#095, In Practice, May/June 2004

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20th Anniversary

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RACTICE P a publication of the savory center

May/June 2004 * Number 95

www.holisticmanagement.org

The Essence of Holistic Management

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

by Ann Adams and Jody Butterfield

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e’ve all tried at one time or another to distill the essence of Holistic Management for someone. It can be challenging, especially if we want to tailor the material for a specific audience and address a variety of learning styles. We may not always be able to use Holistic Management terms (like forms of production) when we are working with a specific audience, but if we clearly understand how the Holistic Management® model functions, we can better adapt our materials or conversations in a way that captures the “functional properties” of Holistic Management.

In other words, we need to know what makes it work and why. Then we can more easily make points of comparison to other ideas, processes, and systems more familiar to our audience. Many of these systems, ideas, or processes have overlapping guiding principles, but Holistic Management’s effectiveness comes from defined practices within the model that help people move toward consistently living those principles. It is the practice behind the principles of understanding, assessing, and working with nature (including humans) and adapting and adjusting our management in response to what nature is telling us.

For the most part, “A Holistic Primer” is the distillation of the model. While many of the following statements might seem elementary or obvious, many people have found that in returning to these basics they have improved their practice and, therefore, the results they have achieved.

Holistic Management: A New Framework for Decision Making is still the best source for a deeper understanding of these principles, practices, and the model.

A Holistic Management Primer Holistic Management The What: Holistic Management is a decision-making process that helps people make decisions that are socially, economically, and environmentally sound.

The Why: A cooking pot resting on three rocks will lose its balance and spill its content if one of those rocks is removed. So too, if we do not take into account the social, economic, and environmental consequences of our actions, we risk damaging the environment, our relationships, and our finances now and/or for future generations.

Guy Glossom had the adventure of a lifetime teaching low-stress livestock handling to the ranch hands at the Africa Centre for Holistic Management’s Dimbangombe Ranch in Zimbabwe. To read more about his cross-cultural experience turn to page 11.

FEATURE STORIES The Essence of Holistic Management Ann Adams and Jody Butterfield . . . . . . . 1 Love & Trust on the Range Sam Bingham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Whole Under Management The What: Determine the decision makers, resource base, and money The Why: By defining the whole you are managing, you are better able to manage it. In identifying the decision makers, you are determining who will form the holistic goal. The key is to get the right people to the table. In defining your resource base you are identifying the resources—assets, including people—you have to work with. The money you identify is what you have available for management and can continued on page 2

Our appreciation to Dean William Rudoy, Ph.D. for his generous donation that has enabled us to redesign IN PRACTICE and print in color throughout 2004 in celebration of our 20th Anniversary.

Land Language Steve Rich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

LAND & LIVESTOCK Ruminations on Herding, Handling, and Africa Guy Glosson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

From Grass to Trees—Extending Holistic Management to Forests Ray Travers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

NEWS & NETWORK Savory Center Grapevine . . . . . . . . . . .16 Certified Educators . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

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The

Savory

The Essence of Holistic Management continued from page one

CENTER

AD DEFINITUM FINEM

THE SAVORY CENTER is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. The Savory Center works to restore the vitality of communities and the natural resources on which they depend by advancing the practice of Holistic Management and coordinating its development worldwide.

FOUNDERS Allan Savory

* Jody Butterfield STAFF

Tim LaSalle, Executive Director Shannon Horst, Senior Director, Strategic Projects; Kate Bradshaw, Director of Finance and Administration Kelly Pasztor, Director of Educational Services; Constance Neely, International Training Programs Director Lee Dueringer, Director of Development Ann Adams, Managing Editor, IN PRACTICE and Director of Publications and Outreach Alicia Schell, Finance Coordinator Lee Johnson, Project Assistant Brooke Palmer, Executive Assistant Donna Torrez, Administrative Assistant

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Rio de la Vista, Chair Allan Savory, Vice-Chair Leslie Christian, Secretary Richard Smith, Treasurer Manuel Casas Judy Richardson Bruce Ward Terry Word

ADVISORY COUNCIL Jim Shelton, Chair, Vinita, OK Robert Anderson, Corrales, NM Michael Bowman,Wray, CO Sam Brown, Austin, TX Leslie Christian, Portland, OR Gretel Ehrlich, Gaviota, CA Cynthia & Leo Harris, Albuquerque, NM Trudy Healy, Taos, NM Clint Josey, Dallas, TX Krystyna Jurzykowski, Glen Rose, TX Dianne Law, Laveta, CO Doug McDaniel, Lostine, OR Guillermo Osuna, Coahuila, Mexico Jim Parker, Montrose, CO Dean William Rudoy, Cedar Crest, NM York Schueller, El Segundo, CA Richard Smith, Houston, TX Africa Centre for Holistic Management Private Bag 5950, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Tel: (263) (11) 404 979; email: hmatanga@mweb.co.zw Huggins Matanga, Director HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE (ISSN: 1098-8157) is published six times a year by The Savory Center, 1010 Tijeras NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102, 505/842-5252, fax: 505/843-7900; email: savorycenter@holisticmanagement.org.; website: www.holisticmanagement.org Copyright © 2004.

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generate from your management.

Decision makers are routinely involved in decisions and actions that affect the whole.

While it is important to think about who has veto power and include them in forming the holistic goal and in testing decisions that are within their veto power, they are not management decision makers. In larger situations or organizations you may have wholes within wholes to define structure and relationships.

Statement of Purpose The What: This statement is specifically for organizations, or entities within organizations, that were formed for a specific purpose. It answers the question of “Why do we exist as an organization or entity?”

The Why: This statement clarifies the purpose for which you were formed so you can ensure, when forming your holistic goal, that you don’t

lose sight of it. At least one of the forms of production you describe will specify what you have to produce to ensure that purpose is met.

Holistic Goal The What: A written reference point or guide for making decisions. Contains quality of life, forms of production, and future resource base.

The Why: Decision-making can be complex, and humans can only really hold one thought at a time. Writing down what you want and what you need to do to make that happen both immediately and far into the future then becomes a guide toward which you test your decisions.

Above all else, the holistic goal is a guide for decision making and management. While it should also be inspiring and motivating, its key function is for more effective decision-making.

The Four Key Insights 1) Holistic Perspective Is Essential to Management The What: The need for managing holistically The Why: Nature functions in wholes (patterns of matter, energy, and life whose qualities cannot be predicted by studying any aspect in isolation).

2) The Brittleness Scale The What: Brittleness is defined as the distribution of moisture and biological decay present throughout the year in a given area. On a scale of one to ten, a rainforest would be a one and a desert would be a ten.

The Why: This scale is a way to quickly assess the level of brittleness of a region so you can better determine how the land will respond to the tools you apply.

3) Predator/Prey Connection The What: In brittle environments, relatively high numbers of large, herding animals concentrated and moving as they naturally do in the presence of pack-hunting predators, are vital to maintaining the health of the lands we thought they destroyed.

The Why: Understanding this concept is critical to addressing the issue of overrested soils and plants, which results from too few animals wandering around.

4) Overgrazing is a Function of Time Not Numbers The What: In any environment, overgrazing and damage from trampling bear little relationship to the numbers of animals, but rather to the amount of time plants and soils are exposed to the animals.

The Why: Understanding this concept focuses the discussion on how the animals are managed — how long they remain in any one place and how soon they will return to it.

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The forms of production create the quality of life and address what you need to do in the short- and medium-term. The future resource base has to sustain what you produce (forms of production), over the long-term. In this way the holistic goal guides your decision-making for both the short- and long-term.

Quality of Life The What: These statements are how you want your life to be (i.e., We want meaningful relationships) in the particular whole you are managing.

The Why: In defining how you want your life to be right now, you determine what you value, what makes life fulfilling. By determining what you want in life and writing it down, you are more likely to achieve it. The quality of life statements will likely tell you what people value, but they are not a string of values.

Forms of Production The What: What you need to produce to create the quality of life you have described (i.e., We will produce profit from meaningful work) and to meet your stated purpose (if you identified one).

The Why: You need to figure out the basic ways in which you will produce your quality of life (and meet your purpose). These statements should address all your quality of life statements.

This is where people are tempted to include specific how to’s. Keep these statements as open as possible so you don’t pigeon-hole yourself later.

Our land will have effective water and mineral cycles; solar energy flow will be maximized, with a biologically active soil, and diverse and stable plant and wildlife communities).

3) A description of your community and the services available in the community (i.e., We will have good schools, libraries, and other social services available with a thriving economic base).

The Why: 1) If you want people to perceive you long into the future as honest, creative, ethical, compassionate, etc., then you need to behave that way now.

2) If you want the land to be as you describe it in your future resource base, you have to make decisions now to move you in that direction.

Keys To An Effective Holistic Goal

1) No how to’s (Those are tested).

2) It needs to be written (Decisions are complex with many factors.

Writing things down clarifies what you want, what you need to do to create it, and addresses short and long-term issues).

3) Don’t prejudice future action (Leave the playing field open for all the options. Your testing will weed things out).

4) Write what you want, not what you don’t want.

5) No quantifying or qualifying elements. Don’t make one item more important than the other or try to create a hierarchy or priority of quality of life items, etc.

6) Don’t include issues or problems 7) Start with the quality of life, then list the forms of production, and finish with the future resource base, as they build on each other.

8) Be careful to not confuse or mix up the quality of life statements with forms of production statements or with the future resource base. They each have their purpose. If people are confused about these different elements, then they are less likely to develop these elements fully, which could affect the quality of their decisionmaking.

9) Revise your holistic goal if there has been any significant change in the whole under management (such as a change in decision makers).

Future Resource Base The What: A description of how your future resource base must be many years from now, if it is to sustain what you must produce to create the quality of life you want.

