We Bought A Desert Wasteland To Do This!
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
- The Chihuahuan Desert, is the largest desert in North America. Its considered to be the most biologically diverse desert in the world and it is home to an abundance of life insects, amphibians, fish, birds, reptiles and mammals that all coexist in the harsh desert environment with blistering daytime temperatures and below-freezing temperatures at night.
However because of human activities such as farming, cattle ranching & oil drilling the desert is loosing thousands of hectares of grassland, which is becoming severely degraded and is having a detrimental affect on wildlife, such as the Mexican wolf now listed as endangered
The Chihuahuan Desert grasslands serve as wintering grounds for a large proportion of North American Great Plains birds including a number of significantly declining species such as mountain plover, ferruginous hawk, and Baird’s sparrow.
53 percent of the grassland bird species that breed on the Great Plains in the United States and Canada during spring and summer travel hundreds of kilometers to winter in the grasslands of the Chihuahuan Desert, which encompasses the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and spreading across the northwestern region of Mexico.
This is why we decided to fund a project, through our regenerative membership program, where our viewers can contribute to amazing sustainable initiatives across the world, you can learn more here: www.leafoflife.news/regenerat...
This project to protect grassland birds and restore vital grassland habitat is located in the southern part of the Chihuahuan Desert, its a semi-arid region with extensive grassland and scrub cover as well as a temperate forest in the high mountain areas, but is not exempt from the environmental problems associated with land use changes in favor of agricultural and livestock activities. In this region, extensive areas of scrub cover have mostly been converted into new croplands and pasturelands.
Our mission is to restore this over grazed cattle ranch and bring back native grasses to this eroded zone by digging several retention ditches, creating a swale on contour, a small water retention pond and zai holes to capture and hold water which will create a haven for wildlife such as birds.
If you wish to volunteer on this project, we are looking for conservation biologists who would like to monitor the site, then please get in touch with us here: www.leafoflife.news/contact
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In regions where there are still small streams, beavers have begun moving back in and creating dams to hold the water and create flooded areas in the wetter months and hold water in the dry months. The effect is 2-fold. Holding the water helps re-saturate the ground water table allowing more plants to grow and retain further moisture as time goes forward. I see no reason why the same technique cannot be applied to low spots in the natural channels to cause the rain that does fall, to stay in the local area longer and create smaller flooded areas to keep more water in the local substrate then washing away.
Nature already knows how to do this and the beaver has evolved to do this better than anything else we know of. So it seems that there are lessons to be learned from them in cases like this. ;)
Can’t donate now (price of my Rx scripts went up) but added you to my future list. This is such important work.
@@ArkLord001Beavers returned to the river which backs in home in DE…in the 8 years or so they have been here, you can see the improvement. Hoping for otters…they’ve returned to the Southern part of state.
@@sharonkaczorowski8690 another incredible thing beavers do is even though they create wetlands, this same action also prevents flooding by keeping water in check and spreading it out in areas rather than flooding farmer's fields or lower areas in many cases (not all).
I hope part two has you addressing how shallow all this is and there is very little reinforcement for the erosion caused by the rain.
3:05 that’s a map of France 🇫🇷 from 1810 😂😂
I did this exact same thing probably 4 years ago in hereford Arizona! I augered a 4 foot deep hole and made biochar in that hole. Once the biochar was made I poured composted manure, and all of our food scraps for a week into the hole. Then we moved on to the next hole. Once the acre was done we used a deep riper down the center of all of the holes. We then planted native trees every 10 feet and native understory every 5. Finally, after all of the trees were established for a year we covered the acre in wood chips and low growing prairie grass seed like blue grama and curly mesquite grass. Sold the house the next year unfortunately but the experiment was an integral part of my life. Then and now!
How wide of holes/how frequent did you place them? Just once per tree?
What about putting up your photos & proofs of your great work to put on a kick starter to continue & perhaps build or buy a new house? Admiration for what you did from me.
Quite a productive day for one backhoe. A good illustration of what can be accomplished with the right machine, a professional operator, and a thoroughly mapped out scope of work. Excellent job. Looking forward to the following this site as it evolves.
That’s a backhoe. But yeah agreed
You are the first person in a decade or more, that I heard use the words back and hoe, without referring to Ms. Minaj.
THANK YOU. SERIOUSLY.
Hoping to see an update on this when the next significant rainfall happens. Perhaps this could be the beginning of a regular series/playlist!
This place is beautiful. Totally not a waste. I see the potential. I’m in Ghana and turned a desert wasteland into a forest. 😆 Very possible anywhere where TLC is present. Good luck!
How many years did it take for you to transform it?
TLC?
@@arrigune maybe tender loving care?
I agree. Too many people all over the world often don't see the opportunity they have with a piece of dry land when all it needs is a bit of planning to create an oasis of peace and abundance.
