Resources for producers facing drought
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Disaster Relief The USDA provides a web-based disaster assistance discovery tool (farmers.gov/recover/disaster-tool) to help producers initially determine which disaster relief programs may fit their circumstances. If
What would make 30 by 30 work for the West?
In this post we lay out a dozen ways in which the Biden administration could meaningfully recognize and support landowners and rural communities for their role in sustaining biodiversity.
The Myth of Efficiency
Many irrigators face the public perception that flood irrigation systems are inefficient and a waste of water. But water does far more than just for grow food for humans.
Using Low Stress Livestock Handling for Conflict Prevention
Ranching operations use LSLH to meet a multitude of stewardship goals, but one particularly fascinating application is to manage the risks associated with large carnivores on the landscape. Ranchers are
Inherding for conflict prevention on Alderspring Ranch
On the Alderspring Ranch in central Idaho, Glenn and Caryl Elzinga graze yearling cattle among wolves, lions and black bears. We have three basic goals, the primary one being that we
Debunking the biggest myth about livestock depredation compensation
This month, Montana’s state legislature will consider giving the state Livestock Loss Board the authority to include a multiplier in their formula for compensation. Colorado agency leaders are also beginning
This floating armor against evaporation can reduce water loss by 90 percent
Scientists predict water stress in the West will increase dramatically in the coming decades, as climate change increase evaporation rates, shifts rainfall patterns, and impacts snowpacks in complex ways. A 2019
Western landowners respond to Biden climate and conservation executive actions
The Biden administration’s announcement today of a package of executive actions on climate and conservation includes several elements that the Western Landowners Alliance (WLA) has insisted are critical to making
How understanding ungulates has moved policy
A recent review by Arthur Middleton and colleagues highlights how a decade or more of advances in our understanding of ungulate migrations contributes to policymaking and management of migration corridors
Sheep, Shepherds and Wolves in the French Alps
Considering the failure of nonlethal means to protect herds against wolves in France—more than 1,000 animals killed per year over the past 10 years; 12,000 total losses in 2017—researcher Michel
Study finds biodiversity stewardship incentives can be enhanced by regulatory assurances
Epanchin-Niell and Boyd found that incentives may be enhanced through increased availability of programmatic agreements, regulatory assurances, technical and financial assistance, and tailored protections for threatened species.