"Invasion Biology"

Since the beginning of time, species have spread and contracted their ranges. A variety of factors including weather and climate influenced their spread and movement. Arguably, one of the most important modern factors is human influence.

"Invasion Biology"

Jim Howell – Conserving and Restoring the World’s Grasslands

Take the time to listen to this great interview with our friend Jim Howell, in which he explains how cattle ranching can restore rangeland viability. NOTE: post initially appeared on MountainPrarie.com Jim Howell is the CEO of Grasslands LLC, which is the land management arm of the Savory Institute,

"Invasion Biology"

HMI Open Gate Day - August 26 2016

HMI Open Gate: Circle Ranch Day Helping Water Flow Where it Needs to Go – August 26, 2016. Circle Ranch, Van Horn, TX Our Circle Ranch Day is part of HMI’s Open Gate Learning Series. Open Gates are on-the-ground learning days for producers and consumers who care about

"Invasion Biology"

Spring 2016 Game Cameras

Biodiversity is Good, not Bad Because plants need animals as much as animals need plants, a biodiverse plant community requires a biodiverse animal community. Conventional wildlife “management” and “conservation” theory says that most of the animals, and especially the predators pictured below harm “native” plants and animals, through “competition”, and

"Invasion Biology"

Book Review: Woody Plants of the Big Bend and Trans-Pecos

This is a very useful book to the far-West Texas and Southern New Mexico landowner. Every landowner should try to know these plants by sight. Over 100 common trees, shrubs, cacti and other plants are identified and described. These are photographed as shrubs, in leaf detail, flower detail and

"Invasion Biology"

Game Cameras - February 2016

In far-West Texas, a coalition of government agencies, agricultural universities and conservation organizations has decreed that on public lands more than half of the species pictured below should be severely reduced or removed altogether to help bighorn, pronghorn and deer. The coalition claims that all “exotics” and many “natives”

"Invasion Biology"

What Caused the Spread of Saltcedar and the Decline of Cottonwood Along the Rio Grande?

As this article explains, cottonwood decline was caused by river dams which ended seasonal flooding, not by an “invasion” of saltcedar. NOTE: article was originally published in the Hudspeth County Herald April 1, 2016 In October 1916, dignitaries gathered at the Rio Grande, near present-day Truth or Consequences, New

"Invasion Biology"

Cows and Elk - A Symbiotic Relationship

When grazed properly, cattle can be very beneficial for elk. Cattle are similar in their grazing impact to bison; bison and elk were mutually dependent for many thousands of years in North America. NOTE: originally published in HMI In Practice Newsletter May June 2013

"Invasion Biology"

Winter 2016 Game Photos

A basic disagreement between Big Wildlife and holistic thinkers like Aldo Leopold is whether multiple species compete with each other or compliment each other. Another is whether predators like wolves, lions, coyotes & bobcats harm prey species, or, as Aldo Leopold observed, benefit them by getting rid of sick animals

"Invasion Biology"

Eyewitness Account of Pronghorn, Bison, Elk, & Mule Deer Sharing Desert Ranges

According to invasive species believers, including TPWD, bison and elk should be removed from our state parks and wildlife management areas because they don’t belong and because they “compete” with, and “harm” desert bighorn sheep and pronghorn.   Here is an eyewitness account of these species sharing range in the

"Invasion Biology"

Feral Hogs Pegged as One of Top Contaminators of San Antonio River

Since Europeans arrived in Texas, pigs have roamed our river bottoms, fattening on acorns and mast and in so doing, stimulating plants. Before the Civil War, these were gathered seasonally, slaughtered and the meat provided the primary cash crop for Hill Country farmers. At the time of the Civil War,

"Invasion Biology"

A Hint of Danger in the Forest

Proliferation of feral pigs is not limited to Texas. Regulations against selling free-range pigs as food and regulatory red tape that has driven small processors out of business are why we have the feral pig “problem.” Free-ranging pigs have provided humans with nutritious, safe, enviornmentally sustainable meat for

"Invasion Biology"

State of Texas - Resolution H.R. No. 2159: Legislation to Change the "Exotic" Classification of Elk

Elk are a Texas native which , before Europeans, roamed our state from north to south and east to west. For years a group of us have attempted to remove the “exotic” classification which has led to so much perversity in the treatment of this animal.   In the last legislature, despite

"Invasion Biology"

