Conservation

A collection of 837 posts

Bio-Diversity

Livestock Management for Coexistence with Large Carnivores, Healthy Land and Productive Ranches

Experience is proving that when cattle are run in large herds they are less susceptible to predation, especially from smaller predators like coyotes and Mexican Wolves. LIVESTOCK MANAGEMENT FOR COEXISTENCE WITH LARGE CARNIVORES, HEALTHY LAND AND PRODUCTIVE RANCHES A white paper by Matt Barnes, Field Director for Rangeland Stewardship Keystone

"Invasion Biology"

Desert Habitat Restoration: Opposing Assumptions about Wildlife Biodiversity

Pictured below are 10 species of animals photographed in our mountains at Circle Ranch during Spring 2015.  Conventional wildlife “management” says six of these species should be removed as they are assumed to “harm” desert bighorn sheep, desert mule deer, pronghorn and their habitat. CLICK HERE FOR 75 PHOTOS: Diablo

Animal Development

Pronghorn, Desert Bighorn & Lambs at Circle Ranch in Spring 2015

Three short videos of pronghorn and bighorn taken late winter and early spring 2015.  We have lots of both. Mother bighorn and last year’s lamb. Pronghorn herd gathering at water. Bighorn ewes and lamb.   Circle Ranch’s recipe for abundant pronghorn and bighorn: 1. Encourage animal biodiversity. 2. Periodically,

"Invasion Biology"

2.7 Million Creatures Killed Last Year in U.S.'s Secretive War on Animals

Publicly-funded wildlife eradications are a big surprise to many people. NOTE:orginially appeared on TheDodo.com Nearly 7,400 wild animals were slaughtered every single day on average across the U.S. last year — not by hunters or poachers, but by a government agency whose stated mission is “to resolve

"Invasion Biology"

Defending Beef—The Case for Sustainable Meat Production

This is the best and easiest-to-understand book about why sustainable ranching is necessary for a healthy environment. It is a must-read for every landowner, rancher, wildlife manager, conservationist, wild horse advocate, hunter, wildlifer, and consumer. Defending Beef—The Case for Sustainable Meat Production. The Manifesto of an Environmental Lawyer and

"Invasion Biology"

CKI Studies Scaled Quail Decline

This study of blue (scaled) quail decline, conducted by  the Caesar Kleberg Institute, finds that brush removal, monocultures of non-native grasses and cattle removal cause blue quail numbers to fall.     The prescriptions would seem obvious: graze cattle in ways that help plants, preserve brush, and get lots of weeds growing

"Invasion Biology"

Glyphosate Is Anything But Safe

Under our industrial agricultural methods, virtually all of our major crops are being grown with GMO seeds designed to withstand glyphosate, more commonly known by its trade name Roundup®. Seeds are planted. After they sprout, the fields are poisoned, up to three different times, to kill all weeds. This poison

Animal Development

Steak Wars: The Desert-Friendly Cow

This New Mexico rancher is fighting the perception that only British breeds produce great beef. By Cally Carswell, High Country News Alfredo Gonzalez manages a modest herd of 200 beef cows on the Jornada Experimental Range, near Las Cruces, New Mexico, where grass is scarce, and water scarcer. Occasionally, he

"Invasion Biology"

Crop Herbicides Play a Role in Shrinking Monarch Population

A kaleidoscope of monarch butterflies hangs from a tree branch in the Piedra Herrada sanctuary near Valle de Bravo, Mexico. Photo: Rebecca Blackwell /Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A butterfly being considered for federal protection is emblematic of the plight that pollinating insects face in part because farmers, enticed by

"Invasion Biology"

Desert Restoration: Insights From the Human Body

Holistic thinkers rightly point out the health of wildlife and its habitat depends on the health of soil particularly its life-giving microorganisms. Here is a wonderful TED Talk discussing how microorganisms determine human health and behavior. Did you know there are 10X as many micro-organic cells in your body as

Cattle

Innovative Fence Idea for Planned Grazing

Here is a great way to create multiple entrances into a pen, without gates.  Very helpful when water is shared by multiple pastures as is so often the case in a planned grazing program.   “Cowboy Bob” Kinford explains:  Anyone who has ever ran more than two bulls is familiar with

Bio-Diversity

Confinement Meat Production, Not Meat Eating, Hurts the Environment

Big Agriculture’s industrial model of confinement meat production is undoubtedly damaging the environment. Cows, pigs and chickens are crowded together in unbelievable numbers and filth. They are forced to live on their own feces and urine. Their artificial diets which include chemicals, pesticides, and hormones are toxic. Then, massive

"Invasion Biology"

