habitat restoration

A collection of 708 posts

Bighorn

US Drought Falls to Record Low

Good news for quail and wildlife: It looks like we will dodge the drought bullet for the moment. Now is the time to implement the range recovery practices that will mitigate the next dry cycle. NOTE: This post initially appeared on TheGWPF.com on April 28, 2017   Drought in the

"Invasion Biology"

On The Iberico Trail

In Spain, free-ranging pigs which forage for themselves and fatten on seasonal acorns produce hams that can bring $2,000 apiece.  In Texas, free-ranging pigs which forage for themselves and fatten on seasonal acorns are considered unfit to eat. Why the difference? Anticompetetive regulations which favor Big Pork, and bureaucratic

Conservation

This Farm Is Trying To Change The Future Of Organic Pork

It is possible to create a humane, self-sustaining, and profitable hog farming system and to make organic pork more widely available. NOTE: post initially appeared on RodalesOrganicLife.com on December 12, 2016 The Rodale Institute’s hog facility has one goal: Show farmers everywhere how to create a humane, self-sustaining,

Conservation

Land-Rich Farmers Still Struggle to Survive

Heavy subsidies of agriculture have not made farming and ranching profitable. Nor can they. NOTE: This post initially appeared on WSJ.com on December 21, 2016 The farmer is the only businessperson who buys his inputs at retail and sells at wholesale, all the while hoping (and praying) for good

"Invasion Biology"

Kaput Maker Pulls Feral Hog Poison Out of Texas

Those who oppose the idea of drenching Texas ranges with the rat poison Warfarin, are either “lawyers, misinformed or radical environmentalists”. Kaput has been withdrawn by its manufacturer, who in doing so reiterated all these false health claims about free range pigs. There has been no epiphany within Big Wildlife,

"Invasion Biology"

Texas House Orders Study Before Using Poison on Feral Hogs

The ‘feral pig apocalypse’ is a costly bureaucratic poisoning boondoggle that will harm wildlife in incalculable ways. There is an obvious alternative: Let the market solve the problem the bureaucrats created, and let Texas’ leaders lead towards a solution that benefits wildlife, habitat and the economics of land ownership. Feral

Bio-Diversity

Euros Cave to Big Ag

The full force of the United States has been thrown behind the effort to force our destructive agricultural model on the world, in the name of “free trade”. The European Chemicals Agency on Wednesday said glyphosate, the key chemical in Monsanto Co.’s flagship herbicide, doesn’t cause cancer, but

Bio-Diversity

Texas Hunters Want to Put the Kibosh on Ag Commissioner’s ‘Feral Hog Apocalypse'

The “feral hog apocalypse” is brought to you by Big Wildlife: The same folks who gave us CWD. NOTE: This post initially appeared on SAExpressNews.com on February 22, 2017 State Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller’s call for a “feral hog apocalypse” has hunters across Texas up in arms about

Conservation

Holocene Sea-Ice Cover

According to this paper, Arctic sea-ice fluctuation is caused by natural solar cycles, not anthropogenic (human caused) global warming. — Paper Summary by Dr. Richardson Gill: The February issue of the Journal of Quaternary Science, a highly respected paleoclimatology journal, included an article that reported a study of Arctic sea-ice extent

"Invasion Biology"

The Ultimate Pursuit in Hunting: Sheep

Desert Bighorn Sheep are one of four wild sheep found in North America. All four are incredible animals. Few private landowners in far-West Texas have as much experience or success with Desert Bighorn Sheep as ourselves. Our experience is that sheep are easy to raise: Add lots of free water

"Invasion Biology"

Rattlesnakes and Yucca Bucks

Great thoughts on mule deer and ‘paradigms’, by Steve Nelle. NOTE: the following article was originally published in Texas Wildlife Magazine, November 2015. The article was provided by the publisher directly and permission for it’s use in this post has been granted. Document (PDF) can be viewed here

"Invasion Biology"

Wild Boar Trappers Fear Hog Poison’s Effect on EU Wild Meat Market

The feral pig ‘problem’ is a regulatory issue.  The one bright spot is that the Europeans – whose food safety standards far exceed our own –  love our free range pork.  The brilliant idea to use Warfarin to control pigs will destroy that market, and produce unknown and unintended consequences to other