The three primary features are: 1) A description of how the decision makers in your whole must be perceived by the people listed in your resource base (i.e., We must be perceived by our clients, suppliers, and neighbors as honest, ethical, creative, etc.).

2) A description of how you want the land in your resource base to look in the future (i.e.,

3) If you want a community or the services described, you need to make decisions now to make that happen.

This section ties the short- and mediumterm with the long-term.

Ecosystem Processes The What: The four basic processes through which nature functions. They are the foundation of all human endeavors. If you affect one, you affect all.

Water Cycle—Maximize cycling of water through plants & soils.

Keep it local. Reduce export and import.

Community Dynamics—A way to view relationships within nature. Increased biodiversity leads to increased stability in plant and animal populations.

Mineral Cycle—Maximize the cycling of nutrients through plants and soils. Reduce export and import.

Energy Flow—Maximize the flow of solar fuel through plants and soils. It is the basis for regenerative natural resource management.

The Why: These processes are our life support system and all of our decisions must take them into account. Understanding the symptoms of effective or ineffective water and mineral cycles, impaired energy flow and succession in biological communities helps you read the land. The key to their effective functioning on land is the soil surface. If you managed to ensure the soil is covered, all four processes will be enhanced. In essence, bare ground is public enemy number one.

The Tools The What: Inside the brackets are Technology, Rest, Fire, Grazing, Animal Impact, and Living Organisms. Outside the brackets are Human Creativity and Money & Labor.

The Why: Those tools inside the brackets are the only tools (or categories of tools) humans can use to modify the ecosystem processes. One or both of the tools outside the brackets have to be used in association with the tools inside the brackets.

The dotted line around Living Organisms in the tools line and around Community Dynamics on the Ecosystem Processes line reminds people that when you use the tool of continued on page 4

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The Essence of Holistic Management continued from page three living organisms, you are by default affecting the dynamics of the biological community; they are same thing. Understanding the tools and their effect on the ecosystem processes is essential for diagnosing a resource management problem.

• Money & Labor—One or both of these tools is always required.

• Human Creativity—Key to using all the tools effectively.

• Fire—The most ancient tool.

• Rest—The most misunderstood tool.

• Grazing—The most abused tool.

• Animal Impact—The least used tool.

• Living Organisms—The most complex tool.

• Technology—The most used tool.

decision back to the gut or heart.

1) Cause and Effect: Does this action address the root cause of the problem?

The Why: This question forces you to define the problem and the root cause. Be sure you’ve defined the problem correctly. If it’s a resource issue, try to figure out which of the ecosystem processes is most affected (i.e., a problem species means its probably a community dynamics issue). If it’s a human issue, look to structure and leadership.

2) Weak Link —Social: Have I/we considered and/or addressed any confusion, anger, or opposition this action could create with people whose support I/we need in the near or distant future?

The Why: It doesn’t matter if your decision is

right if you don’t have support from others or cause conflict. This question helps you figure out how to make sure you don’t make any enemies or create misunderstanding.

-—Biological: Does this action address the weakest point in the life cycle of this organism?

The Why: By determining the weakest link in the life cycle you increase your ability to effectively improve the ability of the organism to survive or to remove or reduce its numbers if it is a “problem” organism.

—Financial: Does this action strengthen the weakest link in the chain of production?

The Why: By determining where the weakest link is you will get the most return for any money or time invested in strengthening the whole chain. That’s why expenditures addressing the weak link are considered wealth generating. This test is done in conjunction with financial planning when you determine what the weak link is in each enterprise. Decisions you test throughout the

Testing Guidelines The What: Seven guidelines for testing to ensure your decisions are socially, environmentally, and economically sound and will take you toward your holistic goal.

The Why: The seven tests supplement all the factors that are normally considered when making a decision (conventional research, peer pressure, gut feel, legal concerns, cash flow, intuition, etc.). The testing is a check after all that work is completed.

As mentioned earlier, decisionmaking can be complex, particularly given certain decisions or in group situations. Having seven tests that address both thinking questions and feeling questions, as well as short-term consequences and long-term consequences, helps to make sure the decision is a sound one and addresses the complexity effectively.

The testing also tends to bring up questions that may have been missed in the first round of exploring a decision or plan. You can play with the order of how you ask the questions, but try to move quickly through the tests and not get mired. If you do get stuck, you ©2001 The Savory Center probably need to do more research. Always This is a four color revision of the model developed by Certified Educator Ken Jacobson. You can save the society and culture test for last as view it in color on our website at www.holisticmanagement.org/model2.cfm. it is the one feeling question to bring the

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year that involve an expenditure for a specific enterprise should refer back to the weak link you identified. The links in the chain of production are: Resource Conversion: If it’s an issue of having insufficient ability to convert sunlight into raw resources and/or not having sufficient raw resources (including money, capacity, talent, etc.), then it is a resource conversion weak link.

Product Conversion: If your raw resources are plentiful, but you lack the capacity to convert them to marketable form, you have a product conversion weak link (e.g., if you have more than enough forage, but lack enough animals to convert the bulk of that forage to meat).

Marketing (Money) Conversion: If you can’t sell the products or services you have produced, then you have a marketing conversion weak link.

3) Marginal Reaction— (Comparing two or more actions): Which action provides the greatest return, in terms of my/our holistic goal for the time and money spent?

The Why: It helps you prioritize your efforts and expenditures so you can maximize progress toward your holistic goal.

4) Gross Profit Analysis—(Comparing two or more enterprises): Which enterprises contribute the most to covering the overheads of the business?

The Why: You want to see which enterprises, after the direct costs and risks associated with them have been factored in, produce the most income for the least additional cost. Enterprises that pass this test should pass the other testing questions as well to be considered.

5) Energy/Money, Source & Use: Is the energy or money to be used in this action derived from the most appropriate source in terms of my/our holistic goal? Will the way in which the energy or money is to be used lead toward my/our holistic goal?

The Why: You want to favor renewable or environmentally benign sources of energy and avoid nonrenewable or environmentally damaging sources whenever possible. Money derived internally (what your land or business generates) usually leaves you better off than money derived externally (from a lender).

Energy and money that are used to build infrastructure are preferable, as are uses for a one-time investment that will then sustain itself. What you want to avoid are

consumptive uses of energy or money that achieve no lasting effect, or worse, uses that become addictive in that, once initiated, you risk an undesirable dependence.

relates to Human Creativity • Organization & Leadership (Nurturing Creativity) relates to Human Creativity • Marketing (Developing A Strategy in Line with Your Holistic Goal) relates to Human 6) Sustainability: If I/we take this action, will Creativity it lead toward or away from the future • Time (When To Expose & Re-expose Plants resource base described in my/our holistic to Soils) relates to Grazing goal?

• Stock Density & Herd Effect (Using Animals The Why: This question helps you keep in to Shape the Landscape) relates to Animal mind the long-term consequences of your Impact actions in the context of your holistic goal.

• Cropping (Practice That More Closely Imitates Nature) relates to Living Organisms 7) Society & Culture: How do I/we feel about • Burning (When & How, and What To Do this action now?

Before & After) relates to Fire The Why: This is the feeling question that • Population Management (Look to Age processes all the information you have Structure Instead of Numbers, Diversity Instead of Single Species) Four Modes of Use relates to Living Organisms These guidelines help you work The What: Holistic Management has four modes of use— with Nature (and humans) more 1) Management, effectively in using the tools to 2) Research, move you toward your holistic goal.

3) Diagnosis, and 4) Policy Analysis & Design.

The Why: Using the Holistic Management® model, you can design research, perform a structured diagnosis of a resource management issue, and analyze or design policy all toward a generic holistic goal or one created by stakeholders. Your research, diagnosis, or design would be based on analysis of issues as they relate to the whole under management, ecosystem processes, and tools. All research, proposed action, or policy would be tested using the testing questions and monitored with a feedback loop. In turn, research, diagnosis, and policy influences management. analyzed in the other six tests bearing in mind the quality of life you’ve described in your holistic goal. The only time this test is done first is to weed out new enterprises you may brainstorm in your financial planning that conflict with your quality of life statement.

Management Guidelines The What: These are management principles to help people better use the tools available. This section of the model is like a filing cabinet of insights and ideas based on the practical experience of people applying those tools.

The Why: The different guidelines apply to different tools or situations • Learning & Practice (Shifting Paradigms)

Planning Procedures: The What: These are methodical planning and monitoring processes unique to Holistic Management, which act like a road map for day-to-day decisions.

The Why: While there are other financial, grazing, and land planning processes, none of them address some of the key management concerns that arise when managing holistically.

Financial Planning The What: Creating a Financial Roadmap to Your Holistic Goal. It is done yearly before your fiscal year begins and is an essential cash flow tool.

The Why: Holistic financial planning has some unique features: 1) The planning is done with the holistic goal in mind.

2) The issue of expenses rising to the level of one’s income is addressed through planning profit first and then using what is left for expenses.

3) Determines which expenses are wealth generating, inescapable, or maintenance.

4) It produces more accountability and continued on page 6

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The Essence of Holistic Management continued from page five knowledge around financial planning because everyone is involved and knows the figures.

Identifying a Logjam The What: This is an important part of the financial planning process to ensure that people take time to think each year about whether something might be holding up the operation/business as a whole in terms of progress toward the holistic goal. A logjam is truly a blockage.

The Why: If the business/organization as a whole is making reasonable progress toward your holistic goal, then you probably don’t have a logjam. In the early stages of practice, the logjam might be people’s lack of understanding or ownership in the holistic goal or Holistic Management. Later on, people issues, leadership issues, or the structure of the organization/business might become logjams. Logjam identification is tied to the financial planning process because you might need to allocate money toward addressing it as part of your financial plan.

of forage.