@@arriguneTender Loving Care
With people like you there is hope for this world. Thank you for what you are doing. The impact widely exceeds the boundaries of your property!
People think this denuded desert is what deserts in North America should look like. In reality most of our deserts were or are full of flora and fauna. Even the Sahara has life in it and not just in its oases.
Rain and catchment ponds make a difference !☺️☺️
What about Phoenix and Tucson? And think about Telosa or Belmont...
Like how lots of Australia used to be lush scrub and eucalyptus Forrest’s until they cut it all down raped the land by farming it and never fixed it. Then just claimed it’s normal and that’s just what Australia is like.
"water retention pond"... doesn't the pond need a liner, or clay at the bottom?
However the desserts are growing and 500 years ago the lands were more greener
We need more and more projects like this.
Can’t wait to hear about how this turns out and what it looks like in the future! When do you think there’ll be a part 2?
Waiting for rain and don't expect too much transformation in the first year, however we doing multiple projects so stay tuned. Thanks
@@LeafofLifeWorld gotcha! Hope the rain comes soon?! And can’t wait to wear about more projects!
Those grassland bird species are gorgeous. I hope they find a healthy place to stay on your new land 🐦 💕
guys, these sound effects are unbelievably stupid. the video content itself is educational and interesting. let the work speak for itself
It's awesome to see you compile the knowledge you've gathered (and shared) from all over the world, and are now documenting as you apply it in real life to a real project! AWESOME!
FIRST MISTAKE might be Zia Hole that hold/contain all rainfall so swale/pond never fill. Second Mistake ? you have not mentioned fencing to exclude grazing animals while grassland re-establishes. REALISE that water you soak in holes and swales is now no longer available to rehydrate topsoil when grasslands re-establish = so what you have done (time will tell) is fail to implement a holistic grassland management plan that is now sending most rainfall too deep to be of any benefit to total grassland area.
Ive been daydreaming about an agave farm... And this made it so much more dreamy. Thanks for sharing your efforts and raising awareness!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Your content is solid - there’s no need for the sound effects!
Great video, but use less sound effects. Keep up the land restoration work!
I just commented the same thing. I have moderate misophonia and some noises are grating.
There is a group in Tanzania creating what's called "Earth Smiles" where they dig curves in the desert. Doing the same thing there and it's working so it can and will definitely work here in America
Love seeing this…
#thankyouBobDillon
Great video. I love to see this kind of stuff happening. China has reclaimed thousands of hectares of land from the Gobi Desert. I would love to see the US do the same with some of it's encroaching deserts.
@@randompersonontheinternet8790 "Eh, over 90% of China's plants have died." What is the source for this? I'm interested in looking this up.
me too! and use the water gathering on areas that they normally irrigate with river or ground water.
It’s true that initially the Chinese projects failed, they created monocultures and the plants didn’t get sufficient water. However after trial and error they have improved methods and created “waffle” structure grass areas that retain water, and used better varieties of trees.
AT 3.40 you have an example of mexican desert when it is green (from good rainfall events) """""where there are no swales"""" the best and most cost effective method to restore grasslands is via grazing animal management = swales for your stated purpose of restoring grasslands create a "negative feedback loop" that interferes with the natural infiltration of rainfall where it actually falls.
once you restore grasslands you eliminate/reduce runoff.
Recommend you research Allan Savory and Holistic Grazing Management i think he is based in arizona. CONSIDER this: there are no viable swales in arid zones anywhere on the planet. you cant grow tree crops without stored water in arid lands. once you have stored water your arid land becomes irrigated land so it is no longer arid land. swales are better suited for higher rainfall zones. however best of luck you may be able to prove what will be viable on your patch - maybe@@randompersonontheinternet8790
AT 3.40 you have an example of mexican desert when it is green (from good rainfall events) """""where there are no swales"""" the best and most cost effective method to restore grasslands is via grazing animal management = swales for your stated purpose of restoring grasslands create a "negative feedback loop" that interferes with the natural infiltration of rainfall where it actually falls.
once you restore grasslands you eliminate/reduce runoff.
Recommend you research Allan Savory and Holistic Grazing Management i think he is based in arizona. CONSIDER this: there are no viable swales in arid zones anywhere on the planet. you cant grow tree crops without stored water in arid lands. once you have stored water your arid land becomes irrigated land so it is no longer arid land. swales are better suited for higher rainfall zones. however best of luck you may be able to prove what will be viable on your patch - maybe@@magesalmanac6424
Always been a dream. Thanks for livin' it and sustaining life so that we may all live it.
Hi, i have 3 years experience doing the same on Andalucia with 300mm annual rain, I would love to help, the chop for example is very important, a right chop let the vegetation green all year, so the fotosintesis dont stop.
