habitat preservation - Pitchstone Waters

Guadalupe delta

Guadalupe Delta Faces Big Challenges as Water Demand Grows

All living systems function similarly so the insights below apply to deserts as well as marshlands and estuaries.

"Invasion Biology"

Allan Savory and the Science of Tracking

How the world’s oldest scientific method has changed everything from grazing livestock to snaring poachers

Bio-Diversity

Biodiversity Loss & Climate Crises: Two Sides of the Same Coin

“As discussed below, “Regenerative practices not only increase the health of our soil and land, but also attract more biodiversity, build climate resilience, manage our GHG levels, and slow the rate of climate change.” NOTE: this article was originally published to Regeneration’s Substack Page on March 24, 2023. Climate

Bog restoration

The Climate Profit Buried in Scotland's Bog

“Restoring peat bogs in Scotland. NOTE: this article was originally published to NYTimes.com on May 5, 2022. It was written by David Segal. Repairing the country’s extensive peatlands could help the world mitigate climate change. It could also make a fast-fashion billionaire even richer. Headway is an initiative

habitat preservation

Multi Species Grazing for Sustainable Farming

These agricultural methods apply directly to wildlife and habitat management. NOTE: this post was originally published on June 1, 2017

Bio-Diversity

Restoring Forests Could Help Put a Brake on Global Warming, Study Finds

We can disagree about the causes, extent or consequences of so-called global warming, and still acknowledge that great damage is being done to grasslands and forests by human impact. We can and should address the ongoing damage, even though we might disagree on other climate issues. The best way to

"Invasion Biology"

Uprooting FDR’s ‘Great Wall of Trees’

This article highlights the environmental mentality of the modern farming methods taught in our universities. As described below, farmers are destroying the Northern Great Plains shelter belts which the WPA planted – for their benefit and at great cost – during the Great Depression. Quoting the authors: “FDR, long fascinated by forestry,

"Invasion Biology"

Can American Soil be Brought Back to Life?

Many factors have contributed to the destruction of soil fertility, starting with biodiversity loss which is the root cause of the decline of wildlife, habitat and croplands. Farming, ranching and wildlife practices are best judged according to the extent to which they restore soil fertility. Most everything we do fails

"Invasion Biology"

Can Livestock Restore Drought-Stricken Grasslands?

Americans assume our range practices are the most advanced anywhere. Yet these ideas originated in Africa and remain generally unaccepted by American universities and agencies. NOTE: This article excerpt is being republished with permission of thefern.org. It was written by Judith Schwartz and appeared April 12, 2016 Inside a

Beavers

Leave It to Beavers

Beavers are still found in Rio Grande tributaries including the Devils and Pecos rivers. Friends of wildlife in far-West Texas should encourage their reintroduction in the narco-infested lower Juarez Valley, between Juarez and Ojinaga. In this depopulated no-man’s land, the reestablishment of Rio Grande marshland combined with the beavers’

Animal Development

If We All Stopped Eating Beef, What Would Happen to the Land?

The indictment of cattle as environmental polluters is correct with respect to factory meat farms, but completely mistaken as to cattle raised the old fashioned way – on grasslands, grazing as in nature. NOTE: This article initially was published to Popular Science (PopSci.com) on October 31, 2017 Does #NoRedOctober make

"Invasion Biology"

This Winter’s Hot Fashion: Parkas Stuffed With Vermont Weeds

Long attacked with poisons as a noxious invasive, milkweed turns out to be useful. In addition to its value as an organic insulator in clothes, milkweed is essential to the embattled Monarch butterfly and other wild animals. NOTE: This post initially appeared on WSJ.comm on September 27, 2017 New

"Invasion Biology"

The Agriculture Of Hope: Climate Farmers Of North America

We can debate whether human impact contributes to climate change, but we cannot deny that human agricultural practices harm range and farm lands. These practices can be changed in ways that will restore the land, its profitability and conceivably, help the climate as well. NOTE: This post initially appeared on

cattle grazing

Emerging Land Use Practices Rapidly Increase Soil Organic Matter

“Emerging land uses, such as management-intensive grazing, may offer a rare win–win strategy combining profitable food production with rapid improvement of soil quality and short-term climate mitigation through soil carbon accumulation (sequestration)” NOTE: This study was originally posted to Nature Communications / Nature.com Abstract The loss of organic matter

"Invasion Biology"

Planned Grazing and Deer

“Properly grazed cattle can improve deer health. Cattle herds can replace the big nomadic grazers with which animals and plants evolved. Plants and animals are symbiotic: Plants need animals as much as animals need plants. What helps plants helps all animals. Biodiversity of plants and animals is good. Multiple species

"Invasion Biology"

Ranches for Free: Birdwell Creek - Planned Grazing

Here is a Texas example of high density planned grazing, which means the owners greatly increased cattle numbers and animal density, improving habitat and forage production. The increase in productivity per acre is like getting a ranch (or two) for free. These results directly contradict the agency-university biases against cattle

Bio-Diversity

The Dirty Little Secrets Behind Earthworms

Earthworms are disappearing from our farm and range lands. Two articles on this topic appear below. #1: New York Times attributes this to plowing, but #2: Science shows glyphosate (Roundup) use associated with GMO’s and brush control is worse. NOTE: This post initially appeared on WSJ.com on June

Cattle

Creating A Flerd on the Circle Ranch

“Cowboy Bob” Kinford is working with us to combine all of our domestic longhorn, alpaca, llamas, horses and burros into a mixed flock/herd “flerd” as is done elsewhere around the world. These animals will then be run as a group according to a grazing plan. Bob, a master of