Man's Best Friend Helps Livestock and Predators Coexist

 

Photo credit:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Pyrenees_Sheep_Dog_Guarding_the_Flock_(5113678413).jpg Man’s Best Friend Helps Livestock and Predators Coexist By Eva Gordon I’ve always loved hiking and camping. Away from the city, I fell in love with the wilderness. The granite mountains, the soaring hawks, and the deep forests have given me and many others a joy beyond measure. As beautiful as the landscape was, it was seeing my first coyote, mountain lion, and bear and hearing the howls of wolves that took my breath away. Predators are a reminder of the natural world. Without predators, rodents, deer and other wildlife overpopulate and damage the delicate balance of nature’s food web. Wolves, mountain lions, and other predators all have a shared opponent: humans. Predators must survive both hunter and habitat loss. The conflict stems from fear of losing livestock, prey species, or fear of attack. This fear has caused people to hunt some predators to near extinction and, in the long run, damage the ecosystem. To safeguard both the predators and the livestock, some livestock owners are turning to a nonlethal solution.   One nonlethal solution is the use of livestock guard dogs (LGD) to protect livestock from harm. Using guard dogs to protect sheep, goats, and cattle is certainly not new. For centuries, dogs have endured severe weather and fierce predators to protect their charges. The guard dogs are breeds that defend their herd or flock from predators, rather than simply herd. Breeds include the Great Pyrenees, Anatolian Shepherd, and Turkish Kangal. These breeds put up a good fight against wolves, coyotes, mountain lions and bears. The Turkish Kangal has one of the most powerful set of jaws, yet these dogs are good with children. Livestock guard dogs have been used for thousands of years in Asia and Europe to protect livestock with great success and now are being discovered in America. The job of the livestock guard dogs is to protect rather than to herd. In Switzerland where wolves have returned, the guard dogs have successfully protected stock. And guard dogs in Africa have saved cheetahs from extinction by chasing the cheetahs away from livestock. YouTube provides videos on how ranchers are using LGDs to protect their livestock. Read this example of a study that proved the effectiveness of using guardian dogs to save livestock:   “Texas A&M AgriLife Research acquired the Carl and Bina Sue Martin Research Ranch in 2009. The ranch weaned only a 20 percent lamb crop that year. Livestock guardian dogs were acquired to reduce predation, and since 2012 the lamb crop has exceeded 100 percent.” Texas A&M AgriLife has a wonderful 8-page pamphlet on Livestock Guard Dogs you can access through the following link:  https://www.agrilifebookstore.org/v/vspfiles/downloadables/EWF-028.pdf Their research explores many aspects of using the LGD program.  According to Texas A&M AgriLife Research, LGDs protect livestock in three significant ways:  territorial exclusion, disruption, and confrontation. Canines mark their boundary which keeps other canines away from the guard dog’s territory. Disruption occurs when the guard dog barks and or postures to keep predators out. Finally, guard dogs will confront the predator, which for the most part will not lead to the death of the predator. A rancher must consider the right guardian dog properly reared to bond with the livestock so they are considered part of the livestock. The pup must be brought in during a critical behavioral period and spend time in a small pen with the livestock in question. The owner must also commit to basic training commands such as “no” or “leave it.” A guardian dog can become a problem if it is not trained properly: it can turn aggressive toward humans, all wildlife, and even the livestock it’s protecting. To protect mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats in Texas, it’s imperative we provide ranchers with information about using LGD breeds. Presentations about these breeds are great, but we must provide ranchers with the resources on how to train livestock guardian dogs and, better yet, a list of professional dog trainers. For more information: https://peopleandcarnivores.org/

Putting the Fun back in Fungi. My life as a budding, or rather sporulating mycologist.

 

Wearing several hats, including my biggest one, the Fungi hat.

Returning to my roots in the biological sciences is now a deep passion, which in a small way, adds to my contribution to save the planet. Along with being a Texas Master Naturalist, and a World Wild Life Federation Ambassador, I am now on a fantastic journey of becoming a mycologist.  Yes, I know, so many hats, however, the Fungi hat is now my favorite. 

After reading Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake and of course, following Mycology guru, Paul Stamets (Ted Talk on 6 ways mushrooms can save the world), I am now a radical mycologist. Yes, the long neglected Fungi is our only hope. My learning journey includes a college mycology textbook, and enrollment in several classes to become a certified mycologist.

As a science educator I hope to develop curriculum to teach others about the wonderful world of fungi.

It's never too late to start birding.

A few of my bird books. My pup photo-bombed the picture.

