International Journal of Biodiversity
Volume 2014 (2014), Article ID 163431, 10 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/163431

Review Article

Holistic Management: Misinformation on the Science of Grazed Ecosystems

John Carter,1 Allison Jones,2 Mary O’Brien,3 Jonathan Ratner,4 and George Wuerthner5

1Kiesha’s Preserve, Paris, ID 83261, USA

2Wild Utah Project… | Read more |

Objective: To assess potential causes of woody plant encroachment into desert grassland systems using a 5500-yr-old sediment record from a cienega in New Mexico.

Location: Cloverdale Cienega, southwestern New Mexico.

Methods: Utilizing fossil pollen and charcoal preserved in wetland sediments, a long-term record of variations in vegetation composition and fire activity was… | Read more |

Executive Summary

The Town of Silver City initiated a water conservation planning process to evaluate ways to sustain and conserve its municipal groundwater supply. The… | Read more |

WHEREAS: Water is one of the most valuable resources in this dryland community. Developing, operating and maintaining well water and delivery systems is expensive. Town wells deplete the aquifer, and electricity must be used to pump this water uphill, where it originally came from. Meanwhile, storm water runoff from urban hardscape (roofs, roads, etc.) produces way more water than all the… | Read more |

With the passage of the nation's first municipal rainwater harvesting ordinance for commercial projects, Tucson placed itself at the forefront of the national rainwater harvesting movement. The ordinance calls for 50 percent of water used for landscaping on new commercial properties to come from harvested rainwater. Looking forward, the law will require this proportion of water used in… | Read more |

USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service Boise, Idaho

Many riparian areas in the West need rehabilitation. Natural climatic events and abuses in the past have caused the destruction of vegetation and accelerated streambank and stream bottom erosion (Kauffman and Krueger 1984; Skovlin 1984; Platts 1981; Thomas and others 1979). Emphasis on water quality, aesthetics, wildlife, and… | Read more |

A Joint Publication from Earth Works Institute, the Quivira Coalition, and Zeedyk Ecological Consulting. Third Edition.

This document describes riparian restoration techniques, such as those used for several demonstration sites in the Galisteo watershed as part of the Galisteo Watershed Restoration Project—phase 2 (GWRP-II). This project is sponsored by the New Mexico Environment… | Read more |

A Joint Publication from Earth Works Institute, the Quivira Coalition, and Zeedyk Ecological Consulting.

This document describes erosion control techniques, such as those used for several demonstration sites in the Galisteo watershed as part of the Galisteo Watershed Restoration Project –phase 2 (… | Read more |

We studied the vegetation of 166 fens in Yellowstone National Park, USA, to determine the relationship between species distribution in mountain peatlands and regional-, landscape-, and local-scale environmental variables. Plant commun- ities were identified through hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis, patterns in species distribution were explored using nonmetric multidimensional… | Read more |

Cisterns are usually considered for their water supply benefit. This paper evaluates how effective cisterns are as flood control measures as well as water supply. It considers a problematic situation that is becoming common in the southwest – residential areas on small lots where over half the lot is impermeable. The study uses a simple mass- balance relationship with daily input of rainfall… | Read more |