Wildlife Numbers Drop by Half Since 1970, Report Says

Biodiversity loss in our Southwestern deserts is part of a larger global trend. Wildlife “management” is making this worse.   NOTE: Originally appeared on WSJ.com September 30, 2014. It was written by Gautam Naik.   Analysis by WWF and Others Was Based on Thousands of Species in Rivers, on Land and

"Invasion Biology"

Game Videos Fall 2014

These videos were taken at what we call Sheep Tank, a water point that overlooks one of our largest canyons. Many species share this water, with no visible conflict with each other, or harm to habitat.   Big Horn: Elk: Mule Deer: Quail: Others: Biodiversity is good, not bad, for our

Bio-Diversity

West Texas, Photography by Weiman Meinzer

An evocative and beautiful short film about the culture, wildlife and geography of West Texas.    Wyman Meinzer’s West Texas from Wyman Meinzer on Vimeo.

"Invasion Biology"

Restoring Desert Grasslands. EARTH A New Wild - Episode 2 - Plains

EARTH: A New Wild takes a fresh look at humankind’s relationship to the planet’s wildest places and most fascinating species. Produced by National Geographic Studios in association with Passion Planet, the series is hosted by Dr. M. Sanjayan, leading conservation scientist, who takes viewers on a stunning visual

Bighorn

Circle Ranch Habitat Restoration Crews at Work - August 2014

Every month we edit 5,000 game photos from 13 cameras across the Circle Ranch. We have many species, and large animal numbers, as these photos show. The idea that these animals “compete” or otherwise “harm” each other, or their habitat, is contradicted by massive photographic evidence accumulated over many

Bio-Diversity

Ecology and Conservation of the Prairie Dog Grassland Ecosystem of the Northern Chihuahua Desert, and Far-West Texas

Long considered pests, prairie dogs are in fact necessary to the health of desert grasslands and wildlife.   The desert grasslands of the Janos region in northern Chihuahua are home of one of the largest surviving prairie dog colonies in the world. Black-tailed prairie dogs are highly social rodents that live

"Invasion Biology"

After Slow, Cold Trip Across Pacific, Sea Creatures Find Little Warmth

Every single day for uncounted millions of years, billions of pieces of flotsam – many bearing lifeforms – have drifted onto beaches across the world. Here is an example of the utterly futile, wasteful and presumptuous efforts to interrupt this natural evolutionary process – which is as old as life itself – by attacking

"Invasion Biology"

Restoring Desert Grasslands or Creating Desert Badlands?

For 60 years, this National Park Service land has been “protected” from cattle, unintentionally accelerating its desertification. Here is a typical Big Wildlife program being pursued at Big Bend National Park to “protect” degrading habitat.   (ABOVE PDF can be viewed here -> ) I don’t doubt the sincerity or

Bio-Diversity

New Year's Greetings from Far-West Texas

A 1-week family gathering in far-West Texas between Christmas and New Year’s is a family tradition. New Year weather can be fair, or brutal. Our best 2014 ranch investment was our standby generator system: We were snug in a weeklong storm.     New Year 2015 from Christopher Gill on Vimeo.

Conservation

Desert Grasslands Restoration: Time Can Be a Grazier's Best Friend or Worst Enemy

Whether cattle are good or bad for grasslands depends on TIME    By Robert L. Kinkead, DVM, retired Originally published in Stockman Grass Farmer Photos and Video from Circle Ranch, Hudspeth County, far-West Texas   HARRISBURG, Missouri: In the 1950s, a French biochemist André Voisin observed how his pastured cows grazed. He

"Invasion Biology"

Restoring Desert Grasslands: Thistle and the Yeomans Keyline Plow

Thistle, also known as the “Tumbling Tumbleweed” is an iconic Western plant.  Even though it is despised by many as an “invasive” “exotic”, it is probably the single best rescue plant for our declining desert grasslands.  Better still, its seeds are provided for free by Mother Nature. Here is an

Bio-Diversity

Amish Farmers Point the Way for Desert Grasslands Restoration

These lessons, from  organic farming, are completely portable to desert grasslands restoration.   NOTE: originally published by The Atlantic October 6, 2014   By studying the immune systems of plants, they’ve developed a technique that eliminates the need for chemicals.   “In the Second World War,” Samuel Zook began, “my ancestors were

Bio-Diversity

Australia: Restoring Desert Grasslands with Holistic Planned Grazing

Here is a major cattle venture funded by European institutional investors in the Australian outback.   From the company website: Founded in 2009, SLM Partners was established to channel investment capital towards land management systems that are profitable and sustainable. Our first project focuses on beef cattle production on grazing land