I won’t go into a long (boring) post about my lack of blogging. A move, new job, new home, kids in a new school are the reasons. I thought I’d jump back into blogging with something controversial. There’s always plenty of fodder when it comes to wildlife management in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem (GYE). The…
Tag: nature
Growing Roots
If you have spent much time among rock outcrops, badlands, or the Rocky Mountains, you’ve probably seen trees and shrubs sprouting from what looks like solid rock.
Wyoming Sage Grouse Conservation and Land Use
In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife decided the greater sage grouse would be kept in consideration for placing on the endangered species list. They say the listing is “warranted,” but there are too many other endangered species needing attention at this time. “Based on a 12-month status review pursuant to the Endangered Species Act,…
Mountain Snowpack Critical for Stream Flows
Well, we’ve had a few wet snows in the last two weeks here in Wyoming. Due to the warm weather in the first half of April (at least here in Central Wyoming), the soil at lower elevations is able to absorb much of the moisture from these snows, which is a welcome occurrence. I recently heard…
Revegetation Efforts Should Focus on Native Plant Species
Propagating native plants in volumes large enough to produce commercial quantities of native seed is not always an easy, or inexpensive task, but using native plant species in revegetation efforts on federal and state lands should be the norm, not the exception. This National Forest in Michigan is taking the needed long range approach to…
Bighorn River Then and Now: “The land is all good…”
I’ve been reading Granville Stuart’s account* of the early days in Montana (1870’s and 80’s). At one point in the book he is traveling around Montana looking for range for 5,000 head of cattle. This is just before the big herds from Texas started to arrive in that part of Montana, and there was plenty…
Finally, a Little Snow
Finally, a little more snow in central Wyoming today. We’ve only had one other snow event giving a paltry few inches. We were up on Casper Mountain Saturday and I commented that it looked like the average October dusting, not what we hope to see at the end of January. Powder Pass in the southern…
Patches of Native Plants Increase Crop Pollination
Using large mango farms as a case study, a group of researchers representing Britain, South Africa, and the Netherlands, recently reported the results of a study in the Journal of Applied Ecology which “show that the presence of small patches of native flowers within large farms can increase pollinator-dependent crop production if combined with preservation…
The Dust Bowl PBS Series to Air Tonight
The PBS Dust Bowl series will air again tonight in two consecutive shows from 8 to midnight. Before the days of no-till, cover crops, and contour plowing, agriculturalists coming from the humid eastern states simply did not understand the volatility of weather patterns in the arid west, and so they plowed up millions of acres…
Headway Against Cheatgrass in Our Future?
I sure hope so. I’ve always wondered about that fungus I’ve seen on cheatgrass. Wonder if it’s the Black Finger of Death? Great Basin scientists unleash new weapons to fight invasive cheatgrass I would like to comment, however on an enlightening chat I had with my great uncle. He lived through the severe drought years…
Warning Snow
As long as I can remember we’ve had an October snow. The DH and I call it the warning snow. It snows enough to remind us to get the firewood cut and stacked; winterize certain outdoor water faucets; finish up any yard chores; get the horse hay into the barn; and put the winter…
Wyoming Life 