Cultivating Agave Using Regenerative and Indigenous Methods

Chelenzo Farms, located twenty miles south of the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a regenerative farm that applies permaculture, soil health, and agroecology principles. It has three operating principles of research, education, and community. It practices dryland farming, focusing on the cultivation of agave and native plants. With over 200 varieties, agave can be distilled to make liquor, fermented for livestock feed, and made into textiles. In fact, 75% of those varieties have been cultivated in Mexico for thousands of years. Thus, agaves have long supported a variety of pollinators in the Southwest and along the border with Mexico in the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, with the best known one being the...

Grassland Habitat Monitoring for Wintering Chestnut-collared Longspur

The Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus; CCLO) is a grassland bird that winters in shortgrass prairies and desert grasslands of the South-Central and Southwest United States and the Chihuahuan Grasslands of North Central Mexico. This species feeds on native grass seeds in high-density flocks, uses cattle water tanks as its primary water source, and prefers areas recently burned, grazed, or mowed. Generally, grassland bird species’ populations have been declining since 1970 due to a decrease in suitable grassland habitats. Land use practices such as agricultural development, paired with competition from invasive grass species, such as Lehmann’s lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana), are the largest...

Shrub Control to Restore a Coastal Prairie Ecosystem

The coastal prairie in Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge-Bahia Grande Unit in South Texas protects inland areas from storm surges and erosion while also serving as habitat for grassland-dependent species, such as the federally Endangered northern aplomado falcon (Falco femoralis septentrionalis). Past research indicates that each falcon breeding pair requires at least two thousand acres of open prairie with low woody plant densities to establish and occupy a territory. Records from the early 1900s indicate the Bahia Grande Unit was once an expansive coastal prairie and home to a healthy northern aplomado falcon population. However, historic land management practices, such as overgrazing and fire suppression,...

Mapping the Urban Heat Island in Oklahoma City

Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) are urban areas that are warmer than surrounding rural areas, largely due to differences in land cover. Within UHIs, temperatures can vary greatly depending on nearby environmental features. For example, areas with dark pavement and few trees can be up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than well-shaded neighborhoods (NOAA). As our climate continues to change, scientists expect an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme heat events, amplifying the effects of UHIs. Extreme heat is especially dangerous for those with pre-existing health conditions, the elderly, and low-income households who struggle to afford the high energy costs associated with air conditioning ( Shandas...

Rivercane Recovery to Support Tribal Cultural Practices

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Tribal Nations Technical Center of Expertise (TNTCX) is a multi-functional center of expertise established to improve USACE’s quality and effectiveness in delivering USACE missions and Federal Trust responsibilities to Federally recognized tribes. The USACE has jurisdiction over navigable waters of the United States. Furthermore, the management and operation of their project lands presents a unique opportunity to support the recovery of cultural keystone species, which are plants or animals that have helped shape the cultural identity of a group. Rivercane (Arundinaria gigantea) is a cultural keystone species to at least several Tribal Nations across the Southeastern...