Bio-Diversity Humans and Mastodons Coexisted in Florida, New Evidence Shows New archaeological discoveries in Florida establish earlier dates for human presence in North America than those that were previously accepted. The same discoveries show that early Native Americans hunted mastodons – a now-extinct, ancient relative of elephants. For 30-million years, mastodons were a keystone species of highly productive savanna ecosystems across
"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
Clovis Discoveries Challenge Beliefs on Humans’ Arrival in the Americas These findings reflect our own: In the Indian Cave at Circle Ranch in far-West Texas, Arizona State University has radio carbon dated charcoal samples at ages 23,000-years older than the 10,000 BC date previously accepted. NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on March 27, 2014
"Invasion Biology" Book Review... "Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter" A reader remarks: “Ben has woven together a holistic picture about beavers, illustrating the remarkably diverse interactions between this species’ biology and the history of the North American landscape, both geologically and culturally.” NOTE: this book, Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter is available for
"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.
Artificial Beaver Dams Using Artificial Beaver Dams to Restore Incised Streams The problems of eroded streams and valleys, and decreased river flows, exist across the Desert Southwest. They can be addressed with the same practices described below. NOTE: this document below is from the Northwest Climate Hub – U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
food safety He's Dying of Cancer. Now, He's The First Patient To Go To Trial To Argue Roundup Made Him Sick “Like the tobacco companies before them, the agro giants have been able to forestall their liability for the harm their products have done to human health. Their reckoning is coming, but great damage will have been done in the meantime. NOTE: this article was originally published to CNN.com on
"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
Bison Restoring an Icon The story has been told again and again: During the late 1800s, hunters all but wiped out one of the continent’s most iconic animals, the American bison. By the beginning of the 20th century, a species of huge ecological and cultural value had vanished from the prairie, surviving only
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
Bio-Diversity Roundup Verdict Monsanto’s Roundup reckoning will take years, given the power the agro-giants wield within the agencies, universities and courts. Meanwhile, new and more powerful poisons are coming on the market to replace glyphosate/Roundup. NOTE: this article initially appeared on KSAT.com on August 10, 2018. It is via CNN,
"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
Bio-Diversity Book Review: Fair Chase, the Sportsman’s Legacy When people discuss Fair Chase, they often view the topic through a tunnel instead of holistically — and miss the fact that predation is central to conservation. Hunters are often as unaware of this natural principle as non-hunters. Hunters defend their tradition because it helps control population, generates conservation revenues and
"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
