-
A number of years ago Bay Nature published a couple of pieces promoting livestock production in California. I responded with a critique of the articles. I continue to hear the same arguments today with various individuals and organizations promoting “regenerative” grazing, “grass fed beef” and livestock as a “tool” to reduce wildfires, among other alleged…
-
Western Watershed Project is the only non-profit whose primary mission is reducing livestock impacts on public lands. Photo George Wuerthner When fighting the abuse of livestock production on public resources, no group has done more to educate the public, hold agencies accountable, and work continuously to improve public lands’ ecological integrity than the Western Watersheds…
-
Tribal hunting is the most significant source of mortality for Washington wolves. Photo George Wuerthner It may surprise most conservationists and wolf advocates, but the single largest source of wolf mortality in Washington State is trapping and hunting on tribal reservations. One wolf advocate I contacted who puts out a weekly wolf newsletter had no…
-
Restoration of wolves in the Western Rewilding Network would help “heal” the West. Photo George Wuerthner A new study published in Bioscience proposes rewilding the West with a system of wildland reserves to restore the ecological integrity of the landscape. The proposal follows President Biden’s plan to manage 30 percent of the United States landscape…
-
Clearcuts along the McKenzie River corridor east of Eugene, Oregon did little to slow the Holiday Farm Fire. Photo George Wuerthner The Holiday Farm Fire began on September 7, 2020. The fire charred 173,000 acres along the McKenzie River Valley in western Oregon’s Cascade Range, possibly due to a fallen power line. The fire destroyed…
-
Recent blazes in the Sierra Nevada have killed some giant sequoia, but is this a tragedy? Photo George Wuerthner In this New York Times article, Why Does the American West Have So Many Wildfires? published on August 2, 2022, is another news article full of misinformation about fire ecology. The journalists did get the…
-
The San Pedro River from the same viewpoint. What the river looked like with livestock grazing, and about a decade after the livestock were removed. The San Pedro River is a restored gem in southeast Arizona. The 47-mile-long San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPNCA) is one of the most intact riparian cottonwood gallery…