Animal Development

Bison: At Home, On the Range

Raising bison commercially on open ranges. NOTE: This post initially appeared on ModernFarmer.com on September 12, 2016 In 1994, when Mary and Lee Graese bought their first two bison, beef was what’s for dinner, as Robert Mitchum’s voice intoned on the omnipresent television ads. We’re talking

Conservation

Federal Lands: A 660 Million-Acre Mess

There is general consensus that Federal lands are mismanaged, but no agreement on how to fix the problem.   Should ownership and management: (1) remain as is? Or, should some federal lands (2) be transferred to the states, and/or (3) sold to the public? NOTE: this post initially appeared on

Algae Blooms

Parts of Florida Are In a State of Emergency Over a Toxic Algae Bloom That Can Be Seen From Space

The ubiquitous use of agricultural chemicals is poisoning our ranges, farmlands, estuaries and oceans, posing huge risks to our civilization. NOTE: This post initially appeared on Quartz (QZ.com) Some Florida coasts look like scenes from a horror film. The green goo is everywhere, it’s scaring people and causing

"Invasion Biology"

Study Shows Mountain Lions Pose no Human Threat in Big Bend National Park

Studies at Big Bend National Park show that mountain lions avoid humans, are most active early and late in the day, and that female lions are more active than males. This is consistent with our experience and observations at Circle Ranch, where we protect our lions because they and all

Bio-Diversity

Antibiotic Use on Farms Helps Fuel Antibiotic-Resistant Diseases

Feral pigs, according to our wildlife and food quality experts, are unfit to eat because they carry diseases. But do they? Over the last 30 years, the two largest processors of wild pigs in Texas have slaughtered and tested tens of thousands of animals. They have never found a diseased

Animal Development

5 Rules for Bigger, Better and More Mulies

A great article by Steve Nelle that outlines how to have more and healthier mule deer, quail and pronghorn. 1. Grazing management is the single most important way to affect mule deer food supply. When grass conditions permit, practice light-to-moderate seasonal grazing, in some rotational form (examples include “holistic planned

Conservation

National Parks: Lost and Neglected

Considering the Federal record in financial regulation, education, healthcare and a host of other arenas, is it news that their management of public lands is a mess? Why should the Federal government own 640-million acres? Texas, as a private lands state, doesn’t have this problem on a large scale,

Bio-Diversity

Princeton University: Wildlife and Cows Can Be Partners Not Competitors in Food Search

Cattle and horses closely resemble native animals that would be the dominant large grazers in North America, but for human impact. Horses – these include donkeys or burros –  and their ancestors were in our deserts for 50 million years. They disappeared 5,000 years ago and have been back for 500

Bio-Diversity

Dirt First

Agricultural practices are generally viewed as different from wildlife and habitat practices, whereas both should rest on the long-term objective of increasing soil fertility. The practices described below are similar to ours at Circle Ranch, as the photos illustrate. NOTE: This article was originally published by TheFern.org on April

"Invasion Biology"

Slideshow: Circle Ranch Wildlife, December 2016

There is not a federal or state park in far-West Texas where one can see free ranging elk, sheep, pronghorn and mule deer together. These animals and many others are found in abundance at Circle Ranch, because of our (1) water system, (2) periodic planned cattle grazing, (3) protection of

Bio-Diversity

If Monsanto Loses Its Name, What Will Opponents Oppose?

The Wall Street Journal remains in the hip pocket of the agrochemical giants. In the story below, the supposedly conservative news organization makes fun of those who worry about the poisons being poured on our farmland, because thanks to genetic modification, many of our crops are immune to the poisons

Conservation

Curbs Are Sought for Livestock Antibiotics

More on the damage being done to public health by the confinement livestock industry. NOTE: This post initially appeared on WSJ.com on October 4, 2016 U.S. food regulators need to take further steps to curb antibiotics use in livestock to maintain the drugs’ ability to defend human health,

"Invasion Biology"

Building Soil Fertility by Peter Byck

Physiologically there is no difference between public land and private land. What hurts or benefits one has the same effect on the other. Wildlife managers, whether we work on public or private land, must adopt restoration ecology if we hope to reverse the desertification of American Southwest’s grasslands. This