How to Green the Desert?

David M. BojeNov 16, 2015 Mgt 375v & BA 550

Boje Leading Sustainability Council

at NMSU

Congratulations

I live in Permanent Desert that is dying!

It was once upon a time GRASSLAND, short grass prairies, now is mesquite and creosol bush land

Now Rio Grande River so dry we call it RIO SANDhttp://www.latimes.com/videogallery/76892670/News/New-Mexico-drought THE DROUGHT IN NEW MEXICO, 2013 LA TIMES Video

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-me-parched-20130806-dto-htmlstory.html article

Desert Changes in New Mexico

“Carpeting the landscape in lush waves, Black Grama grass had long been the signature of the 140,000-square-mile Chihuahuan Desert. But overgrazing and persistent drought have hit hard here, reducing the grass to small, stiff tufts, sparsely spaced.” LA TIMES & NMSU ACES

From Grama Grass to the Mesquite & Creosol Bushes

As vegetation dies off and the process of desertification accelerates,

Biodiversity continues to decline

The Watershed at risk

Crops failing

Animal stock dying

1:32 Allan Savory Discussing Desertification and Climate Change, in New Mexico as MICRO CLIMATE dies MACRO CLIMATE CHANGESAllan Savory Discussing Desertification and Climate Change. Shot in New Mexico on the banks of the Rio Grande near ...HD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW-phWBmApA

How to fight Desertification?

22:20 – BEST 20 minutes you could spend in 375 550!

TED Talk: Allan Savory How to fight desertification and reverse climate change

Desertification Allan Savory points

We have New Mexico environment with months of rain, followed by months of no rain

2/3rds of world is desertifying

The water falls on our New Mexico Desert, runs off, and evaporates

Look at soil in grass land, it is covered with bareness, and water runs off, leaves soil bare

Everyone knows over-grazing leads to desertification We were wrong shot 40,000 elephants to sustain land Why are national parks desertifying Cattle grazing creates grass changes So what causes desertification Make soil bare, and its cooler at night and hotter in day – Why is desertification getting worse? The grazing animals develop herds to be safe from predators, keep dung-ing & moving, trampling, - cover soil, mulch, permaculture – while controlling herd size reverse the desertification in BLM desert areas NOWplanned grazing holistic planning to increase crop yeilds work with nature at low cost to REVERSE the desertification & climate change take us back to pre-industrial levels by caring for grasslands!

Try this test“… kick a toe into loamy soil or drag a boot heel

across the desert's crust, leaning down to squint at the tiny excavation.

Try that maneuver in New Mexico these days and it yields nothing but bad news in a puff of dust.” (LA TIMES)

NM Drought “All of New Mexico is officially in a drought, and

three-quarters of it is categorized as severe or exceptional.

Reservoir storage statewide is 17% of normal, lowest in the West.

Residents of some towns subsist on trucked-in water, and others are drilling deep wells costing $100,000 or more to sink and still more to operate.”

New Mexico Desert’s DOWNWARD SPIRAL

Low crop yields are NORM in New Mexico

Live stock levels 1/5th of NORMAL

Recent MONSOON rains won’t make a dent in the long-cycle of drought in New Mexico

ARE THESE CHANGES A PERMANENT RESULT OF CLIMATE CHANGE?

OR IS IT JUST POOR ECO-HABITS of RUN AWAY OVER CONSUMPTION CULTURE?

Hauling Water“Wildlife managers are hauling water to elk

herds in the mountains and blaming the drought for the unusually high number of deer and antelope killed on New Mexico's highways, surmising that the animals are taking greater risks to find water.”

Many of trees in Albuquerque are dead, and water restrictions are effect, so cannot water them

The Agro Rebel - Permaculture in Salzburg

Alps

WATCHED

6:39

by DenkmalFilm

6 years ago

15,040 views

Website: http://www.denkmalfilm.tv/index.php?page=agrarrebell-2&am...DVD: http://shop.denkmalfilm.tv/main_bigware_34.php?

Permaculture Greening the Desert -

YouTube▶ 37:09

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1rKDXuZ8C0

Jun 17, 2013 - Uploaded by Mat stiddard

DISCLAIMER - All credits go to Geoff Lawton and his Permaculture team

High Desert Permaculture: 15 Years Later - YouTube▶ 7:

03https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvje_5IVjmo

Sep 18, 2013 - Uploaded by Andrew Millison

Join Andrew Millison in 2013 as he travels back to Arizona and revisits several Permaculture projects installed

Becoming Sustainable 101- Sonoran Desert Permaculture 1

…▶ 2:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDRpyN9XgGE

Jul 7, 2008 - Uploaded by Quynn RedMountain

Meet Dan Dorsey of www.sonoranpermaculture.org talks about his 'ahaa moment' that set him on

Squash in the desert - Permaculture style rainwater

…▶ 3:15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CS0qeBl3zQ

Sep 20, 2013 - Uploaded by homesteadonomics

Here is part two of the rainwater corn project detailing the addition of native squash to our corn growing area

Greening the New Mexican desert using permaculture end

…▶ 8:28

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sNtl9Bew3o

Sep 11, 2013 - Uploaded by daimyo5

Second part of the greening the desert experiment using the principles of Permaculture.