"Invasion Biology" New Danger to Wildlife: USDA Gives Green Light to 2,4-D Resistant GM Crops NOTE: this post originally appeared on SustainablePulse.com – January 3rd, 2014 The USDA has issued a draft statement essentially giving the green light to the marketing, sale and planting of GM corn and soybeans resistant to the hazardous herbicide 2,4-D. Dow Chemical’s GM corn will trigger a
"Invasion Biology" Petition Targets ‘Rogue’ Killings by Wildlife Services NOTE: Article initially appeared in the Washington Post on December 15th, 2013. Darryl Fears They say U.S. critter assassins work in secret, quietly laying traps, lacing food with poison, sniping at targets from helicopters. Few people know exactly how the hits go down; the methods are largely hidden. What’
"Invasion Biology" Good News for Wildlife and Habitat: Non-GMO Corn Hybrids Smash GMO Varieties in Illinois Trials NOTE: Post Originally appeared on Sustainable Pulse November 21, 2013 Corn hybrid trials in Illinois have been harvested, and results are showing Non-GMO corn hybrids performing as well or better than GMO corn hybrids. Spectrum Premium Non-GMO hybrids, used in the testing, produced 3 to 10 more bushels
"Invasion Biology" Aoudad, The Bogus Boogeyman Eradication Science or Eradication Snake Oil? This piece asks common sense questions about the increasing use of wild animal eradication as a primary conservation tool, and about the foundations on which these practices rest: Why have eradications become so prevalent? Do eradications advance conservation? Are eradications based on science or
"Invasion Biology" New Bison War: Should Buffalo Be Reintroduced to the West? Our neighbor Dr. Jimmy Labaume passed along this piece on bison. Circle had a great little herd which escaped, got involved in a wreck, and got shot up! It all wound up in a lawsuit. Bison are cool but uncontrollable! Laura says “No more buffalo!” “This is a bit long
"Invasion Biology" Creosote Bush: An Unassuming But Ancient Form of Life All Around Us Though sometimes regarded as a nuisance by residents of the arid Southwest, the creosote bush is a complex and fascinating plant – and creosote colonies constitute some of the oldest organisms known to inhabit the planet. The shrub-like plant’s scientific name is Larrea tridentata, and it is known by
"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
"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