Is There Anything 'Solar Meadows' Can't Do?

A tax break for open space may help protect New Mexico’s farm land from development, preserving generations-old tradition and ownership, while maintaining valuable land for a future agricultural resurgence.

With the lifting of federal protection on top predators like grizzly bears, many are concerned that landowners will be more likely to shoot predators found on their ranches and farmland, risking the fragile stability of the Montana ecosystem. But a strategy of cattle herding called low-stress handling by range riders serves not only as a natural and efficient way to protect cattle from wolves and bears, allowing humans and wildlife to live in harmony, but also benefits the cattle and therefore the ranchers, producing superior quality beef.

After controversy over the removal wild horse populations, the Bureau of Land Management was tasked with the order of protecting wild horse populations. After years of protection, however, the wild horse population has grown to an unsustainable amount. To mitigate the damage to the rural landscape while still maintaining a reasonable wild horse population, researchers are focusing their efforts on teaching wild horse advocates how to administer a form of birth control via dart.

As wildfires grow more intense and deadly in California, some experts say previous strategies to save lives and property need to be revamped and they're pushing for changes in policies. Agencies are studying the deadly Tubbs Fire to redraw fire risk maps that take into account the safety of older homes that weren't previously included and pushing for more restrictions on where people can build. Some are also calling for rethinking brush clearance of native plants like chaparral.

Aided by advanced GPS collar technology, scientists in Wyoming are mapping herd animal movement as they migrate across the state. Such efforts have helped planners and conservationists remove barriers and weigh development projects in accordance with the data, and such efforts are spreading to other areas in the Western United States.

At a decommissioned chemical depot, a lone biologist has been building artificial homes for burrowing owls. To date, he's installed some 182 burrows. Not only have his efforts helped bring a declining species back across the region, but his studies have gone a long way to better understanding the birds.

A little known fact about the southeastern United States is that it used to be home to millions of acres of prairies and grasslands, and it remains one of the most biodiverse places in America. The Southeastern Grasslands Initiative is taking on the responsibility of documenting little-known species to better preserve species and educate others about the region.

Mortenson Cattle Ranch in Hayes, South Dakota is redefining sustainability practices for cattle-raising farmers by using a model that restored the habitat, wildlife, and water sources on their land. Mimicking the habits of bison herds, the Mortensons use a technique called holistic range management to rotate their cattle's grazing areas, which increases distribution of wildflower and grass seeds, as well as planting trees and replenishing groundwater using dikes and dams. Having started this in the 1980s, 90% of their 19,000 acre property is back to native vegetation, and efforts are still ongoing.

The indigenous practice of setting regular fires to manage land hasn’t been used in generations, but it’s now being brought back to help manage wildfires in Australia. With support from the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation and 10 Deserts Project, indigenous people are re-learning old traditions to help the land, though they are still learning to navigate complex relationships with the government about which land can be used.

A San Diego startup called Vence has created a device that can help farmers control their livestock’s movements and behavior. The new technology – a collar with accompanying software – buzzes when an animal is somewhere it shouldn’t be and shocks them if they keep going. While the practice of shocking animals isn’t universally approved, doing so can prevent overgrazing and thus improve overall land health.