If you are looking for a hobby to keep you busy and outdoors for a lifetime, try birdwatching. The tools are simple, good eyes, binoculars, good ears, field guides, journal and patience. I also love keeping a life list of birds I've seen since. The beauty of bird watching is you can do it anywhere, from the urban cities to the deepest jungles, from the north pole to the south pole or even your backyard. Unless, you need to fly to across the globe to see a rare bird, birding is free. A hobby you can do during a pandemic for health and what some people call ornitherapy.

I have to admit, I started a life list many years ago and I'm now restarting a new one. I love birds, but my interest for over twenty years have been Corvids(Ravens and Crows, plus Jays to name a few) and Raptors (Birds of Prey, especially owls.) Below: me and an educational Barn Owl. 

Now, I've become more inclusive and want to see as many birds as possible. I even purchased the Cornell Lab of Ornithology life list and journal. Identification is fun, but observing behaviors is just as intriguing. If you loved dinosaurs as a child, why not look at their closest relatives? If you are a beginner, there are thousands of resources from beginner guide books, phone apps, nesting birds on view cam, to courses with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Bird Academy) to joining The Audubon Society. There are also many podcasts about birds and birdwatching. You can also google just about any type of bird, however the best part about bird watching is to escape from screen time. 

Happy Birding!

 

Tu B'Shevat: Happy Birthday Trees!

 

Tu B’Shevat is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the trees’ birthday. Tu B’Shevat originated during the first Temple (586 BCE). Each year there was a tax of one tenth of a fruit tree’s yield. Consequently to carry out the taxes; trees needed a birthday to mark the beginning and end of a year for the tree. Early winter was chosen due to the time when most of the rain had fallen, and the sap rises in the trees.

Later in the sixteenth century, Kabbalists Tu B’Shevat added more spirituality by associating the tradition with the renewal of the Tree of Life. A special Seder meal was created for Tu B’Shevat, during which we eat 4 fruits, nuts and naturally, drink wine.

This year (2021) Tu B’Shevat falls on January 28^th.

Here is a list of items needed for a Tu B’Shevat Seder:

1.     Wind/Juice – Red and White for the 4 cups of wine. You will need two separate glasses.

2.     First Fruit - Fruit that is hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Example: walnuts, coconuts or almonds, pistachio.

3.     Second Fruit - Fruit that is soft with a pit in the center. Example: olives, dates, peaches, apricots.

4.      Third Fruit - Fruit that is soft throughout and is completely edible. Example: figs, grapes, and raisins.

5.     Forth Fruit – Fruit that has a tough skin on the outside but sweet fruit within. Example: mangos, bananas, avocados

Today in Israel, Tu B’Shevat is celebrated by picnics, hiking, bonfires, and planting trees. It is a common tradition to honor the memory of a dead friend or relative by planting a tree. 

Trees are a carbon sink and central in Judaism.

For more reading on Judaism and trees Go to My Jewish Learning : What the Talmud Teaches About Trees

 

A walk in the woods a day, keeps the doctor away.

 

We are in the middle of a pandemic and to insure safety we are wearing, masks, keeping socially distant from one another and washing our hands like crazy. It might be time to add a forest walk to reinforce your immune system. Trees produce antimicrobial chemicals called phytoncides which protects them from insects and germs. Phyton in Latin means ‘plant’ and cide means to ‘exterminate’.  That’s right germ, you will be exterminated by a plant.  So how does this help us?

In a landmark scientific study (Li Q, Morimoto K, Nakadai A, et al. Forest bathing enhances human natural killer activity and expression of anti-cancer proteins. Int 1 Immunopathol Pharmacol 2007; 20(S):3-8.) phytoncides improved natural killer cell activity in human subjects. Our natural killer cells are lymphocytes that respond to virus-infected cells and tumors. Aside from the immune system boost, phyoncides have numerous other benefits, illustrated in Li Q.’s book, Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness, such benefits includes lowering blood pressure, reducing stress levels, and enhancing your creativity to name a few improvements.

While you’re pining away about not being able to go out to a bar for a drink, why not exchange a bar for being near a tree bark? Visit your local forest. Most local parks allow for social distancing and you may consider a picnic rather than going to a restaurant. Arrive at your local well-maintained forest trail, put your phone down, away, or turn it off, and take a slow walk in silence if you can. At the end of the walk, don’t forget to thank the forest.

Welcome to my New Blog: Teva's Nature Blog

 Welcome to my first post. I am Teva. Author/Forest Bather/Master Naturalist/Minimalist/Science Educator/Re-wilder/Zoologist. 

I will be post musings about nature and life. I'll be blogging about critters, plants, and other thoughts about our delicate environment and other topics such as minimalism. I hope to discuss the importance of citizen science, wildlife, re-wilding, trees, forest bathing and other nature therapies for healing.  Here is a forest poster/poem I received and sharing from The Healing Forest website