Conservation

A collection of 837 posts

"Invasion Biology"

Elk Country Chronicles - The Sounds of Elk Country Volume 7

Take a minute to enjoy the peaceful sounds of elk country. With good game management policies, this could be anywhere in far-West Texas. Instead these animals are shot out on all state-managed lands under the scientifically bogus belief that they are non-native ‘invasive’ species that harm bighorn, mule deer and

"Invasion Biology"

Coyotes & Prairie Dogs

Coyotes and prairie dogs are essential to the the health of desert grasslands. For decades, both were targets of widespread eradication efforts, paid by the public and conducted by ‘conservation’ agencies.

"Invasion Biology"

Hunting's Remarkable Resilience

Hunters defend their tradition because it helps control population, generates conservation revenues and Fair Chase expresses good sportsmanship. But predation is also physiologically better for wildlife and habitats. Hunters are often as unaware of this natural principle as non-hunters. Just like wolves, cougars, bears and other apex predators, humans have

Beaver

Rio Grande Beaver Survey In Big Bend National Park

In 2015, beaver populations in Big Bend Park were surveyed.The paper is printed below. According to the authors: “Beaver create and modify their habitat by building dams. These dams exert such a strong influence on aquatic and riparian communities that the beaver is considered a keystone species. We delineated

Bio-Diversity

Cooperative Efforts with Private Landowners to Help Endangered Species

“Almost since its enactment in 1973, the Endangered Species Act has generated controversy and political conflict. Its supporters tout the many species saved from extinction, while its critics cite the high economic costs to landowners and business. This report proposes modest changes that will prevent extinctions and promote recovery of

Beavers

Partnering With Beaver: Nature's Hydrologists and Ecosystem Engineers

Utah State University researchers study beaver dams’ effects on habitat restoration and the possibility of utilizing beaver dams as an alternative to man-made dams. These practices will work in many parts of far-West Texas.

climate change

In a Warming West, the Rio Grande Is Drying Up

Agency, university and other water ‘experts’ blame climate change for declining river flows. They ignore the primary influences on land and rivers: Irresponsible agricultural practices. It is a misuse of precious Southwestern desert water to irrigate low value crops – let alone subsidize this. And next, Industrial Agriculture’s farming methods

"Invasion Biology"

Can Dirt Save the Earth?

This article concludes, “The essential (environmental) insight is one often overlooked when we talk about climate change: The element that threatens to smother civilization is also, in different forms, the fundamental building block of life. To prevent carbon from causing misery and destruction, perhaps we just need to change its

Bio-Diversity

Jamon Iberico in Texas

This company is betting that South Texas’ rangelands and savannahs can produce the world’s finest pork. Their efforts point the way to solving Texas’ so-called ‘feral pig problem’. Big Pork and their regulators created this by declaring that free-ranging South Texas pigs are unsafe to eat, and unfit for

"Invasion Biology"

How Spanish Ibérico Pork Found Its Way to Texas

In the Spanish deserts, pigs which forage for themselves and fatten on seasonal acorns produce hams that can bring $2,000 apiece. In Texas, anticompetitive regulations and bureaucratic red-tape effectively prevent Texans from marketing free-range feral pigs. Before the Civil War, the primary source of income for German settlers in

"Invasion Biology"

The Art Of The Cattle Move II: Grazing Plans

This beautiful video discusses the importance of the grazing plan in sustainable ranching. The authors explain, “The most important tool we use in management of the land is being able to control the amount of time that cattle graze a particular pasture. Too long in a pasture and the grass

"Invasion Biology"

Montana Tries to Make Predators Bearable

“There are common sense ways to adjust ranch practices to accommodate predators. Here is one. NOTE: the post below is a “Snapshots” snippet from PERC.org‘s PERCReports Summer 2018 edition. It can be found on Page 7. Montana tries to make predators bearable. Dead livestock in bear country can

"Invasion Biology"

‘Rewilding’ Missing Carnivores May Help Restore Some Landscapes

Because of how nature works, wildlife and habitats cannot be restored without (1) predators, (2) prey and, (3) keystone grazers.  This article looks at one missing piece of this trio. NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on March 16, 2018. It was written by JoAnna Klein If

