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Video of site visits with researchers who have been studying how forests and wildlife respond to high severity burns. July 2016. Southwest fire Science Consortium

The impacts of escalating wildfire in many regions — the lives and homes lost, the expense of suppression and the damage to ecosystem services — necessitate a more sustainable coexistence with wildfire. Climate change and continued development on fire-prone landscapes will only compound current problems. Emerging strategies for managing ecosystems and mitigating risks to human communities provide some hope, although greater recognition of their inherent variation and links is crucial. Without a more integrated framework, fire will never operate as a natural ecosystem process, and the impact on society will continue to grow. A more coordinated approach to risk management and land-use planning in these coupled systems is needed.

Despite intensive efforts to reintroduce beavers into areas where they are severely reduced in numbers or eliminated due to over-harvesting in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, beavers remain sparse or or missing from many stream reaches. In this study, beaver dams mostly occurred at sites that were not grazed or where there was some alternative grazing management, but were mostly absent at sites within Forest Service cattle allotments. Results indicated that cattle grazing influenced the relation between vegetation variables and beaver presence. We recommend that beaver restoration will require changes to current livestock management practices.

Description of the topics covered during the Malpai Borderlands Group 2015 science conference, held Jan. 6, 2015 in Douglas Arizona

This short newsletter addresses issues in the changing environment, with new fire hazards. How to deal with regular and irregular burns in wildlife areas.

new video about people working to protect wildlife-friendly farmland in the Middle Rio Grande

The Middle Rio Grande is a precious thread of water through the desert. Here, the migratory bird flyway narrows into a small corridor along this river because it becomes practically the only water source for thousands of miles, east and west. Conservation partners in the Middle Rio Grande know that every square mile of the river is important for wildlife, especially birds. Landowners, non-governmental organizations, federal and state agencies, tribes, and others are all crucial advocates here. Watch this short video to hear directly from a diverse coalition of people who are working together to keep the Middle Rio Grand intact.

Plan to Increase American Beaver Populations at Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge, NM Goals: Grow beaver population in Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge to 20; Improve and expand habitat; Deter bison from beaver habitat

The Playa Post Newsletter is made as an effort to promote the idea that birds are an integral part of our environment and are essential for the health and beauty of the world. We envision a future when the ecosystems within our region sustain birds and other wildlife in concert with humans and our activities. This issue is from July 2014