4) In the non-growing season the aim is to ration out the forage so that it lasts until the next growing season begins, with minimal decrease in animal performance.

5) Livestock moves are planned backwards—you start with where the animals need to be at a certain time, then plan backwards so you know where they have to come from to get there.

6) Drought reserves are based on time, not reserved areas.

will move toward your holistic goal more quickly, while increasing management efficiency and reducing overall costs. The land plan ties into the financial plan each year as you make decisions on which parts of the plan to implement—based on whether they will make money or cost you money (e.g., you might decide to build one internal fence that will enable you to grow more grass because the animals will now spend less time in all paddocks, giving them more recovery time).

Feedback Loop The What: Once you create your plan, or implement a decision, you should determine what you will Simple Appreciation monitor to ensure the plan is on track or the The What: This management tool is again borrowed from decision was the correct military planners who use it as an effective approach to one. If you find you are planning their way out of a crisis situation. going off track, then you need to The Why: implement some form of control This tool enables you to sort through the chaos of (change what you’re doing) to get back the crisis by writing down the information necessary to on track, or replan entirely if things make an informed decision. have gone too far.

1. Aim — (What outcome would you like to see?)

The Why: You must monitor to produce 2. Factors (List all the factors that might affect that the result you desire, not to see what outcome.) happens. The feedback loop is essential to 3. Courses (What courses of action are open to you?) creating a responsive plan. People usually 4. Plan (Decide which one is best and make a plan.) make a decision or develop a plan and Holistic Grazing Planning then hope for the best. If you recognize The What: A grazing planning procedure 7) There is maximum coordination with that creating a feedback loop is actually part of that helps you get your animals to the right cropping, wildlife needs, and other land uses, the decision, then you develop a habit of place at the right time and for the right as well as with the personal schedules of those determining monitoring criteria as part of your reasons. This procedure uses an aide memoire who will operate the plan. plan or decision so you can easily correct course (French for memory aid), a “cheat sheet” 8) Use of animal impact (stock density and at the earliest point rather than waiting until developed by military planners to help herd effect) for land restoration is incorporated there is a train wreck. The key is to discern the simplify complex and ever-changing situations into the plan. earliest indicator of change and be sure to to produce desired outcomes.

9) Stocking rate is based on effectiveness of the complete the feedback loop by controlling or The Why: Grazing planning involves the water cycle rather than rainfall received. replanning when things go off track. manipulation of time (of grazing), area (of 10) In operating the plan, grazing periods are land) and numbers (of animals), while catering When your plan or decision concerns the adjusted to cater for daily growth rates of plants, for numerous variables related to management environment, always assume you are wrong— livestock performance, and/or wildlife needs. and weather. The aide memoire breaks because nature’s complexity is more than we can everything down into simple steps, in a ever fathom. In monitoring your financial plan, Holistic Land Planning specific order, so you can effectively plan and you know you will never come out right on the The What: A process for planning and manage your land and animals for the best money, so monthly control is imperative. In a developing the infrastructure (fencing, water, outcome. Key features of holistic grazing social situation, don’t assume you are wrong at handling facilities, etc.) on large tracts of land planning are: the outset because a negative attitude can where livestock are run. Implementation of the 1) Planning is done with the holistic goal in seriously affect morale, but still monitor carefully. plan will likely take many years. mind Several of the images used in this article were The Why: Whether you have well-developed 2) The length of grazing periods is based on taken from The Bespectacled Crocodile by John infrastructure or not, you need to plan its the time it takes for grazed plants to recover.

Hall. This document can be viewed in its entirety ideal layout and gradually work toward it, as 3) In the growing season grazings are planned at: http://managingwholes.com/crocodile/. time and money allow. This will ensure you so you can produce the maximum amount

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Love & Trust on the Range

by Sam Bingham

Back in the late 1980s, when The Savory Green have traveled a good bit of western Center was known as the Center for Holistic North America carrying this message to Resource Management, we ran a series of people attending the Center for Holistic courses that Resource addressed a Management’s common need “Building An Effective expressed by Organization” course. ranch and farm As they see it, the families—better management of vital, communication. natural things, Led by organization whether farms, development forests or wilderness consultant Don land, cannot succeed Green, and his wife, without sensitivity, Betty, these courses cooperation, playful had a profound creativity and impact on the unalloyed humanity. participants and These qualities, they their relationships say, distinguish the with their families. complex natural This article, which world from the describes one of simplicity of the those courses, first machine.

Sam Bingham appeared in If our human October 1989. stewardship fails to recognize this, a good part of the earth might become desert because rigid habits and sour relationships make us incapable n Colorado, as in most Western states, of responding to anything as subtle as grass translates directly into healthy the ecosystem. land, abundant wildlife and profit. But The group that gathered in a Grand just as in the hungry parts of Africa, an Junction, Colorado motel for five days of ever-increasing amount of ours is giving way intensive soul-searching reflected the diverse to bare ground and scrub for reasons that cast of characters in the environmental most assume have to do mainly with drama: an East Coast investment counselor, physical factors. a Wyoming state senator and his wife, a Yet here we sat in a windowless motel government field agent, an ex-rodeo cowboy, conference room learning that grass thrives several ranching and farming couples, an art more on love, trust and family harmony than teacher, and me, an environmentalist. on any combination of climate geography Don Green put our problems in the and science. context of American industrial failures. He If the husband-wife team leading our pointed out how corporate cultures based on discussion could make their point, it would dogma, hierarchy and fear cannot compete constitute the most concrete proof ever that where profits depend on putting ideas and despite our technical skill, the salvation of action together quickly. But those rigid the world, not to mention our personal attitudes, it would seem, might still work success, might go begging unless we all better selling Buicks in Nagasaki than in become better people. the unforgiving economy of nature.

For the last five years Don and Betty

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Green cited a long litany of cases: manufacturers that lost their best minds to the competition, newspapers that drove away their circulation, schools that cultivated mediocrity like mushrooms, and farmers who destroyed land and fortune through stubbornness. Then he turned on a video in which Tom Peters, best-selling author of In Search of Excellence, made the same point from positive examples. We heard about steel companies where thousands of employees break production and quality records without any job descriptions, work rules, inspectors or janitors; about big-time CEO’s who answer their own phones; and visionaries who turned fruit stands into million-dollar businesses.

“So, too, on the family farm or ranch,” said Don Green. “What happens is usually what people expect to happen. The potential for creativity and action in a family is far beyond what any other organization can hope for,

The salvation of the world, not to mention our personal success, might go begging unless we all become better people.

because no matter what strife exists on the surface, family members want to connect. In decades of counseling, I’ve never failed to find that. But how often do we let negative beliefs mask that strength?”

He and Betty then set out to make us a family, promising to demonstrate right there how to give trust, candor and positive attitudes the upper hand. The tools they used were many and varied, drawn mostly from work of modern prophets of management psychology: Peters, Jay Hall, Warren Bennis continued on page 8

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Love & Trust on the Range and others. The common advice, however, was to dream and listen, no more than that.

The best leaders, we learned, do a lot of both. They believe in people. They listen.

And if they dream so intensely that others catch fire, they also pay attention to the dreams of others and open doors for them.

They preserve a childlike openness to everything.

“Positive thinking isn’t enough,” said Don Green. “When you allow someone to express an idea in person without fear, it heals and energizes them terrifically.”

He carried the idea a step further in another exercise. We took turns sitting in an easy chair listening to others brainstorm ideas for satisfying our goals. It became instantly clear what brilliance, creativity and commitment we commanded as a family, regardless of background.

All the homilies we had heard about captains of industry who found the key to fortune by personally roaming the shop floor with ears cocked made sense. Others, even strangers, had some damn good ideas.

“To think of the time and energy we waste in our operation over little things,” mused one rancher over lunch. “Things like what kind of pickup the boys get to drive, when the success of our ranch depends on a wholly different kind of communication.”

“It’s true,” said another. “The issue isn’t whether the best policy is to move your cattle today or tomorrow or to winter them in the canyon or by the river or whether you should herd a thousand steers in a bunch or in smaller groups. What matters is to not feel afraid to think things through creatively and to see mistakes as lessons, not embarrassments. If you trust your people and your people trust you, you can either make it work or learn something. Otherwise the doubt paralyzes you. You don’t get better, and you end up defending decisions long after you know they’re wrong.”

In the time we were together we had learned a lot of techniques about positive reinforcement, the qualities of enlightened leadership, building job satisfaction, planning for excellence and forging collaboration

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between management and labor. We had also become fast and true friends, sure that as a team we would work magic. But would all that survive in the advancing desert outside?

On the last night by way of answering that question, the Greens announced an activity they called “sculpting” in which we would reproduce our condition using real people as clay. In preparation for that, they demonstrated body language symbolic of various responses to assaults on self-esteem, the most common kind of violence between people,

A good part of the earth might become desert because rigid habits and sour relationships make us incapable of responding to anything as subtle as the ecosystem.

We could recognize the “pleaser,” the “blamer,” the “super rational,” and the “irrelevant,” who simply changes the subject and dithers on. And, of course, we heard about the “congruent” individual who stood in relaxed balance above all such pathology.

As a demonstration, one of the ranchers volunteered to sculpt the family and staff of the ancestral homestead, including his own parents, the foreman of nearly 30 years, the other hands and all their families.

According to the rules, they had to do this in silence. As Don Green put it, too often words get in the way. One person talks.

Another hits back at a superficial point, and the fundamental gets lost.

Slowly at first and grinning a bit selfconsciously, the man began to select parents and the others, placing them in various poses at jarring angles to each other As he did so, his face, all our faces, began to express rising tension.

“And where,” asked Don Green finally, “would you put yourself and your wife?”

