During the first week of Ranch Crew, we discovered the joys of Plant ID – or should I say, what is joyful to some (looking at you, Rachel Renne), and painful to others. Our first task was to gather grass from a roadside in the Bighorn Mountains just thirty minutes northwest of Sheridan, WY. The Read more about Plant ID with the Ranch Crew — Katie Panek[…]
INTERACTIVE MAP GOES LIVE I’m happy to share that my summer fellowship researching human-wildlife conflict has been featured on the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) website. My research this summer examined strategies for reducing conflict betweeen humans and wildlife in the intermountain west. This work cuminated in an interactive map showcasing 20 innovative strategies to reduce Read more about Interactive Map — Ross Donihue[…]
The coolest part of science is when we make mistakes. Seems counterintuitive, right? Why would a mistake be the cool part of science? The thing is, science is designed to catch mistakes. First, “cool” data is automatically suspect. We go over it a million times before ever attempting to publish it, ironing out everything and Read more about Finding Errors in Data — Adam Eichenwald[…]
Making the plan Leading up to our rapid assessment, our team had the opportunity to sit down and talk to many professionals with varying focuses in range management. We participated in classes over varying topics. After learning from so many people we sat down to develop a plan for our rapid assessment. To develop this Read more about Writing the Rapid Assessment — Jordan Skovgard[…]
There’s more than one way to skin a cat, but as it turns out there is also more than one way to run a successful ranch. During the first week of Ranch Crew, a majority of time was spent indoors learning concepts and ideas from the esteemed Dr. Brian Mealor at the University of Wyoming Read more about More Than One Way to Ranch — Jaycie Arndt[…]
During the first week of ranch crew, we all hopped in the van to visit a ranch not far from Sheridan College. Brian Mealor, a professor at the University of Wyoming and the director of the Sheridan Research and Extension Center, walked us out into the field and spent less than a minute searching the Read more about A lesson about invasive species — Lydia Mendoza[…]
After spending a week in Sheridan, the crew took off towards Red Canyon Ranch in south central Wyoming. Iron rich, red valleys appropriately give Red Canyon Ranch its name. Owned by The Nature Conservancy, the ranch is used for testing best conservation grazing practices and research. In addition to cattle, the area is home to Read more about From Classroom to Field: A Trip to Red Canyon Ranch — Jessica Swindon[…]
Summer 2017 marked the inaugural Ranch Crew course and, despite the course’s nascency, it felt like anything but Ranch Crew’s first rodeo (although in its future form, hopefully its actual first rodeo event will be incorporated). Ranch Crew is a two-week rangeland practicum in August held across the state of Wyoming. Divided into two primary Read more about Ranch Crew Introduction — Jeremy Menkhaus[…]
“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” –Ethan Winter, New York Senior Program Manager for the Land Trust Alliance. Over the last weekend of October, I attended the annual Land Trust Alliance Rally in Denver. Besides soaking in the dry air I grew up in, I spent a whirlwind of a weekend, Read more about Further Reflections on RALLY! — Ben Williamson[…]
So I ran into a problem. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that I’m looking into gyrfalcon predation of ptarmigan in Alaska. So far, my data successfully shows that ptarmigan are avoiding locations where gyrfalcons are densely packed – which makes sense; you wouldn’t beeline to set up camp in a lion’s den. Read more about Wind and the Landscape of Fear — Adam Eichenwald[…]
Anyone looking for injections of enthusiasm and creative ideas in the world of land conservation needs to head to the Land Trust Alliance annual Rally – better known as RALLY! The 2017 Rally convened at the Denver Convention Center from October 26th-28th for a weekend of workshops, presentations and connections. As someone relatively new to Read more about RALLY! — Jeff Conti[…]
Quaking aspen trees are important providers of ecosystem services in the west. They establish valuable wildlife habitat, support biodiversity, create opportunities for ecotourism, serve as a firebreak for wildfires, and retain soil moisture across forests. Despite their importance to and prevalence upon the western landscape, aspen trees are widely experiencing rapid die-off at the individual, stand, and landscape Read more about Sudden Aspen Decline — Jack Singer[…]
Following up on his trophic cascades video, Adam Eichenwald explains how he can follow his birds across entire landscapes…with MATH! Fitting that we discuss something as scary as math on the scariest day of the year. Happy Halloween!
Imagine that you could close your eyes, point to a map and wherever your finger lands, you would be in that spot when you open your eyes. If you did this anywhere in the United States, at any point you picked, you would be within 22 miles of a road. And, there is an 80% Read more about Safe Crossings for Western Wildlife – A. Andis[…]