"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
"Invasion Biology" A Poison for Every Plant Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association is an outstanding organization. Annually, TSCRA circulates to its members a calendar like this one, compliments of Bayer-Monsanto Chemical. The fact that this leading, respected cattle organization is promoting the ubiquitous use of rangeland pesticides demonstrates the extent to which ranchers, farmers and wildlife
feral hogs Raising Better Pork, Humanely It is completely feasible to produce superior pork in a way that is profitable, clean and kind.
Animal Growth Screwworm Returns To The United States The screwworm eradication program—a triumph of animal health science—came with unintended consequences. When the flesh-eating pest was eradicated and big predators were removed, deer numbers exploded. Now more than ever we need to protect deer predators for the health of the deer herds and their habitat, which cattle
game cameras Circle Ranch Game Cameras - Mid Fall 2016 Do most of the species pictured below—and all of the predators—“compete” with each other and harm bighorn, mule deer, pronghorn and ecosystem health as the wildlife agencies say? Or do they complement each other? Is biodiversity good or bad for our deserts? Recent studies of the Serengeti shed
food safety Doubts About the Promised Bounty of Genetically Modified Crops The New York Times says it has has “discovered” that the poisons routinely used to produce GMO crops are a danger to human health and soil fertility. The extent to which the mainstream press has averted its eyes from the obvious facts is a direct reflection of the degree to
Bio-Diversity McDonald’s Expands Fresh Beef Test Consumer demand for fresh, wholesome meat, vegetables and grains is causing a return to sustainable ranching and agriculture. The move away from antibiotics, hormones and factory meat production forces practices that restore farmland and rangelands. It is coincidental, as well as an enormous bonus, that these are more profitable and
"Invasion Biology" Public Wildlife on Private Land The unification of wildlife management and private land management is essential for the wellbeing of both.
Bio-Diversity Pigs and Soil When raised under traditional methods, pigs are good – not bad – for land.
"Invasion Biology" Book Review: ‘Fishing: How the Sea Fed Civilization’ There are many parallels between the mistreatment of fisheries and mistreatment of wildlife. NOTE: this post initially appeared on WSJ.com on September 22, 2017 Cooperation among fishermen fostered complex communities while boat building seeded exploration. Richard Adams Carey reviews ‘Fishing: How the Sea Fed Civilization’ by Brian Fagan. Many
Bio-Diversity Insect Armageddon: "The Fate of the World’s Insects Is Inseparable from Our Own" Unless we adopt rangeland and agricultural practices that respect biodiversity and reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides and herbicides, we face catastrophic insect “declines (which) will cascade onto ecosystem functioning and human well-being.” NOTE: This article was initially published to NYTimes.com on October 29, 2017 There is alarming
Conservation Happy New Year from Texas State Photographer Wyman Meinzer Last year’s greeting from Texas State Photographer Wyman Meinzer Warmest Wishes in 2016 from Wyman Meinzer on Vimeo.
circle-ranch-about Merry Christmas from Circle Ranch “God bless us, every one!” Out Here in The Middle from Christopher Gill on Vimeo.
"Invasion Biology" Bears And Big Bend Desert ranges cannot be healthy without a full compliment of predators, prey, and big grazers (bison or cattle). Black Bears are necessary for the health of all animals and habitat. As with wolves at Yellowstone, bear will speed restorative ecology in the parks of far-West Texas. Note: This piece originally
"Invasion Biology" Feral Pig Toxicants in Texas Free-range 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
game cameras Circle Ranch Game Cameras - Late Summer 2016 You are looking at the cheapest, fastest and most sustainable way to restore degraded desert grasslands: animal biodiversity. Why is this so? Because to be healthy, desert ranges need three things: (1) large, concentrated migratory bison herds or cattle grazed in a manner that mimics bison’s migratory patterns; (2)
Bison The Non-Tragedy of the Bison Commons Here’s an interesting economic analysis on the eradication of bison in the late 1800s. The authors say that bison’s near-extermination was a rational economic process which did not constitute a “tragedy of the commons.” The tragedy of the commons is an economic theory of a situation within a
Bison The New West To be healthy, desert ranges need three things: (1) large, concentrated migratory bison herds or cattle grazed to mimic bison’s migratory patterns; (2) a lot of predators of all sizes; and, (3) a high, diverse population of prey species. Remove any of these and the system collapses. The mutual
"Invasion Biology" National Bison Day 2016 To be healthy, desert ranges need three things: (1) Large, concentrated migratory bison herds, or cattle grazed in a manner that mimics bison’s migratory patterns; (2) a lot of predators of all sizes; and, (3) a high, diverse population of prey species. Remove any of these and the system
"Invasion Biology" Prosthetic Found in Beaver Dam Following on the earlier post (12/6/16) about how to best control cane on the Rio Grande, here is a piece that shows beavers will use almost anything to build dams. This includes cane and saltcedar. Recently I toured a beautiful ranch on the Purgatoire River in southeastern Colorado,
"Invasion Biology" Plan to Spray Herbicides along the Rio Grande Alarming, Risky Down river from Big Bend, here is what they think of the plan to spray cane: Following the December 6, 2016 post on this topic, I came across this article from March 2016 dealing with the reaction of communities on the lower Rio Grande to the proposed use of glyphosate,
"Invasion Biology" U.S. - Mexico Teamwork Where the Rio Grande Is but a Ribbon The destructive and wasteful application of invasive species biology as promoted by The New York Times. Invasive species biology is based on the assumption that anything done by an “invasive” is by definition bad. According to the invasive species folks, cane is a sneaky invader that has driven out native
"Invasion Biology" Thanksgiving at Circle Ranch Our best wishes go to you and yours this holiday season. Circle Ranch Thanksgiving – 2016 from Christopher Gill on Vimeo.
"Invasion Biology" They Shoot Horses (With Birth-Control Darts) Don’t They? To be healthy, desert ranges need three things: (1) Large, concentrated migratory bison herds, or, cattle grazed to mimic bison’s migratory patterns; (2) a lot of predators of all sizes; and, (3) a high, diverse population of prey species. Remove any of these and the system collapses. The mutual
habitat restoration How to Buy a Cattle Ranch in the US: Don’t Get Emotional The best ranch values in the United States, by far, are found in far-West Texas. NOTE: This article initially appeared on FT.com on October 7, 2016 The price of ranches has fallen but Wild West romantics and would-be cowboys beware — they won’t make you much money Jason Spaeth
