Animal Growth Tribute to Mule Deer A wonderful video from the Mule Deer Foundation. NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on June 11, 2018
Bio-Diversity Yellowstone National Park's Migrating Bison As winter snow accumulations melt, a “green wave” of fresh growth moves upwards, into Yellowstone’s higher elevations. Bison follow the green wave and they pretty much go where they wish. All this reverses with autumn snowfalls.
Bio-Diversity Yellowstone Starts Bison Cull as Animals Migrate to Montana As reported below, Yellowstone’s migrating bison are once again being killed because they carry brucellosis. Yellowstone’s bison would not be a threat to domestic livestock if: 1) all bison were vaccinated against brucellosis and 2) all cattle with whom they might share winter ranges were vaccinated against brucellosis.
"Invasion Biology" Restoration of Beaver in Arizona's San Pedro River Beavers are a keystone species in desert ecosystems. See how beaver restoration is healing a degraded Arizona river and its Mexican tributaries. NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on May 28, 2018
"Wolves" Grizzly Bears Make Yellowstone Wolves Behave in Unexpected Way, Study Finds As discussed below, predators change animal behavior. All predators change the behavior of prey animals. Predators can also alter the behavior of other predators. For instance, wolves change how bears behave, and the other way around. These different effects on animal behavior are probably as important to wildlife and habitat
"Invasion Biology" Elk Restoration This video on the restoration of elk in Kentucky and other Eastern states begins, “There is perhaps no higher calling for a wildlife conservation organization than restoring extirpated wildlife species back to their historic ranges.” How true, except in Texas, where our state game department with the support or acquiescence
"Invasion Biology" It Began as a Tool to Save Wild Elk. A Century Later, Feeding Threatens Iconic Herds Here is a Washington Post article on the CWD threat from elk feeding. The paper says CWD was “identified” 50-years ago. The ‘rest of the story’ is that the “identification” occurred in a Colorado state experimental station in Ft. Collins: It’s like saying that the corona virus was “identified”
Bio-Diversity Migration Corridors Each fall, mule deer are on the move, hustling to get to their winter home. Their motivation? Food, and they know the way there. Twice a year deer move between summer and winter ranges following a distinct traditional pathway to ensure the best chance of survival. Ungulate migration corridors in
"Invasion Biology" ‘A Barbaric Federal Program’: US Killed 1.75m Animals Last Year – or 200 Per Hour As reported below, the federal “war on wildlife” is alive and well. NOTE: this article was originally published to The Guardian’s App News Channel on March 25, 2022. It was written by Oliver Milman. Activists condemn Wildlife Services, a division of the USDA, which says deaths necessary to protect
Bio-Diversity Gulleys for Desert Grassland Restoration #2 Using a gulley to create a riparian meadow in the desert. NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on May 31, 2017 To see another example of this practice, click here.
Bison He Spent Decades Protecting Buffalo. A Microscopic Invader Threatens That Work According the article below, Mycoplasma bovis, which is common in cattle but rarely lethal for that animal, is a rapidly an emerging killer of buffalo. Outbreaks are spiking in some herds, with mortalities of 40-50%. The New York Times blames the disease on global warming. But the medical literature says
Anthropology Did the First Americans Arrive via Land Bridge? This Geneticist Says No. “As discussed in the book reviewed below, every new discovery of archaeological information on early Americans seems to push back the date of human arrival on this continent. This evolving theory profoundly changes our understanding of America’s natural history. NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on
Animal Development Allan Savory: Planned Cattle Grazing Where the Rubber Hits the Road In this 45-minute video, the Dean of holistic range science – Allan Savory – discusses on-the-ground application of holistic planned grazing. West Texas and New Mexico ranchers will find many helpful insights, observations and suggestions in this wide-ranging discussion of range and wildlife practices. NOTE: this post was originally published to this
"Wolves" Judge Restores Protections for Gray Wolves Across Much of US “This was inevitable once Montana, Wyoming and Idaho resumed their 150-year long war on wolves. NOTE: this article was originally published to APNews.com on February 10, 2022. It was written by Matthew Brown and John Flesher. BILLINGS, Mont (AP) — A judge restored federal protections for gray wolves across much
Bio-Diversity Nearly Half of US Bald Eagles Suffer Lead Poisoning “According to the article below, scientists say that eagles are still getting lead poison from carrion contaminated by bullets and fishing tackle. NOTE: this article was originally published to APNews.com on February 17, 2022. It was written by Christina Larson. WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s national bird is more beleaguered
Conservation ORVIS - How to Spot Trout in Deep Water Spotting fish in deeper water is a great skill for an angler to have, and the key is to teach your eyes what to look for. Rarely will you see an actual fish shape. Instead, it’s about searching for an out-of-place “smudge” that seems as if it doesn’t
Conservation Gulleys for Grassland Restoration: #7 Best Equipment When we divert rainstorm runoff from eroding gulleys to restore desertifying canyons and grasslands, what are the best equipment & practices? Our conclusions might surprise you. NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on September 4th, 2017
American Prairie Reserve Nature Reserve Buys Ranch, Grows to More than 700 Square Miles According to the article below, the American Prairie Reserve has plans to assemble millions of acres of adjoining public and private lands to create a vast wildlife preserve. As further explained, many traditional ranchers see this as a threat to their way of life. NOTE: this article was originally published
Bio-Diversity Gulleys for Grassland Restoration #9: Harvesting Water in Steep Canyons Restoring the Southwest’s desert grasslands takes water. Most ranches treat eroding gulleys and roads – and their stormwater runoffs – as liabilities. In fact these are potential water assets on every ranch. This little diversion dam harvests water from a steep desert canyon and returns it to water-starved meadows, restoring upstream
Cattle ‘Oh, I’ll Keep ‘em Out’ Quoting the article below, “Buying a house in cattle country and complaining about cattle is like buying a house in a nudist colony and complaining that people don’t wear clothes.” NOTE: this article was originally published to PERC.com’s Winter 2021 Newsletter (Volume 40). It was written by
"Invasion Biology" The Once-Extinct Aurochs May Soon Roam Europe Again According to the article below, restoring large wild grazers like bison and aurochs (wild giant cattle) will enhance the health of European forests. Quoting the authors, “By disrupting forest growth, these mammals created varied terrain, all the while fertilizing the ground and distributing seeds with their droppings. The natural disturbance
food safety Shane Mahoney Speech on the Wild Harvest Initiative Shane Mahoney discusses the Wild Harvest Initiative, a landmark study to compile and analyze data relating to the significant amount of food that comes from non-commercial fishing and hunting in North America. It additionally, considers the resources that would be required to replace this wild harvest.
Bio-Diversity Giving Greater Yellowstone’s Elk More Room to Roam Quoting the article below, “The more elk that live on private land, the more their populations grow.” NOTE: this article was originally published to PERC.org on December 6, 2021. It was written by Shawn Regan. This special edition of PERC Reports uses the hit television show “Yellowstone’s” portrayals
Bio-Diversity Using an Eroded Gulley to Recreate a Wet Meadow This video, #8, is a companion piece to #3 in the series. It shows how Fred’s Dam works during a rain, how the redirected water has created a seasonal wet meadow, what is happening to the water as it exits the wet meadow, and how that water might be