That was not at all clear, and when they did put actors in their positions, it did not resolve the scene. They stood apart, the wife looking restlessly around the group, the man bent in the pleaser’s imbalance toward his dad, who faced the other way pointing the blaming finger at his staff.

Some people around the room, and many of the actors, began to sniff, and the line between reality and play evaporated. A desert of emotion invaded the pit of my own stomach. The scene looked that barren.

But it was not.

After the silence had soaked in a while, Don asked if anyone who felt strongly about the scene would volunteer to rearrange it.

The government field agent stepped forward.

Deliberately at first, then in the rush of a person bent on putting out the fire, he began to move the frozen figures, join hands, lower the accusing finger, and bring people face to face.

Later he would say he had recalled how long it took his own wife, an urbane and educated woman, to win a true place in his weather-beaten ranch family.

But he hardly had a chance to act before the figures began to move themselves, spontaneously embracing and drawing together like iron filings under the force of some magnet, and the whole room heaved a sigh as if a shadow had passed away from the sun.

“You see,” said Don Green, breaking the spell. “All that desire to reach out and make contact is present in every family. No matter how hidden it may seem, it is always there.

Sometimes it only takes one congruent person to release it. Sometimes it is a child or a teenager, but it could be you.”

Going away into the night, we knew how a family that could go through that could and would do what they had to to make the land prosper. They could see and hark to its needs quickly and wisely, and it would return abundance.

It did seem possible to grow grass on trust and harmony. It only remained to take the idea back home, back to Wyoming, to Denver, to Wall Street, to wherever.

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Land Language

by Steven H. Rich

This article originates from a talk Steve presented at the Holistic Management Rendezvous held in Texas in September 2003.

W

hen I speak on this topic, I often begin by saying (not quite yelling) in the louder end of my very loud voice, “There aren’t any resource management problems!

There are only communication problems!”

I do that because it works. People remember it. I do it because it’s true. We are strangers in a strange land. Almost all of us are. There were some ecologically successfully cultures. Essentially, they are gone or vanishing. There is in Western Civilization in general, a huge disconnect between people’s beliefs and the truth of the land they love.

Ecological management tools are used according to beliefs of cultures from an ocean away as a matter of political philosophy by well meaning people who don’t know they’re doing that. These “fads” and cultural blind spots are terribly destructive.

For example, believe me, a pine forest growing in molic soils (you know, molisols! They form under grassland !) with a stem density of four or five thousand trees per acre is not saying “burn me,” even if it once had a fire frequency averaging one event every three years. Those cool (as in temperature), little (as in size and intensity) fires in that ancient pine savannah (5 to 50 trees per acre) were basically grass fires.

Crown fires in that dense forest with its huge unnatural fuel load can only be catastrophic—soil sterilizing, horribly erosive, biodiversity destroying—and with centuries long, often permanent, consequences.

A grass plant (or a valley full of them), with years of old growth smothering its few pale remnant leaves and rising stems, is not saying “burn me” either. Nor is a sagebrush steppe with a grass understory in the same shape as those above where grass fire mortality may approach 95 percent. If such sites are dry enough to carry a fire it will probably be too hot for functional grass survival. We need to hear what the land is telling us.

Talking Plant I was on a consulting job in Texas once. We met with the management group at the ranch

headquarters one morning, and I allowed (in my loud voice) as to how we only have communication problems. Most cowboys figure you shouldn’t almost yell at them. They did the steely stare thing.

“I will illustrate,” I said to the steely faces.

“Do any of you speak dog?” I asked.

More steely stares. After a while one guy narrowed his eyes further and said, “What?”

“These are obvious, plain messages from the land. They are not subtle. Neither is the horrid, stinking reek that emanates from the soil surface under the duff on long rested grasslands, the water repellent surface layer, the shrunken grass and forb root zones (an average of 5 inches versus 38 inches on holistically grazed lands).”

“Come on,” I replied. “Can you look at your dog and tell by how she holds her ears, her eyes, her mouth, her tail, her legs and back and muzzle, and how she moves, how she’s feeling, what she’s going to do, and what she wants?”

Eyes widened a little. These were men of the land. They already understood. In a few minutes, they all realized they “spoke” the behavioral language of several animal species to one degree or another. Most also acknowledged that the critters could read them (the men) better than they could read the critters because their “language” is more existential and behavioral than our own.

“So you speak dog, huh?” I asked.

“Yup.” “Horse?”

“Yup.” “Cow? Deer? Cats? Hogs? Quail?” Yup every time.

I then asked “Do any of you speak girl?”

“What?”

“You know, the behavioral language of female humans. The one they’ve been using when they frown, stare at you, put a hand on one hip, and just sigh sadly?”

“Huh?” (Eyes narrowing again) “Well, how are things at home?”

Long silence. Then one tough old guy spoke, in a gruff, but sort of wistful tone: “Well, I try not to go home much.”

I went on to explain that there are many languages (human and other species—like banker) people must learn to succeed on the land. Every species has a language. I told them that plants communicate their state of health to animals visually and chemically—by the way they look, smell and taste. By the time we’d talked all that over, they could see they really didn’t speak those plant languages and that was the reason for all the bare ground and invasive plants.

They didn’t know how to relate to their plant “neighbors” because they didn’t know the meaning of a lot of the things they’d observed all their lives. Therefore they hadn’t adapted in response to the information.

A Context for Understanding Land Language is a language of long intimacy.

The land delivers its message to those with eyes to see, ears to hear, and a good deal of life experience. “Text without context is pretext” as the feller said. Data without context is also pretext, facts that have little to do with understanding a given situation. Many life and death messages may take years or decades for the land as a whole (or its creatures or the climate) to communicate. Drawing conclusions without context delivers clever factoids, but not “Truth” or knowledge. The best definition of truth I know is that Truth is a knowledge of things as they are, as they were, and as they are to come.

Most of the past is lost—forgotten or garbled in memory. I work hard to be aware of the present. Humans can only be conscious of one thing at a time. We can only project about the future. The message of this definition of truth is that our limitations require us to keep records, to pay attention, to base our expectations for the future on experience, to seek for understanding of governing principles and their interaction and relationships, in the place where our judgments are made (sounds like doing monitoring doesn’t it?).

Without all this, we easily fall into false (often continued on page 10

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circular) logic traps through mistaking singular facts for principles. The fact that a large old moribund bunchgrass plant may take three years to recover its complete productive capacities after a single severe grazing (depending on several factors) is a powerful argument, in some minds, against grazing at all. If the plant’s recovery is the only thing monitored, several conclusions can be deduced from the data. These conclusions and data will be cited as evidence and may have a powerful influence on policy, public and private.

may be true, but it is not Truth, and the conclusions and inferences about its real world effects are not true. Intentional or not, they are a disastrous lie. After 12 years without grazing or other defoliation, our big grey bunchgrass, in brittle environments where most bunchgrasses grow, will likely be a sad little spiky looking black/grey circle: dead without descendants.

During the 12 years of planned, managed, monitored grazing, we may have witnessed seedlings in 10 years with two or three big germination events where seedlings occur on 1/4- to 1/2- inch (6-12 mm) spacing even in

managing holistically.

The land can deliver strong messages about long-term consequences to specific long-term actions and policies, if we go to places where we know how long and in what way certain tools have been used there. We then may compare them with places of similar climate, soils and shared histories up to the point of differing tool use (I like comparing National Parks to nearby ranches). Even then we must use care. Do not, for example, assume that plants growing on sites that have never been grazed by large ungulates are the same plants as those growing on sites with a history of ungulate use—even if they are of the

Holistic Monitoring However, our “Truth” definition as defined by context is a holistic one. It does not say “thing as it is” it says “Things as they are.” Real world observations using Steve Rich makes the audience sit up and take notice when he begins his land language talk with “There aren’t any resource holistic monitoring management problems! There are only communication problems.” over, say, 12 years, would tell a different story.

During those years, if spent under a well same species. They developed under a different the 8-inch (200 mm) rainfall country I come planned and monitored (adaptive) grazing and ecological pathway. The response on the grazed from (if the site gets sufficient animal impact). animal impact regime, we may find, in all sites will be very different.

The big old rested plant will likely not generate likelihood, six plants occupying the space This being said, there is a lot to learn from a single seedling in the crusted soil nearby in formerly occupied by one, an increase these landscape comparisons. This data can, after all that time. in total basal coverage, canopy cover, litter, soil one has learned a good deal of the language of These are, in fact, very clear, obvious, plain activity, seed production, bird, reptile, and a place, be translated into human speech in the messages from the land. They are not subtle. mammal use, a shift from mites to beneficial same way one human language is translated Neither is the horrid, stinking reek that emanates nematodes in the soil, increased active bacteria into another. I invite you to find and share the from the soil surface under the duff on long and micorrhizal fungi, and increased native messages. People find them to be of great rested grasslands, the water repellent surface species diversity. Soil carbon and nitrogen will emotional power and authenticity, particularly layer, the shrunken grass and forb root zones have increased, the color of the plants will if you describe the careful rigorous process (an average of 5 inches versus 38 inches, or have deepened, and their digestibility and of translation.

125 mm vs 950 mm, on holistically grazed lands) palatability increased. or the pale yellowish foliage or lack of wildlife The original plant may, in fact, be smaller in Steve Rich is President of the Rangeland (as researched by Dr. Jimmy Richardson, et al this new environment. But its survival chances are Restoration Academy and a long-time Savory at North Dakota State University). better, the watershed functions much better, and Center member. He is an independent range The soil of even overgrazed prairie lands the site will have much more potential energy in consultant and works with the Deseret smells sweet and has better diversity and store, more resilience and better function and Ranches. He resides in both Salt Lake City, function than long-rested soils, but they are a stability (according to most goals, those things are Utah and Arizona. He can be reached sad wreck compared to the deep abundant improvement). The first (shrinking plant) fact at stevenhrich@comcast.net. living world of grasslands created through

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LIVESTOCK

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Ruminations on Herding, Handling and Africa

by Guy Glosson

L

ast September at the Holistic Management Rendezvous held in Texas I got to talking to Allan Savory about low stress animal handling and he asked what it would take to get me to Africa and to work with the staff at the Africa Centre for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe.

