Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Ram. Photo George Wuerthner Bighorn sheep acquired their name for the large circular horns of the mature rams. They are strongly associated with mountain terrain, particularly […]
Point Reyes National Something-or-Other
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” What should we call the diverse, wild, inspiring but scarred peninsula sliding […]
Wilderness and Cows-Time to Send the Cows Home
Cattle grazing in designated wilderness at the Mojave National Preserve, California. Photo George Wuerthner Cows in designated wilderness areas? Does that seem like an oxymoron? Wilderness Areas are supposed […]
Does Cattle Grazing Preclude Large Blazes?
If cattle graze to bare soil, it is true that fires are slowed under such conditions, but the ecological impacts are enormous. Photo George Wuerthner When I worked for the […]
Deschutes River Habitat Conservation Plan Fails to Address Climate Change
Upper Deschutes River is essentially an irrigation cancel for irrigators. Photo George Wuerthner The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will soon decide whether to approve a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) […]
Thunder Basin Grasslands Amendment License to Kill Prairie Dogs
Black-tailed praire dog. Photo by George Wuerthner Years ago, I went out of my way to visit the Thunder Basin National Grassland. With a name like “Thunder Basin,” how could […]
East Paradise Grazing Plan Seeks to Expand Livestock Production
The Six Mile North drainage is currently vacant, but the FS proposes grazing the allotment. It was burned by the Emigrant Fire but grasslands are robust. Photo by George […]
Ag is the Biggest Threat to Biodiversity and Ecosystems
Most land trusts and many conservation groups frequently ignore the impacts of Agriculture and focus on urbanization and sprawl as the main threat to biodiversity and ecosystems. A good example […]