The View from Bald Hill

by Bock, Carl E.; Bock, Jane H.; Greene, Harry W.

• ISBN13: 9780520221833
• ISBN10: 0520221834
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

In 1540 Francisco Vasquez de Coronado introduced the first domestic livestock to the American Southwest. Over the subsequent four centuries, cattle, horses, and sheep have created a massive ecological experiment on these arid grasslands, changing them in ways we can never know with certainty. The Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch in the high desert of southeastern Arizona is an 8,000-acre sanctuary where grazing has been banned since 1968. In this spirited account of thirty years of research at the ranch, Carl and Jane Bock summarize the results of their fieldwork, which was aimed at understanding the dynamics of grasslands in the absence of livestock.The View from Bald Hillprovides an intimate look at the natural history of this unique site and illuminates many issues pertaining to the protection and restoration of our nation's grasslands.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	xi
List of Tables	xv
Foreword	xvii
Preface	xxi
The Grasslands of Coronado	1	(12)
On Being the Control	13	(6)
Waiting for Rain	19	(8)
Fencelines	27	(18)
Herps	45	(10)
Islands of Fire	55	(14)
Oaks, Acorns, and Rugged Groups	69	(12)
Little Brown Birds	81	(18)
Fragments	99	(12)
The Nest Box Experiment	111	(8)
Plains Lovegrass	119	(10)
Cotton Rats and Real Dogs	129	(8)
Aliens	137	(10)
The World is Full of Life	147	(6)
Appendix Scientific and English Names of Plants and Animals	153	(6)
Notes	159	(12)
Literature Cited	171	(22)
Index	193