“Well,” I said, “you could pay me!” Of course, I knew where that would get me.

Anyway, Allan and I reached an agreement. He got to keep most of his money, of course; I got to use up most of mine. But I got to go on the adventure.

The Herd

I was taken to my chalet, very nice and very clean, then Roger and I had dinner; it was very good, with warm and friendly folks waiting on us for everything. The next morning I was taken to the cattle corral (where the herd stays each night because of lions, leopards and other predators). It had been raining and the corral was muddy, like a feedlot gets when it rains. It was built on a slope so it could drain and situated in a fairly good place.

The men looked over the cows very closely, tending wounds, checking their health and some West Texas Cowboy Meets Africa of the men milked some of the cows. The cattle I arrived at the Victoria Falls airport in looked a little gaunt, but they had been in a Zimbabwe the end of February feeling about as out corral all night and were empty. The men eased of place as a dung beetle on Times Square. I was the animals out of the corral and sorted off the met by a skinny Zimbabwean in short pants and new and young calves and goats. The weak sandals—Roger Parry (I learned why these guys and/or sick cows and the young animals would wear short pants and will tell you later). Roger runs be left in the corral to be tended to by the “bush awareness” courses and also serves as a herders. After that they would be kept up close guide for visitors to Dimbangombe—the name of to the corral for the day while the other men the ranch where the Africa Centre is based. took the herd out to graze. The herd waited Roger recognized me right away as the man he patiently while this work was being carried out. was supposed to pick up because I was the only That they weren’t in a hurry to graze indicated to guy with long sleeves, Wranglers, a ball cap and me that they were in good condition. If the cattle Guy enjoys a chuckle with one of the speakin’ Texan. After a short drive, we turned off were, let’s say, “nutritionally challenged,” I would herdsmen following a low-stress handling the paved highway onto a sand road through the expect them to be hard to handle when the gate session. forest. The grass was taller than the pickup (short was opened. These animals very patiently waited pickup, gas is over $8/gallon). In a few miles we for the men to get them ready to go. reached Dimbangombe where the grass was even better, taller, and The Herding Day obviously much thicker.

It was hard to believe that this could ever have been bare ground, The strongest animals took the lead as the herd moved out to their day’s there was such a tremendous amount of plant material. There were a lot grazing area. The herd consisted of oxen (which are leased out to farmers of trees, with grass plants almost as tall as the trees. They tell me that in plowing season), bulls, cows, yearling bulls, yearling heifers, calves and during the dry season the conditions are much worse. Well it is hard to goats. Some of the cattle belong to the Africa Centre and the rest to various believe but I’ve witnessed the same thing at home—lots of feed one season, members of the community—the community being the people who live in thinking the grass would last forever, only to see it back to nothing the next drought cycle. continued on page 12

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then they started to understand. It was great fun to see the lights come on as they began to see why and how we were doing what we were doing.

I was able to get the men to work the front and quit pushing from the back (the secret of low-stress handling). They did a good job and caught on quite fast. We moved almost the whole herd of 600 through the “race” in about two hours, and the animals were not the least bit bothered by the inconvenience.

the nearby villages. This creates a situation where there are lots of bosses. I guess you could say this adds to the diversity; it also adds to the Elephant Tracking management challenges.

On one afternoon I asked Roger if we could track elephant, since we The animals graze out in tight bunches with the herders staying in front saw fresh elephant sign almost daily. Roger was game, so off we went. This of them keeping them under control. They can’t let the lead get too far is where I learned my lesson about short pants and sandals. We were away as it is hard to keep track of them in the bush. As the cattle start to walking through the bush, grass taller than my head, just about as thick as fill up, they begin to slow down the pace and soon settle down to graze. any good grass flat in an East Texas River bottom. Roger turned to me and The herders keep track of where they are to graze by keeping yesterday’s said: “If we do happen on elephant tracks on one side of the herd. they are likely to be very close.” Then They also take GPS coordinates it dawned on me that I was making every hour. This record helps to so much noise any deaf American pinpoint the grazing area each day. tourist could hear me coming for The herd may spread out a bit but miles! Roger, on the other hand, made the herders will keep them close so no sound at all, he didn’t have on they can keep track of them. The jeans to be dragging in the grass and second crew comes on in the he also didn’t have to haul the extra afternoon and the cattle return to weight through the grass either. the corral before dark, full from a We had a nice walk, but it started day’s grazing. I found the cattle to to rain and was getting late so Roger be in good shape and the operation went to get a heading on the GPS. going quite well. But, this is the Well, guess what, the begin point rainy season and it has rained! didn’t log into the machine like we This seems to work very well both thought it did when we got out for the herders and the cattle. I am of the truck. That’s the way it is with sure that during the dry season, technology: it breaks. We did, when the forage quality and Guy positions herdsman to work the cattle. however, have a compass. Good thing quantity starts to dwindle, the too, as it had been cloudy all day and situation changes drastically. The you couldn’t see the sun anyway. I cattle need to graze longer and the mean we were in thick bush, like being a mouse in a hay field. The only herders don’t want to get out of bed early; it’s cold! place you could see was straight up.

Low-Stress Handling Lessons It started to rain hard and we started to walk. Then I saw why sandals were a good thing too, they don’t care if it rains. Boots have to dry out.

I was able to help the men with their handling, but the animals were Anyway, Roger checked the heading every once in a while and after about pretty gentle to begin with. When the men milk the cows they just walk an hour we walked right out of the bush and into the back of the truck. up behind them and tie their hind legs together with a small cord or Pretty good navigation if you ask me. shoestring, and milk them. The cattle are treated for ticks almost monthly If you can’t tell, I had a pretty good time. Met good folks, ate good food, and go through the “race” (chute) very often. The “race” is built out of net and really enjoyed the privilege of seeing life in a different culture. I got to wire, with posts 10 feet (3 meters) apart. It’s about 3 feet (1 meter) wide. see a bit of the world I’d never seen before.

There are no gates on the front or the back, only poles that slide across the Thanks to all those at the Africa Centre for seeing to me, and to Roger opening. The gate shutting them into the crowd pen is a wire gap. The gate for babysitting me. going into the crowd pen is 4 feet (1.2 meters) wide. Not the kind of set up I hope that in some small way I have helped make those herders you would find in Texas! lives a little better. All I can do is plant seeds, then hope they grow.

After a short lecture, through translation (drawing on the ground with a stick) we started to work the animals through the “race.” As always, people have to hear it, see it, and do it before the learning can begin. These guys were no different from us Texans, though maybe they were a little quicker on the uptake. After watching me demonstrate on several bunches of cattle, I literally “got a hold” of these guys and led them through the motion. And

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Certified Educator Guy Glosson manages the Mesquite Grove Ranch near Snyder, Texas, runs a ranch consulting business on the side, and teaches low-stress animal handling. He can be reached at glosson@caprock-spur.com.

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From Grass to Trees—

Extending Holistic Management to Forests

by Ray Travers

H

olistic Management has broad application in many walks of life, • managing for timber value; including forestry. The holistic goal, which integrates human • managing for habitat of desired wildlife or plant species. (Habitat for values, the future resource base description, and forms of many generalist plant and animal species is found in early succession—that production, and drives decision-making, has major but to date, unutilized is young—forests. Habitat for many specialized species is found in late application in most forest policy and practice. succession—that is old growth—forests).

The testing guidelines have the same potential in forestry as in grazing management. They can ensure the best available knowledge is used to These forms of production provide the link between the future evaluate forest management alternatives before a decision is made and can resource base description and the quality of life values in the help transform forestry from the clearcut-and-plant regime to one that is comprehensive holistic goal. sound, ecologically, economically and A forest that will socially. optimize growth of While many forest timber volume and management agencies value begins with today have good high initial stocking vegetation (1,000+ trees/acre, classification systems, 2,500+ trees/hectare), is which organize lightly thinned ecological data along frequently—every two gradients of climate decades or so—and and moisture (similar leaves over 70 percent to the brittleness of the stand after each scale), this is not thinning, as illustrated enough. Clearcutting in the photo taken in is still the dominant a research study area logging practice (by in coastal British far), even when its Columbia, Canada. negative impacts are “Reading” the softened by practices Forest such as protecting wildlife trees and Forest managers, Pacific Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada riparian land. like ranchers, need to The major spend as much of This Douglas fir stand was 52 years old when this photo was taken in August 2000. It had contribution that their time as they can been lightly thinned six times, leaving 70 percent of the growth in each thinning. Note the Holistic Management on the land, relatively high stocking of the stand and that each tree is close to cylindrical form. There is offers to forestry is its continuously “reading” an absence of lower green branches, and self-pruning of the small dead branches is emphasis on active the condition of the occurring. Coastal Douglas fir Study, Sayward, Vancouver Island, Canada. (versus passive) forest. As in ranching, management. Holistic the reason is simple: Management accepts that humans are part of nature and that it is possible, weather, wind, insects, disease, fire, animals and human activity are always through sound decision-making, monitoring and, where necessary, impacting the forest’s composition, structure and ecological processes. replanning, to improve the health, biodiversity and productivity of the forest.