Parks and Wildlife Begins Reducing Deer Population at Texas Mountain Ranch

CWD and high-fenced deer go hand in hand. Chronic Wasting Disease was created in a government-funded, high-fenced experimental wildlife facility near Fort Collins, Colorado. They won’t say what was being done to these confined animals, but instead spin the story to imply CWD appeared spontaneously. The

"Invasion Biology"

Circle Ranch Game Cameras - Winter 2015

Below you will see many wildlife photos showing our mixed species sharing range and water. Note the areas frequented by different species. Elk do well everywhere, particularly in the desert, which means elk are potential rescue species for empty deserts. Bulls would be worth $10,000 – $15,000 if allowed

"Invasion Biology"

Restoring Grasslands with Planned Grazing: Soil Carbon Curious

Adaptive Multi-Paddock grazing (AMP grazing) is regenerating soils around the world, producing healthy grass-finished beef. But the science on AMP grazing is sparse, to say the least. Now, a group of leading soil, rangeland, bug and social scientists are setting out to fill the science gap. Led by

"Invasion Biology"

Animal Impact Made Easy #1

Join a  a “pasture walk” at Circle Ranch in far-West Texas to observe how we use cattle to restore grasslands in our high-desert mountains. Animal Impact Made Easy #1 from Christopher Gill on Vimeo.

"Invasion Biology"

Wildfire Danger Grows on Destocked Public Lands in Far-West Texas

When animals are removed, wildfire risk is increased. Cattle, burros, aoudad and elk will reduce this risk, and help deer, pronghorn and sheep in the process. NOTE: Post initially appeared on SAExpressNews.com on February 3, 2016 Big Bend National Park Still Burning Firefighters continue to battle a brush fire

"Invasion Biology"

Exciting Horse Fossil Discovery in Nevada Desert

Horses, burros and their ancestors have been in our deserts for millions of years. A short video on wild burros at Circle Ranch appears below this article. Scientists excavating an Ice Age mammoth skeleton from the Tule Springs area north of Las Vegas, Nevada, uncovered the remains of a second

"Invasion Biology"

Book Review: The Pseudoscience of Invasive Species "Biology"

“Competitive” or cooperative? Bighorn and aoudad sharing range and water at Circle Ranch. No science supports the claim that aoudad harm wild animals and plants. “When native species drop mulch, fix nitrogen, attract new pollinators, or create shade, it’s called beneficial. When an exotic does exactly the same, it’

"Invasion Biology"

Biodiversity Helps High Desert Grasslands: Circle Ranch Game Cameras, Fall 2015.

Because plants need animals as much as animals need plants, a biodiverse plant community requires a biodiverse animal community. Conventional wildlife “management” and “conservation” theory is based on invasive species biology, which is an ideology not a science. Invasive species biology maintains that most of the animals, including the predators

"Invasion Biology"

Monsanto Weighs Potential Deals

Unlike companies that grow organically, most corporate giants form through mergers and acquisitions. They are burdened with the costs of debt and amortization of doubtful and unproductive assets called “goodwill.” While insiders profit, customers and the public are left to suffer from monopoly prices, lack of innovation and the cannibalization

"Invasion Biology"

Happy New Year from Circle Ranch

“Soil is… as it were… a direct caress of God” –  Pope Francis, 2015 Carbon Underground Pope Francis Climate Rally DC 1080 Hi Res from The Carbon Underground on Vimeo. “Land, then, is not merely soil; it is a fountain of energy flowing through a circuit of soils, plants, and animals.

"Invasion Biology"

Bison, Cattle, and the Shortgrass Prairie of West Texas and New Mexico

Cattle herds managed under “holistic planned grazing” can replace the animal impact of missing bison herds. As explained below, grazing by large animals is necessary for grassland health. NOTE: article originally appeared in the Hudspeth County Herald on November 6th, 2015 Though the American bison, or buffalo, is now a

"Invasion Biology"

Circle Ranch Game Cameras: Using Biodiversity to Restore Desert Grasslands

Many wildlife “managers” try to eliminate most of the species pictured below to increase bighorn, or some other favored species like deer or pronghorn. Their actions harm the animals they intend to help because biodiversity is necessary for healthy wild animals and habitat. Until our practices are based on this

"Invasion Biology"

Consevacion de Pastizales del Desierto Chihuahuense Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands Conservation

Planned grazing is well understood in Mexico