Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Galisteo Dam:Infestation 2013


Has anyone visited the Galisteo Dam and basin recently?


We visited yesterday... 
The bare, herbicided, dam face is still greatly bare though rabbit brush and saltbush are growing back up... the grasses are not...


Below the dam face the basin sits... the mowed tamarisk stands out stark against the lacking grass...


But what is this? on either side of the basin along the dam the tamarisk is brown and thin and looking dead...


Or dying as the case may be...



Few trees are blooming this year


Most of the tamarisk is as would be expected this year, a bit dry, but robust after a few years of mechanical pruning...



our view to the east is obstructed by happy tamarisk trees..


A number of trees were already dead when the mowing was initiated... those did not come back.


And the carbon continues to remain untouched and undigested on the surface, blocking the soil from the sunshine, and clogging the soil (without nitrogen emitting goats) with unusable waste. 


We had been told of a friend whose bees were all gone after the tamarisk in the galisteo river were gobbled up by bugs. In this drought many many pollinators rely on this nutrition rich tree's blooms


But now these little buggers are decimating the bosque's tamarisk population.. Many of you may be cheering to hear these bugs are wiping out the state's tamarix, but I ask: What next? These voracious beetles will need another food source when all the salt cedar is eaten up... 



The dam is full of these beetles. The ground is swarming with the larvae searching for new trees to destroy and hundreds of trees are feeding millions of these bugs.


The trees along the channel that were left to keep the banks intact and the river channelized...
are all but dead.


Just as with GoatScaping, it will likely take several years to really kill the trees. But unlike the Goats, these beetles will leave behind dry skeletons and nothing added to the ground



This invasion seems to be recent, few trees were swwarming with adults and only two large patches were in evidence, though the creek-bank trees and beyond are crisped-looking...


With very little life left... But enough, the battle is not over...


So, the dam face has been poisoned with glyphosate, and the basin is being decimated by "Biologic Control" in the form of exotic and invasive beetles... 
What a beautiful land this was becoming with the goats' hard work. The transformation has been halted, 
Will the Corps ever again have money for improving the environment?  

Fisher and Badger




We have two little boys left in our Working Aussie-cross litter, born on April 19, 2013. Badger and Fisher are great boys that will bring much love, smiles and help to their person. 




Fisher is a red tri with a full natural tail. He is laid back and very calm for an aussie. Fisher will be a great companion and has the genetics and temperament to herd chickens, goats or cattle.. or could be a wonderful family dog to an active family. Fisher loves water! He loves to get his feet wet especially en route to some adventure with his person...



Badger is a very aussie type pup with short strong body, natural short bob tail, and need to please. This black tri is very much like his father who is a serious and dedicated stock dog. Badger would do best as a working dog, but could possibly do well at agility or as constant companion truck dog. He needs to live an active lifestyle. Badger will make a fantastic hand. 


Our puppies are raised with love in our living room under foot and are well socialized by us, our visitors and 4 year old niece. Many of our pups have gone to work as companion to active children. All pups are exposed to horses, chickens, turkeys and peacocks and goats, other aussies, and maremma LGDs. 
They are crate trained and all but house-trained.



Mother, Guppy, is 3/4 Australian Shepeherd. Her mother is our AKC, ASCA registered Aussie, SunRay's High Desert Lazuli. Zuli is granddaughter to Supreme National Champion Twin Oaks Kit Carson...
Guppy's father was our neighbor's sheep dog who was half Rotweiler and 1/4 Border Collie and 1/4 German Shepherd. Guppy is a strong worker with upright posture and a clean, long stride. She is strong on bunching, driving, and breaking up buck fights. She is a sweet, but assertive worker.

Guppy and her mama, Zuli in rear



Bucky and daughter, Shadoe..


The pups father is Hart II's SunStarBuck. Bucky is ASCA registered and is an old type cowdog... Bucky is very biddable, strong, and has a heart of gold. Buck is very intelligent and will work all day every day.


We use our dogs to work our large herd of goats on range as well as on site in yards, neighborhoods and farmland where the goats eat weeds, and improve tilth around New Mexico. 


I kept Shadoe, the black tri in the background here, from the last litter.... 
At less than a year she is still green, but she is showing a great deal of talent...



Shadoe has really loved helping to raise this litter of her brothers and sisters...

We try hard to match our dogs with their prospective owners. 
We take great care to socialize and stress test the pups to prepare them for their lives ahead, and in so doing we get to know each pup's personality, traits, strengths and weaknesses. 
We have done very well so far in our match making and all of our puppies are reported back to be just what their new person was looking for and hoping for them to be.

Our interest in breeding and raising these aussies and aussie cross pups is to bring into the world dogs that are ready to go to work for their master, whatever that job description may be... 
We breed for a well formed, well tempered well equipped dog that is adaptable, agile and hardy.



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Facebook.com/hornedlocustremediation


Monday, June 3, 2013

Awesome Aussies

It has been awhile since I have written here... Been busy and just have not got pictures, computer and myself all in one space of time...

The christmas pups all found wonderful homes and soon I will post here just how fitting the families have turned out I be for our puppies.

The litter was so successful and folks have been asking for more... So I bred Guppy again to Bucky as she was back in great condition and coveting the Maremmas pups.

Guppy is a great mother and Shadoe, the Buck lookalike that I kept from the first bunch, is a very sweet auntie. These pups are growing up within a multi breed pack that has given fantastic early conditioning to all of its members.

More about the current litter of Aussies soon... They will be ready in two weeks...
They are all so beautiful and smart!
Check out our Facebook page at: Facebook.com/hornedlocustremediation
For pics and story bits about these little guys.