Much of the terminology of forestry is similar to the terms in grazing Holistic Management practitioners managing grasslands already know this. management, although the meanings are specific to trees. Some examples These same concepts and principles can be extended from grass to trees. of forestry terms are:

Forms of Production Good forest practice is all about intentionally changing the forest structures (i.e. trees) and composition (mix of species), which produce the flow of values and outcomes that people want. Several forms of production that can help make this happen are: • managing for timber volume;

• Basal Area: the cross sectional area of a single tree, including the bark

(or the sum of trees/hectare or trees/acre) measured at 4.5 feet (1.5 meters) above ground; Rotation: The time between stand establishment and cutting, measured in decades or even centuries; Stocking: the number of trees on a given acre/hectare;

• •

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Extending Holistic Management to Forests continued from page 13 •

Stand Density: a quantitative measure of stocking which may be the number of trees, basal area or volume on an acre/hectare. It measures the degree of crowding or competition.

In the end, good forestry is always more concerned with what is left standing after logging than what is taken. The economic goal is to incrementally increase the forest’s net worth with every action taken.

Forest Restoration Through Applied Disturbances Natural disturbances in forests include windstorms, insects, disease and fire. Each forest has a natural disturbance regime that is characteristic for its climate and forest type. The three distinct properties of a natural disturbance are:

•

Return Interval: The average time between disturbances in a stand. A disturbance regime with a 50-year return interval, for example, suggests that 2 percent of the landscape will be disturbed every year.

Severity: The intensity of the disturbance. A stand replacement fire, for example, is more severe that a stand maintenance fire.

Spatial Pattern: The spatial distribution of the disturbance at different scales, from the stand to the landscape level.

The prevailing view in conventional forestry is that natural disturbances are an aberration (we’ve all met Ray Smoky the Bear). When these natural disturbances do occur, the conventional view is that major efforts are required to control their spread, as in the case of fire, or to salvage timber values before economic losses occur.

Holistic Management, in contrast, is a restorative management paradigm that accepts that natural disturbances are the way nature keeps an ecosystem healthy. Where wild forest fires have been extinguished for many years or their spread restricted, there is usually increased tree mortality from insects and disease. A natural disturbance also prevents a forest from developing the maximum leaf area, so it acts as a natural thinning and fertilization agent. But the spatial effect of a natural disturbance is usually irregular and selective.

Without disturbance in a forest, there is increased competition and reduced growth efficiency of the trees. The ecological effect of a natural disturbance (or a thinning) in the tree canopy is to extend the influence of precipitation and solar radiation down to the forest floor. Soil temperature will increase and some tree mortality will temporarily reduce transpiration.

Increased soil temperature and moisture on the forest floor will stimulate mineralization and microbial activity. Fresh leaf fall, insect droppings or wood ash will stimulate these processes as well.

As the forest recovers from the disturbance, water and nutrient uptake per unit of green leaf area will increase. Additional light in the understory will also increase the rate of photosynthesis in the lower canopy. The rate of wood production per unit of leaf area will increase. In other words, natural disturbances increase the effectiveness of the ecological processes—particularly energy flow—that restore the forest's productivity, health and biodiversity.

These natural restorative processes in a forest are analogous to the animal impact and herd effect in planned grazing: Animal impact is defined as everything that large animals do physically

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to affect land condition, except graze. Animal impact includes trampling, rubbing, dunging, urinating and salivating—which have a restorative effect on rangelands.

Herd effect is the impact that a concentrated or excited herd of large animals have on soil and vegetation properties. Hoof action and trampling knocks down standing vegetation and grinds it into soil, along with manure and plant seeds. If the herd effect is excessive—too long or too frequent—it causes soil compaction.

In both forestry and ranching, practices that promote effective ecological processes also restore the health of the land.

Forest Stocking Levels Determine Wood Quality High-quality, high-value trees have close to a cylindrical form, and straight logs can be made from them. The wood density is high, with a high number of rings per inch or centimeter. Small green knots are acceptable but loose encased knots are not. Low-strength low-value “juvenile” wood, caused by fast growing wide rings growing adjacent to the green branches, must be kept to a minimum.

Open-grown coniferous trees at low stocking levels will have large green branches the entire height. The trunk of this kind of tree looks like an inverted ice cream cone. The wood produced in open-grown trees has low structural value. On the other hand, trees grown at high stocking levels will have smaller green branches in the top third of the tree, and the tree form will be close to a cylinder. This wood has high structural value.

High basal area reduces the diameter growth rate of each tree, but each log will have well-developed, highquality attributes from an early age. High basal area also Travers improves tree form by reducing the taper rate. As well, high basal area reduces the proportion of juvenile wood and the number of juvenile rings in the core of the tree. But most important, high basal area promotes development of small knots and eventually, no knots, as self-pruning occurs.

Varying the levels of stocking and basal area in different tree growing regimes will not eliminate branches and knots but it will control their type, size and distribution. Competition between trees of the same species starts earlier at high initial densities in contrast to low densities. Trees in low-density stands retain green branches longer. When competition within the stand starts to occur, self-pruning of the dying branches proceeds and the green crown “moves up” the tree.

The Weak Link: Commercial Utilization of Small-Diameter Trees The weak link in managing young forests for value is a perceived inability to commercially utilize the small diameter tree. Indeed, many forest landowners have assumed it couldn’t be done. Making small trees commercial requires growing them at high initial stocking levels after logging, so high quality attributes can develop from the time of stand establishment. Another key is to “clean” the stand at an early age so that individual trees with poor form and low commercial value are removed. Markets need to be developed for small trees. For the rancher, fence posts are a good use for strong, durable small trees. Where a pulp mill is nearby, green young “fresh” trees will make a high quality chip.

Fortunately, with new markets, innovative logging and milling processes, the small diameter tree need not be the economic obstacle it once was.

Benefits of Extended Forest Rotations Forests grown for value in a management program that starts with high

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initial stocking (say 1,000 trees/acre, 2,500 trees/hectare), followed by frequent light thinnings, will extend the rotation. This contrasts with the conventional short rotation “sudden sawlog” method of growing widely spaced trees (say 400 trees/acre, 1,000 trees/hectare). Extended rotation trees with large well-developed crowns in their later years are ready to put on large annual increments of volume and value in a stand. Forest research studies have confirmed that when trees in a thinned stand are given some space to grow, the growth rate of the remaining trees continues to increase for decades, and perhaps for over a century. Until this progressive kind of forestry has been practiced for over a hundred years, it simply will not be known how long the increasing growth rate will continue.

Other environmental, economic and social benefits of value-based forestry are: reduced land area in early and mid-successional forest; more natural regeneration and lower reforestation costs; less need for brush control and slash burning; improved habitat for certain wildlife species; less visual impact; maintenance of long-term site productivity and enhanced water cycle;

• • • • • •

• increased carbon storage with larger growing stock; • increased stand health and reduced insect, disease and fire risk; • generation of intermediate income and employment with each

commercial thinning during the extended rotation.

Forest Conservation and Management at its Best Holistic Management is purpose driven and proactive. When its practice restores the health, productivity and biodiversity of the forest, the likelihood of success increases. When its practice improves the quality and value of the timber, greater financial rewards are assured.

When negative environmental impacts are reduced, both land and people are better off.

This is resource conservation and management at its best. Holistic Management practitioners are doing it with grass. It can also be done with trees.

Ray Travers is a Registered Professional Forester and private forestry consultant, based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He can be reached via email at: rtravers@islandnet.com.

It Works!— One-Strand Deer Fencing When we first published this article in July 1986 a number of ranchers tried the short, one-strand fence to protect small areas from deer and found it to be effective. The same idea has been used successfully in Africa to keep hippo out of gardens. Author Donnie Harmel passed away a few years ago, and we aren’t sure if the short one-strand fence was ever tried on more extensive areas.

A

n economical method to retard the movement of wild game for management purposes and to protect crops has been a problem facing many landowners throughout the country.

Numerous types of 7- to 8-foot (2.1- to 2.8-meter)-high net-wire fences have been constructed to control white-tailed deer movement in our area. These fences have been effective, but very costly. Multi-strand electric fences have also been used with varying degrees of success.

While conducting census surveys in a high white-tailed deer population area of central Texas, two wildlife technicians from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department noticed a peach orchard along the survey route that appeared not to have any fence around its borders.

The orchard did not show any signs of depredation and yet deer were seen all around it. On completing the survey, the two wildlife technicians went back to further investigate and question the owner of the orchard. They found that the owner was keeping deer out of his orchard with a one-wire, electric fence approximately 10-inches (25 cm) above the ground.

We decided to put it to the test on the Kerr Wildlife Management Area. We had two plots containing oats, winter wheat, rye and clover that we used to feed the deer. Since the deer were overgrazing these plots, our hope was to get some control with a fence. In the fall of 1985 we partially fenced both plots with the one-strand, 10-inch (25-cm)-high fence, leaving the deer access to the unfenced areas. The fenced areas

This one strand wire stretching 10 inches (25 cm) above the ground has proven to be an effective deer barrier.

were then fertilized and watered to ensure good growth and to appear especially enticing to the deer.

After maturing, the height of the vegetation outside the one protected area averaged 18 inches (45 cm) as compared to a 48-inch (1.25 meters) average inside the plot protected by the one-strand fence. (During the growing season several visitors to the Wildlife Management Area thought we had taken a lawn mower and mowed the unprotected portions.)

These were very small plots—less than 1 acre (1/3 hectare) in size— and more testing is being done to see if similar results can be obtained on larger areas. I would encourage any of you who live in high-deerdensity areas to further test this and would like to know what you learn.

--Donnie Harmel We would like to hear from anyone who has used this idea on larger areas and with what results. Contact Jody Butterfield at jodyb@holisticmanagement.org, or 505/842-5252.

