The Ranch
Beauty is often taken for granted, generally thought of in terms of personal taste, as in “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Yet beauty is far more than a subjective response to some observable something and is one of the ranch’s most important features.
Burro Ciénaga
In the American Southwest there is a unique kind of waterway few people know of: the ciénaga. And so few remain healthy that, absent awareness of what a ciénaga is and their importance, these endangered habitats will soon become extinct.
Euphorbia rayturneri
The Grant County Native Plant Society makes periodic trips to the ranch for plant study and identification. In 2009, Gene Jercinovic — a member of the group with a particular interest in smaller plants — found a species he could not identify.
Endangered Wildlife
In addition to the Euphorbia rayturneri, the Pitchfork Ranch has six other species listed as endangered: Chiricahua leopard frog, Gila topminnow, aplomado falcon, Wright’s marsh thistle, viceroy butterfly, and the coatimundi.
Cattle
We avoid referring to ourselves as “ranchers,” preferring “ranch owners” because there is a clear difference between a “cowman” and retirees using a historic cattle ranch for restoration, wildlife, and carbon sequestration.
Habitat Restoration
Habitat restoration is one of five key elements, along with zero-carbon sources of renewables, weatherization, elimination of our consumptive life style and mass transit, for “The Great Transition” away from fossil fuels required to address climate change.
Moment of Truth
This is our Moment of Truth: climate, species extinction, soil exhaustion and an era of pandemics unless we transform ourselves from an Industrial Civilization to and Environmental Civilization. These are crises. We have run out of time. If we chose to maintain the status quo, the future will see the end of civilization, as we know it.
