"Invasion Biology" Burros and Bio-Diversity: The Rest of the Story The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has slated wild burros for eradication at Big Bend Ranch State Park, as part of a general program to remove all “exotics” from all state-owned land it manages in far-West Texas, under the belief that burros and several other species:(1) do not “belong”
biography Christopher Gill Bio Please let me introduce myself. I am a pragmatic businessman and rancher with no agenda other than protecting private property rights, promoting ethical hunting, and the conservation and restoration of wild animals and their habitat. Conservation and ecological ethics demand each of us should speak up for the wild animals
Grazing Coexisting With Cattle On the grasslands of East Africa cattle are sometimes helped by wildlife, whereas at other times, wildlife compete with cattle: it’s all about timing. The articles below report on a simple experiment that tested whether wildlife and cattle actually compete for food. On the grasslands of Africa, like everywhere
Hunting Cattleization of Wild Deer Poses Unknown Risks The Texas Wildlife Association is, by far, the leading advocate and source of private property solutions to preserve wildlife and habitat, in the State of Texas. TWA has long opposed privatization of deer. “TWA supports public ownership of wildlife resources . . . and opposes efforts that result in conversion of Texas wild
Conservation Studies of Nomadic Grazers on the Serengeti While there is a growing body of comparative research between holistic planned grazing vs. conventional grazing of domestic animals like cattle, goats and sheep, there is a relative-lack of information on how nomadic herds interact with intact wild grasslands. This is logical: almost no wild grasslands are left to study!
Grazing Results of Planned Grazing on Ranges of Northern Rocky Mountains Here is an interesting article, with supporting tables, that demonstrates the results of planned grazing on 43 ranches in the Northern Rocky Mountain states of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho Without exception, the managers of these ranches find that their land is improving under planned grazing. By all physical measurements, including
Bears Predicting for the Return of West Texas Black Bears Black Bears were once so numerous in West Texas that is was possible to shoot several per day. As late as the 1930’s there were 200 black bear in the Davis Mountains alone. These animals were an integral part of an ecological system which supported far more animal numbers
Grazing Grazing in Nature's Image Planned grazing is both simple in concept, and one of the profound environmental insights of the 20th Century. While the physiological explanation of why it works is pretty simple, applying these principals is a lot harder than understanding them. Nature had these systems worked out a lot better than any
Animal Development Multi-Paddock Grazing Most range and wildlife scientists advise that the best way to graze, if one must graze, is “low-density set-stocking”: In plain English, a few cattle in the same place, all the time.For decades now, planned graziers have been showing that “grazing in nature’s image”: i.e., large numbers
American Lion Circle Ranch Indian Cave At Circle Ranch we have what may be the most important unexplored cave dwelling in far-West Texas: A large cave which occurs in one of our limestone escarpments. It is about 200-feet above the desert floor and 100 feet below the escarpment top. The cave measures roughly 80’ by 80’
Conservation Genuine Land Stewardship Reprinted in its entirety below is an excellent article by our friend, Steve Nelle, entitled Genuine Land Stewardship. Steve is a range and wildlife scientist who has enjoyed a long and successful career in the National Resources Conservation Service. Steve Nelle on Genuine Land Stewardship In this article Steve quotes
Elk Removals Young Elk and Ocotillo It is springtime at Circle Ranch, and even though there has been no rain since October and none expected until July, desert plants are blooming, lambs and fawns are appearing and young elk are starting new antler growth. This beautiful, young, free-ranging bull is standing behind a Giant Dagger, surrounded
Bighorn Texas Bighorn Society Funds Aerial Gunning of "Exotics" - Potentially Including Elk It is hard to believe that an organization committed to Fair Chase hunting, wide-scale habitat improvement and restoration of large game animal diversity would in any way associate itself with the eradication of elk, an indigenous game species. But that is the reality of the actions of the Texas Bighorn
Bighorn Mountain Lion in Red Mountain Pasture, June 20, 2010 “The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, “What good is it?” If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not. If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something
"Invasion Biology" TPWD Habitat Survey at Circle Ranch In late fall of 2010 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department conducted a habitat survey at Circle Ranch, to see if our many cattle and other species including so called “exotics” were harming habitat through “competition”. As confirmed by this report, TPWD biologists found the opposite to be true. It turns
Conservation Roads and Erosion: #3 of 3: Results of Treatments of Substandard Ranch Roads Most old roadbeds are simply abandoned after they become impassible. S.O.P. is to move over a vehicle-width, and start a new path. When that wears out, do it again, and so forth. Near Santa Fe, there are places where the old Camino Real has thirty-five abandoned beds, side-by-side.
Conservation Roads and Erosion #2 of 3: Addressing The Destructive Erosion of Substandard Ranch Roads In the summer of 2007, Circle Ranch together with the Dixon Water Foundation, sponsored a road seminar at Circle Ranch. Attendees came from as far as the Navaho Nation in Arizona. Bill Zeedyk, noted erosion expert from Albuquerque taught our class. Above – he is showing different road-drainage profiles. Here we
Conservation Roads and Erosion: #1 of 3 Pictured here is a typical gully. It was caused by a road which triggered an upward-moving headset. How can you tell an active gully? Whenever the sides of a gully are vertical, the gully is unstable. These drain pastures and ‘bleed’ moisure out of the water table on both sides.
Elk Removals Missouri and Virginia, Assisted by Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), Undertake Elk Restorations Missouri and Virginia are restoring elk. Every state around Texas cherishes and helps its elk. Thousands of Texans go elk hunting in New Mexico, Colorado and other Western states every year. Even Mexico is restoring elk in the Sierra Madres across the Rio Grande. But in Texas, our own TPWD,
habitat restoration Circle Ranch Keyline Contrast Photos: 9/4/10 Regarding our Yeomans Keylining progress, here are the latest photos with my comments: October 1, 2009. Last summer was dry. I chose this spot because we had bare ground and minimal grass respose to several years of rain. Grass was disappearing within the tarbush community seen beyond the tractor. September
Photos Turkey Family in West Pasture, 8/10/10 Wild turkey reintroduction at Circle Ranch has been a 7-year project. Really gratifying to see these young birds!
Elk Removals Sierra Diablo Management Plan Containing Comments from Christopher Gill Cooperation: This satellite photograph (below, not above) shows the Sierra Diablo Wildlife Management Area outlined in black, and Circle Ranch in red. Circle is triple the size of the WMA. These two properties, and the others that adjoin the very long and narrow WMA, should be managed cooperatively. This is