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GRAPEVINE

members at its headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, who plan to follow up when Allan returns in June for the awards ceremony.

n ews f ro m t h e s a vo r y c e n t e r * p e o p l e , p ro g ra m s & p ro j e c t s

Savory Center Receives Grant

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arly this year we received a grant of $25,000 from the Maria Gans Norbury Fund for Animals to create an endowment fund for the Africa Centre for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe. The endowment funds will be invested in cattle, and possibly goats, in order to grow the endowment principal through retention of females, and accrue “interest” through sales of male progeny and cull cows and bulls.

The herd will be used as a tool for restoring wildlife habitat even as it grows in numbers. In Zimbabwe, where inflation is running at 700 percent and rising, there is no option but to invest in hard assets. Livestock is the logical investment choice for The Savory Center/Africa Centre since we have many years experience in managing livestock to achieve land restoration, and the Africa Centre currently runs a mixed herd of cattle, goats, and donkeys. The “interest” earned from the endowment will be invested in the education and training programs the Africa Centre is running through the Dimbangombe College of Wildlife, Agriculture, and Conservation Management. We’re grateful to the Norbury Fund for this tremendous opportunity.

A Progress Report

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In last issue’s Grapevine we acknowledged the many contributions we had received to cover the costs of heart-valve replacement surgery for a former Africa Centre staff member and wife of the Africa Centre’s Community Programs Manager, Elias Ncube. We’re very happy to report that Tasiyana Ncube had her surgery in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on February 12th and after a two-week stay in the hospital returned home to her family the end of February.

According to Dr. Sonja van Riet, who performed the surgery, Tasiyana could not have waited much longer. Thanks to all of you who sent in the contributions that saved Tasiyana’s life.

group agreed that the most immediate need was for range and soil food web monitoring to be conducted and analyzed by third party researchers. That monitoring is set to begin in late September. The Savory Centre would like to thank all those who contributed ideas beforehand and participated in the meeting— representatives from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Natural Resources Conservation Service, University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and HRM of Texas members and staff.

Savory Center Assists DuPont

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arly this year, Allan Savory was invited by DuPont’s Safety, Health and Environment Excellence Center to serve on an 18-member panel of judges to select the winners of DuPont’s 2004 Sustainable Growth Excellence Awards. These awards are given annually to nominees who are working within DuPont to enable it to become “a more sustainable company.” The judges were brought in from all over the world and represented various DuPont divisions as well as outside organizations such as Natural Capitalism in the U.S. and the Escola Superior de Agricultura in Brazil. Over the three days Allan was also given the opportunity to make a presentation to key DuPont staff

PHOTO BY THE LAND

David & Mary Marsh

Savory Center Members Win Awards

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n February David and Mary Marsh were named Conservation Farmers of the Year by the Central West Conservation Farming Association in Australia. The Marshes run a 200-acre (800hectare) farm in the Boorowa District. They impressed judges with their efforts at building biodiversity and working in harmony with Nature. As of last year they decided to not continue their cropping operation and instead focus on their low-input grazing operation in an effort to manage the land holistically.

George Whitten, Jr. was presented with the 2003 Colorado Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) Private Livestockman of the Year award at the CCA annual banquet in Colorado Springs in November 2003. The January 2004 Cattle Guard noted that this award, “recognizes those l

West Ranch Research Planning

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n March 20 a group of researchers and others gathered at The Savory Center’s ranch (the West Ranch) near Ozona, Texas, to map out a research plan that will help us document progress at this learning site. The

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The team of judges who selected the winners for this years DuPont Sustainable Growth Excellence Awards (Allan Savory is on second row, third from left).

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George Whitten (on right) with Lee Johnson and Craig Leggett as part of the “cattle crew” on the La Semilla revegetation project. andowners who have served as model stewards and have demonstrated to the public their commitment to the environment. Whitten's exemplary stewardship practices in the areas of range, soil, water, and wildlife management have shown his dedication to a lifestyle we all endear.”

Congratulations to David, Mary, and George.

Development Director Honored

S

avory Center Development Director Lee Dueringer recently received the 2004 E. Burton Mercier Alumni Service Award from the Illinois State University Alumni Association. This award is presented to alumni in recognition of their outstanding volunteer service and contributions to Illinois State or in service to the community, state, country, or an important social cause.

Congratulations, Lee.

New Staff at the Savory Center

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rooke Palmer joined The Savory Center in February as the Executive Assistant to Executive Director Tim LaSalle, and to Director of Development Lee Dueringer. Brooke comes with over eight years work experience at Harvard University where she worked at the Kennedy School of Government, in the Department of Economics as Administrative Assistant to economist, Brooke Palmer Professor Emeritus John Kenneth Galbraith, and more recently, at the Harvard Divinity School’s Center for the Study of World Religions where she coordinated the events and fellowship programs.

Brooke graduated from Smith College (where she received a B.S. in Geology), and attended the School for International Training. She was a

former Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia and traveled to Taiwan with the IFYE (International Four-H Youth Exchange). She is conversationally proficient in Spanish.

Brooke is a refugee from the harsh winters of her native New England, and is indeed pleased to be in sunny Albuquerque with her new position at The Savory Center.

She likes to sail (although there won’t be as many opportunities for that here), hiking, camping, reading, print-making, and photography.

Brooke is excited about joining The Savory Center staff because she likes the mission and the work. She also is pleased that we have an international focus.

Alicia Schell has joined The Savory Center as the Financial Coordinator, replacing Jessica Stolz who recently married and moved to Portland. Alicia was born and raised in Washington State.

She is currently working toward Alicia Schell her bachelor’s degree in Finance. She has worked in a number of office positions, including accounts payable and project manager, for a graphic designs firm, a travel company, and an advertising firm. When not at the Savory Center, Alicia and her husband, Brian, are busy with their children, Keanu and Kailey. Alicia is eager to explore the language, food, and art of New Mexico, as well as the landscape. She applied for the job because she likes the focus on education at the Savory Center and her position brings together a number of job responsibilities she’s had at her other employment.

Donna Torrez joins The Savory Center as our Administrative Assistant. She has worked in a number of customer service positions, most recently at a local hospital as customer service coordinator. She was particularly excited about The Savory Center’s holistic approach to land management, and Donna Torrez is eager to work

with our membership as she enjoys listening to people and helping them. She, too, is conversationally proficient in Spanish.

Outside of work, Donna is busy with her family, including her husband, Gilbert, and her two children, Valerie and Daniel, and her three grandchildren. She enjoys gardening, landscaping, embroidery, and learning about medicinal herbs.

Welcome to Brooke, Alicia, and Donna.

Ride Benefits Savory Center

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n late March the Savory Center was presented a check for $1500 on behalf of over 60 riders in the Dupuis Piney Pig Endurance Ride, held January 31 near South Florida’s Indian Town.

The event is held annually to raise funds for The Savory Center and a local charity and draws East Coast riders from as far north as Maine.

Dr. Megan Davis (daughter of Allan Savory) started the event three years ago for endurance enthusiasts who race 15, 30, 50, 80 and 100-mile courses.

PHOTO BY KEN SILER

Kelly Fisch won the 15-mile race in this fundraising event for the Savory Center.

Outreach Efforts

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his winter we’ve had a number of people attending conferences and staffing booths for us. We’d like to thank Abe Collins who staffed a booth for us at the Northeast Organic Farming Association-Vermont Conference; Mike Bowman who represented us at The Beginning Rancher and Farmer Conference in Nebraska; Seth Wilner who represented us at the Keep Growing New Farmers Conference in Connecticut; and to Phil Metzger for getting our materials to the conference participants at the Northeast Grasstravaganza Conference in New York.

Our thanks to all of you who have worked to spread the word about Holistic Management and The Savory Center.

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Certified

Educators

To our knowledge, Certified Educators are the best qualified individuals to help others learn to practice Holistic Management and to provide them with technical assistance when necessary. On a yearly basis, Certified Educators renew their agreement to be affiliated with the Center. This agreement requires their commitment to practice Holistic Management in their own lives, to seek out opportunities for staying current with the latest developments in Holistic Management and to maintain a high standard of ethical conduct in their work.

For more information about or application forms for the U.S., Africa, or International Certified Educator Training Programs, contact Kelly Pasztor at the Savory Center or visit our website at www.holisticmanagement.org/wwo_certed.cfm?

* These educators provide Holistic Management instruction on behalf of the institutions they represent.