"Invasion Biology"

The Art Of The Cattle Move Part I: The Philosophy

The authors of this beautifully-photographed video explain, “The core of Ranchlands’ ranching operations is rotational grazing. The majority of our time is spent preparing for, executing, and checking on the rotation of cattle through pastures in a migratory fashion. From stimulating new plant growth through grazing and returning nutrients to

"Wolves"

Wolves Attack Wisconsin With Washington’s Help

It is an historic fact that wolves will attack, kill and eat humans along with livestock. As the Canadian deer expert, Valerius Geist, documents in an exhaustive forensic analysis on the subject, wolf predations in North America are historically limited because the human population is heavily armed and wolves are

"Invasion Biology"

A Million Tons of Feces And An Unbearable Stench: Life Near Industrial Pig Farms

The way we raise our grocery store pork is so repulsive that it is unfit for discussion in polite company. Almost everyone averts their eyes from the filth and cruelty of these pig factories, and the damage they do to rural communities, environments, watersheds and public health. Public indifference gives

"Invasion Biology"

Arctic Foxes on a Swedish Mountain Turned ‘Blue.’ It Was a Good Thing

Scandinavians’ common sense approach to wildlife restoration led them to increase genetic diversity of endangered fox populations by adding animals which are not precisely ‘native’ – thereby saving the foxes. Likewise, when Texas reestablished Desert Bighorn Sheep, transplants were brought from far-away, isolated populations, none of which were ‘native’. This was

"Invasion Biology"

Desert Bighorn Ram Killed at Circle Ranch, July 28, 2018

Desert Bighorn Sheep are the rarest of four wild sheep found in North America. A Circle Ranch guest shot this 169-5/8 Boone & Crockett bighorn ram on July 28, 2018. We see rams this big – or bigger – all the time. In our experience, sheep are easy to raise, and

"Invasion Biology"

Can American Soil be Brought Back to Life?

Many factors have contributed to the destruction of soil fertility, starting with biodiversity loss which is the root cause of the decline of wildlife, habitat and croplands. Farming, ranching and wildlife practices are best judged according to the extent to which they restore soil fertility. Most everything we do fails

"Invasion Biology"

Dam Good! Beavers May Restore Imperiled Streams, Fish Populations

The picture above shows what can happen when stream beds erode and disconnect from their old floodplains. Wetlands are now fallow meadows. As discussed in the article below, beavers have trouble building dams in these eroded streams where trees have disappeared. Where heavy material is lacking, and contained flood runoff

"Invasion Biology"

EU Member States Support Near-Total Neonicotinoids Ban

Once again, the Europeans lead the US with policies and practices that ensure public and environmental health. As reported in the article below, neonicotinoid-based insecticides are used on most of our seeds to prevent their being eaten by insects. These are very harmful for the very reason that they are

"Invasion Biology"

Invasive Species Alert! Trillions Upon Trillions of Viruses Fall from the Sky Each Day

Microorganisms are by far the most abundant lifeforms. For that reason, 90 percent of the cells and more than 99 percent of the genetic material in a human body are found in its microorganisms including viruses and bacteria. As explained below, these microorganisms are not parasites. They govern all life

Bighorn

The American Prairie Reserve

A visionary public-private effort to recreate a portion of the Northern Great Plains ecosystem is underway in Montana. Many hope another such effort will materialize on the Southern Great Plains, perhaps centered around Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Panhandle. NOTE: this article initially appeared on ShootingSportsman.com It was

Beavers

Leave It to Beavers - The Atlantic

Quoting the authors below, “In the 1600s, as many as 400-million beavers were waddling about the continent. Just 6-million to 12-million remain today. You have to imagine that there was a beaver dam every half mile, on every stream, in every single watershed in North America.” Given that on most

"Invasion Biology"

Could the Mexican Gray Wolf - Source of Fascination and Hostility - Return to the West Texas Wilds?

In far-West Texas, there is strong resistance to Mexican Wolf reintroductions. This is based on unwarranted assumptions about their danger to humans and livestock. Ranching can be adapted to co-exist with the Mexican Grey Wolf, which is a smaller version of its Northern cousin found in Montana and Wyoming. The