Restoring Biodiversity - 6/2/2026
Wild horses as wildfire fighters. Beavers, bats & the power of keystone species.Rethinking water in the American West. And more
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Here is what we’ve been reading, watching and writing about over the past week…
Articles
Beyond Scarcity: Can We Restore Vitality in a Drying West
The American West is facing more than drought — it's facing aridification. This thoughtful piece by Lesli Allison challenges the prevailing instinct to simply ration and divide what remains, and instead asks a bolder question: what if better land stewardship could actually restore water? Drawing on research from around the world, it makes the case that healthy soil, functioning watersheds, and thriving vegetation are not separate concerns — they are the foundation of lasting abundance.
Reintroduction of Beavers to Wetlands Leading to More Bats
When you restore a true keystone species, nature heals in ways far broader than expected. A new study out of England and Wales found that wetlands reshaped by reintroduced beavers saw dramatically higher bat activity — including endangered species — because the ponds, slowed waterways, and richer insect life created by the beavers produced healthier, more resilient ecosystems. This is precisely how sound stewardship ought to work.
C.S. Lewis's 1944 Lecture "The Inner Ring."
Capt. William E. Simpson II's letter is less a policy memo than a moral warning aimed squarely at the machinery of government and public land management. Drawing on C.S. Lewis's concept of the "Inner Ring," Simpson argues that too many officials resist innovative, evidence-based solutions — not because the science is weak, but because institutional culture rewards conformity over genuine stewardship. The solution he champions: deploying wild horses on public lands as a natural, humane, cost-effective tool for reducing wildfire fuel loads.
Videos
Goats Clearing Meadows and Forest at Pitchstone Waters #2
On the Fall River in Idaho, 5 miles from the southwest corner of Yellowstone Park, we use goats instead of herbicides to control weeds and stimulate grasses in sagebrush meadows. It is fascinating to watch the Peruvian herders and their dogs — heelers, headers, and guards. Second in a series.
And that’s it - as always thank you..
If you haven’t already - please check out our views on biodiversity at https://pitchstonewaters.com