UNITED STATES ARIZONA Kelly Mulville 2884 W. Hilltop, Portal, AZ 85632 jackofallterrains@hotmail.com ARKANSAS Preston Sullivan P.O. Box 4483, Fayetteville, AR 72702 479/443-0609 • 479/442-9824 (w) prestons@nwaisp.com CALIFORNIA Monte Bell 325 Meadowood Dr., Orland, CA 95963 530/865-3246 • mbell95963@yahoo.com Julie Bohannon 652 Milo Terrace, Los Angeles, CA 90042 323/257-1915 • JoeBoCom@pacbell.net

Chadwick McKellar 16775 Southwood Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80908 719/495-4641 • cmckellar@juno.com Byron Shelton 33900 Surrey Lane, Buena Vista, CO 81211 719/395-8157 • landmark@my.amigo.net GEORGIA Constance Neely 1160 Twelve Oaks Circle Watkinsville, GA 30677 • 706/310-0678 cneely@holisticmanagement.org IOWA Bill Casey 1800 Grand Ave., Keokuk, IA 52632-2944 319/524-5098 • wpccasey@interl.net

Roland Kroos 4926 Itana Circle, Bozeman, MT 59715 406/522-3862 KROOSING@earthlink.net

* Cliff Montagne Montana State University Department of Land Resources & Environmental Science Bozeman, MT 59717 406/994-5079 • montagne@montana.edu NEW MEXICO

* Ann Adams The Savory Center 1010 Tijeras NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 505/842-5252 anna@holisticmanagement.org Amy Driggs 1131 Los Tomases NW Albuquerque, NM 87102 505/242-2787 adriggs@orbusinternational.com Kirk Gadzia P.O. Box 1100, Bernalillo, NM 87004 505/867-4685 • fax: 505/867-0262 kgadzia@earthlink.net Ken Jacobson 12101 Menaul Blvd. NE, Ste A Albuquerque, NM 87112 505/293-7570 kbjacobson@orbusinternational.com

Bill Burrows 12250 Colyear Springs Rd. Red Bluff, CA 96080 530/529-1535 • sunflowercrmp@msn.com

KENTUCKY

Jennifer Hamre 9641 Charleville Blvd #382 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 818/943-5402; yosefahanah@yahoo.com

LOUISIANA

* Kelly Pasztor The Savory Center 1010 Tijeras NW Albuquerque, NM 87102 505/842-5252 kellyp@holisticmanagement.org

Tina Pilione P.O. 923, Eunice, LA 70535 phone/fax: 337/580-0068 tinamp@charter.net

Sue Probart P.O. Box 81827 Albuquerque, NM 87198 505/265-4554 • tnm@treenm.com

MAINE Vivianne Holmes 239 E. Buckfield Rd. Buckfield, ME 04220-4209 207/336-2484 • vholmes@umext.maine.edu

Vicki Turpen 03 El Nido Amado SW Albuquerque, NM 87121 505/873-0473 • mvt9357@aol.com

Richard King 1675 Adobe Rd., Petaluma, CA 94954 707/769-1490 • 707/794-8692 (w) richard.king@ca.usda.gov Christopher Peck P.O. Box 2286, Sebastopol, CA 95472 707/758-0171 ctopherp@holistic-solutions.net Cindy Dvergsten 17702 County Rd. 23, Dolores, CO 81323 970/882-4222 info@wholenewconcepts.com Rio de la Vista P.O. Box 777, Monte Vista, CO 81144 719/852-2211 • riovista@rmi.net Daniela and Jim Howell P.O. Box 67, Cimarron, CO 81220-0067 970/249-0353 • howelljd@montrose.net Tim McGaffic P.O. Box 476, Ignacio, CO 81137 970/946-9957 • tim@timmcgaffic.com

IN PRACTICE

MASSACHUSETTS

* Christine Jost

COLORADO

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Joel Benson 1180 Fords Mill Rd., Versailles, KY 40383 859/879-6365 • joel@growgdp.com

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Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine 200 Westboro Road North Grafton, MA 01536 508/887-4763 • christine.jost@tufts.edu MINNESOTA Terri Goodfellow-Heyer 4660 Cottonwood Lane North Plymouth, MN 55442 763/559-0099 • tgheyer@comcast.net MONTANA Wayne Burleson RT 1, Box 2780, Absarokee, MT 59001 406/328-6808 • rutbuster@montana.net

NEW YORK Karl North 3501 Hoxie Gorge Rd. Marathon, NY 13803 607/849-3328 • northsheep@juno.com NORTH CAROLINA Sam Bingham 394 Vanderbilt Rd., Asheville, NC 28803 828/274-1309 • sbingham@igc.org NORTH DAKOTA

* Wayne Berry University of North Dakota—Williston P.O. Box 1326, Williston, ND 58802 701/774-4269 or 701/774-4200 wayne.berry@wsc.nodak.edu

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INTERNATIONAL PENNSYLVANIA Jim Weaver RR6 Box 205, Wellsboro, PA 16901-8976 570/724-7788 • jaweaver@epix.net OKLAHOMA Kim Barker RT 2, Box 67, Waynoka, OK 73860 580/824-9011 • barker_k@hotmail.com TEXAS Christina Allday-Bondy 2703 Grennock Dr., Austin, TX 78745 512/441-2019 • tododia@peoplepc.com Guy Glosson 6717 Hwy 380, Snyder, TX 79549 806/237-2554 • glosson@caprock-spur.com

* R.H. (Dick) Richardson University of Texas at Austin Department of Integrative Biology Austin, TX 78712 512/471-4128 • d.richardson@mail.utexas.edu Peggy Sechrist 25 Thunderbird Rd. Fredericksburg, TX 78624 830/990-2529 • peggy@ fbg.net Liz Williams 4106 Avenue B Austin, TX 78751-4220 512/323-2858 • evwilliams@austinrr.com WASHINGTON Craig Madsen P.O. Box 107, Edwall, WA 99008 509/236-2451 madsen2fir@centurytel.net Sandra Matheson 228 E. Smith Rd. Bellingham, WA 98226 360/398-7866 • smm1@ gte.net

* Don Nelson Washington State University P.O. Box 646310, Pullman, WA 99164 509/335-2922 • nelsond@ wsu.edu Maurice Robinette S. 16102 Wolfe Rd., Cheney, WA 99004 509/299-4942 • mlr@icehouse.net Doug Warnock 151 Cedar Cove Rd. Ellensburg, WA 98926 509/925-9127 • warnockd@ elltel.net WISCONSIN Elizabeth Bird Room 203 Hiram Smith Hall 1545 Observatory Dr., Madison WI 53706 608/265-3727 • eabird@facstaff.wisc.edu Larry Johnson W886 State Road 92, Brooklyn, WI 53521 608/455-1685 • lpjohn@rconnect.com WYOMING Tim Morrison P.O. Box 536, Meeteese, WY 82433 307/868-2354 • mcd@tctwest.net

AUSTRALIA Helen Carrell “Hillside” 25 Weewondilla Rd. Glennie Heights, Warwick, QLD 4370 61-4-1878-5285 • 61-7-4661-7383 helenc@upfrontoutback.com Steve Hailstone 5 Lampert Rd., Crafers, SA 5152 61-4-1882-2212 shailstone@internode.on.net Graeme Hand “Inverary” Caroona Lane, Branxholme, VIC 3302 61-3-5578-6272 • 61-4-1853-2130 gshand@hotkey.net.au Mark Gardner P.O. Box 1395, Dubbo, NSW 2830 61-2-6882-0605 gardnerm@ozemail.com.au Brian Marshall “Lucella”; Nundle, NSW 2340 61-2-6769 8226 • fax: 61-2-6769 8223 bkmrshl@northnet.com.au Bruce Ward P.O. Box 103, Milsons Pt., NSW 1565 61-2-9929-5568 • fax: 61-2-9929-5569 blward@holisticresults. com. au Brian Wehlburg c/o “Sunnyholt”, Injue, QLD 4454 61-7-4626-7187 ijapo2000@yahoo.com CANADA Don and Randee Halladay Box 2, Site 2, RR 1, Rocky Mountain House, AB T0M 1T0 • 403/729-2472 donran@telusplanet. net Noel McNaughton 5704-144 St., Edmondton, AB, T6H 4H4 780/432-5492 • noel@mcnaughton.ca Len Pigott Box 222, Dysart, SK SOH 1HO 306/432-4583 • JLPigott@sk.sympatico.ca Kelly Sidoryk Box 374, Lloydminster, AB, S9V 0Y4 403/875-4418 hi-gain@telusplanet.net MEXICO Ivan Aguirre La Inmaculada Apdo. Postal 304, Hermosillo, Sonora 83000 tel/fax: 52-637-377-8929 rancho_inmaculada@yahoo.com Elco Blanco-Madrid Cristobal de Olid #307 Chihuahua Chih., 31240 52-614-415-3497 • fax: 52-614-415-3175 elco_blanco@hotmail.com Manuel Casas-Perez Calle Amarguva No. 61, Lomas Herradura Huixquilucan, Mexico City CP 52785 52-558-291-3934 • 52-588-992-0220 (w) iconquiahua@att.net.mx

Jose Ramon “Moncho” Villar Av. Las Americas #1178 Fracc. Cumbres Saltillo, Coahuila 25270 52-844-415-1542 • ffmh@prodigy.net.mx NAMIBIA Gero Diekmann P.O. Box 363, Okahandja 9000 264-62-518091 nam00132@mweb.com.na Colin Nott P.O. Box 11977, Windhoek 264-61-228506 canott@iafrica.com.na Wiebke Volkmann P.O. Box 182, Otavi, 067-23-44-48 wiebke@mweb.com.na NEW ZEALAND John King P.O. Box 3440, Richmond, Nelson 64-3-547-6347 succession@clear.net.nz SOUTH AFRICA Sheldon Barnes P.O. Box 300, Kimberly 8300 Johan Blom P.O. Box 568, Graaf-Reinet 6280 27-49-891-0163 johanblom@cybertrade.co.za Ian Mitchell-Innes P.O. Box 52, Elandslaagte 2900 27-36-421-1747 • blanerne@mweb.co.za Norman Neave Box 141, Mtubatuba 3935 27-35-5504150 • norboom@saol.com Dick Richardson P.O. Box 1806, Vryburg 8600 tel/fax: 27-53-927-4367 judyrich@cybertrade.co.za Colleen Todd P.O. Box 21, Hoedspruit 1380 27-82-335-3901 (cell) colleen_todd@yahoo.com ZIMBABWE Mutizwa Mukute PELUM Association Regional Desk P.O. Box MP 1059 Mount Pleasant, Harare 263-4-74470/744117 • fax: 263-4-744470 pelum@mail.pci.co.zw Liberty Mabhena Spring Cabinet P.O. Box 853, Harare 263-4-210021/2 • 263-4-210577/8 fax: 263-4-210273 Sister Maria Chiedza Mutasa Bandolfi Convent P.O. Box 900, Masvingo 263-39-7699 • 263-39-7530 Elias Ncube P. Bag 5950, Victoria Falls 263-3-454519 rogpachm@africaonline.co.zw

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