change

‘Natural Rivals’ Review: To Protect and Conserve

Book Review: What we owe to Gifford Pinchot and John Muir. NOTE: this article was originally published to WSJ.com on August 2, 2019. It was written by Gerard Helferich.   Gifford Pinchot and John Muir understood man’s relation to nature in different ways—one practical, one spiritual—but left

Conservation

Let’s Fix Our National Parks...

Common sense about how to fund our national park system.     Quoting the authors, “True conservation is taking care of the land and water you already have, not insatiably acquiring more and hoping it manages itself.” NOTE: this article was originally published to PERC.org on June 30, 2015. It was

Bio-Diversity

The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: an Analysis by PERC (Property and Environment Research Center)

The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is the basis on which public wildlife and habitat is supposed to be managed in the United States. Central ideas are that science will govern decisions, and human use of our resources is a primary objective.   Since the early 1970’s a body

Bio-Diversity

Goats Eat Weeds - Farm to Fork Wyoming

In Wyoming battles between sheepherders and cattlemen are legendary and harrowing. With that turbulent history it is a little surprising that the daughter of an old Wyoming ranching family is a leading force behind weed management with goats today. We’ll learn about the clever niche Lonie Malmberg and her

Arizona

Common Ground: How an Environmentalist and a Logger Came Together to Save Arizona's Forests

States like Arizona have led in common sense management of public forests and grazing.   To reduce wildfire and improve habitat, forests need periodic thinning by selective logging. Thereafter, forest floors can only be maintained through animal impact. This was done by native bison herds. In their absence, periodic short-duration grazing

Elk Removals Featured

Are Elk Native to Texas--Historical and Archaeological Evidence for the Natural Occurence of Elk in Texas

This paper began as an effort to persuade Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to cease its efforts to eradicate elk on the state lands which it manages in far-West Texas. Our assumption was that TPWD was acting out of a sincere misunderstanding of science, which could be corrected.

Antibiotics

Citrus Farmers Facing Deadly Bacteria Turn to Antibiotics, Alarming Health Officials

Dr. William A. Albrecht, often called the “Father of Soil Fertility” was Chairman of the Department of Soils at the University of Missouri. He was dismissed as an alarmist when speaking about the problems discussed in the article below.   70-years ago he wrote, “The use of sprays is an act

Conservation

State-Owned Lands in the Eastern United States: Lessons from State Land Management in Practice

Quoting from the paper below, “Eastern states have been a source of experimentation and innovation in land policies, administrative arrangements, and management approaches — often with considerable economic and environmental success.”   These ideas would work in the West.   NOTE: this article was originally published to PERC.org on March 13, 2018.

beef producers

Back to Nature: Making Money While Restoring The Land

Going against the grain has paid off for these beef producers and even encouraged other conventional farmers to change course.   NOTE: this video was originally published to ABC.net.au on May 18, 2019.     Please use this link if the video does not play above – View Video Here

Conservation

Who Gets to Own the West?

This article complains that private landowners won’t open their land to the public in Idaho, a state in which about 70 percent of all land already belongs to the public, but is mostly controlled by Washington. Idaho has the fourth highest percent of such land of all 50 states.

Conservation

A Beginner’s Guide to Buying a US Ranch

Here is a British financial analyst’s take on U.S. ranch ownership, which gets it partly right.   While most ranches don’t produce annual cash returns that remotely reflect their market value, that doesn’t make them poor investments. This is also true of many kinds of commercial and

"Invasion Biology"

‘Earthworm Dilemma’ Has Climate Scientists Racing to Keep Up

Now we are adding earthworms to the list of invasive species.   After climate change, the most discussed environmental issue is the so-called invasive species crisis. Invasive species biology rests on the mistaken belief that the animals, plants and soil life found on our planet about 500 years ago represented a

Conservation

A Navy Veteran Went to Prison for Digging Ponds in the Mountains

“Range practices we take for granted in Texas can land you in prison out West.   Notwithstanding the many fine things accomplished by EPA, actions like these really hurt public attitudes about conservation – and harm outcomes by inhibiting private citizens’ conservation efforts. For lots of reasons, these matters are better handled

Bio-Diversity

How Pesticides Can Actually Increase Mosquito Numbers

Over long periods, many if not most of our attempts to alter nature backfire.   The lesson: do these things holistically. Work with nature, not against nature.   NOTE: this article was originally published to NationalGeographic.com on May 31, 2019. It was written by Jake Buehler.   The blood suckers evolve resistance,

Bayer

Bayer’s Roundup Problem Slashes Its Market Value

Many of the mergers and acquisitions that harm companies, workers and customers are motivated by bonuses—the ones that managers and boards pay themselves for putting these deals together. Even so, Bayer’s acquisition of Monsanto seems suicidal given the well-known harm caused by Roundup® (glyphosate). The notion that Bayer’

Conservation

Ranching as a Conservation Strategy: Can Old Ranchers Save the New West?

Ranching, when properly conducted, is essential to conservation. The greatest value of any ranch lies in its recreational and ecological value, not its production value for ranching.   While it is true that rural land in the path of urban development is most economically valuable when it is subdivided or otherwise

Animal Development

Learning to Migrate

Animals are much smarter than most people realize and they share enormous group knowledge. Ranchers know their old cows teach the youngsters where to find feed, water, shade and shelter from bad weather. This, and much more, is true of wildlife.   Wildlife “management” often ignores individual and group intelligence of

Bio-Diversity

Moose, Elk, or Both?

This species—Alces alces—is called “moose” in America and “elk” in Europe.   Moose are the largest and heaviest members the deer family. Unlike other deer, males, known as bulls, have open, hand-shaped antlers. American moose are found in northern forests dominated by birch and conifers like pine. (Wondering if

American Prairie Reserve

Shooting Sportsman: The American Prairie Reserve

A visionary conservation success is taking shape on the high plains surrounding the Missouri River in northeastern Montana. Texas could – and should – have its own version. NOTE: this article was originally published to ShootingSportsman.com and was written by Ed Carroll. The landscape-scale conservation goals of the American Prairie Reserve

bird dogs

Sam

A viewer remarked, “Nothing is more beautiful than a good dog – one that wants to retrieve and flush birds. The natural instincts are always the driving factor in the best gun dogs. Unfortunately, they can’t live forever. But, they always live in the hearts of those who love them.

American Antelope

Did the American Cheetah Make the Pronghorn Fast?

The pronghorn antelope got fast trying to outrun the American Cheetah.

Cattle

Extremely Old MacDonald Stays on Farm

The proliferation of labor saving devices has made it possible for today’s farmers and ranchers to remain active longer than previous generations could. And, as mentioned in this article, many young women are able to run these properties for the same reasons. NOTE: this article was originally published to

"Invasion Biology"

Saving the World with Fake Meat?

According to the author, the UN’s most recent conclusion on climate change is that we must all adopt “demand reduction” of meat if the human species wishes to survive. In short, everyone must learn how to live on less. In this context, plant-based fake meat, which food scientists have

Bighorn

Bighorn Sheep

The bighorn sheep is named for its massive, spiral horns, which in the male can reach lengths of over a metre and weigh up to 14 kilograms, equalling the weight of the entire skeleton. The coat of this species is hairy rather than woolly, and coloured glossy brown in the