Can you explain the word: chop , what does it mean inmthis case
@@reinerhoffmann3764 A pruning, I think I could help you
cutting the grass only 2/3 let 1/3 stay. 2/3 for cows or mulching.
But this isn't to make things better for cows. It's to make things better for nature and the wildlife that belongs there.
@@reinerhoffmann3764 : pretty sure it refers to making a pile of plant debris. this process gets easier once plants have started growing: you just cut off less ideal parts and drop them next to the tree. "chop and drop". for new developments, you gotta scavenge for some plant material to throw in there. but basically, it helps provides nutrients and helps it start to develop a richer soil to grow in.
Very cool project, I'm looking forward to part 2.
Coming soon!
Me Too‼️❤GOD BLESS
AT 3.40 you have an example of mexican desert when it is green (from good rainfall events) """""where there are no swales"""" the best and most cost effective method to restore grasslands is via grazing animal management = swales for your stated purpose of restoring grasslands create a "negative feedback loop" that interferes with the natural infiltration of rainfall where it actually falls.
once you restore grasslands you eliminate/reduce runoff.
Recommend you research Allan Savory and Holistic Grazing Management i think he is based in arizona. CONSIDER this: there are no viable swales in arid zones anywhere on the planet. you cant grow tree crops without stored water in arid lands. once you have stored water your arid land becomes irrigated land so it is no longer arid land. swales are better suited for higher rainfall zones. however best of luck you may be able to prove what will be viable on your patch - maybe
The swale will be more effective if it is filled with organic material, which acts as a sponge to hold the moisture.
I live in the Chihuahuan Desert, organic material disintegrates in the blink of an eye here, I literally have to add 6 inches of city compost and homemade compost, topped with 3+ inches of shredded tree branches on top every single year to my garden beds and they are still losing more organic material than I’m adding. Even with 2” of monsoon rains I still have to water the next day.
Can't wait to see updates!
I just bought 10 acres in Texas to bring back life to he soil 💖
This seems to be doing it right. Working to undo the bad mistakes made by past humans to restore the natural plant- and wildlife that belongs in this environment.
FIRST MISTAKE might be Zia Hole that hold/contain all rainfall so swale/pond never fill. Second Mistake ? you have not mentioned fencing to exclude grazing animals while grassland re-establishes. REALISE that water you soak in holes and swales is now no longer available to rehydrate topsoil when grasslands re-establish = so what you have done (time will tell) is fail to implement a holistic grassland management plan that is now sending most rainfall too deep to be of any benefit to total grassland area.
Wonderful, informtive video! Thanks!
The Tucson Swales are an excellent example of what can be done with swales alone.
Thank you so much for the work you do! This is fantastic! I truly believe we have to build swales and rewild intelligently across the planet on an emergency basis with the most urgency we can muster. Or we lose most of our wildlife and the planet.
And the planet will lose us.
FIRST MISTAKE might be Zia Hole that hold/contain all rainfall so swale/pond never fill. Second Mistake ? you have not mentioned fencing to exclude grazing animals while grassland re-establishes. REALISE that water you soak in holes and swales is now no longer available to rehydrate topsoil when grasslands re-establish = so what you have done (time will tell) is fail to implement a holistic grassland management plan that is now sending most rainfall too deep to be of any benefit to total grassland area.
AT 3.40 you have an example of mexican desert when it is green (from good rainfall events) """""where there are no swales"""" the best and most cost effective method to restore grasslands is via grazing animal management = swales for your stated purpose of restoring grasslands create a "negative feedback loop" that interferes with the natural infiltration of rainfall where it actually falls.
once you restore grasslands you eliminate/reduce runoff.
Recommend you research Allan Savory and Holistic Grazing Management i think he is based in arizona. CONSIDER this: there are no viable swales in arid zones anywhere on the planet. you cant grow tree crops without stored water in arid lands. once you have stored water your arid land becomes irrigated land so it is no longer arid land. swales are better suited for higher rainfall zones. however best of luck you may be able to prove what will be viable on your patch - maybe
Great project and example of what can be done to turn Desert back to grassland and trees!!
Foot note to my earlier post Some Australian native trees have a system that when in a drought they turn their leaves away from the sun to save water and open up at dusk to absorb any small amount of moisture from the air.
The Australian trees turn their leaves edge on to the sun from about 11 am and back at the sun about 3.00 pm so they don't loose water from being dried out.
Plant long rooting grasses to subside erosion and allow rain water to recharge the aquifer.
It's nice! Keep up the good work! And release part 2.
Way to go. It’s time we start repairing our damage. I’ve seen some interesting restoration using beavers to help the landscape. North America’s unique from Africa because we have beavers as a keystone species.
You're wonderful, thank you.
We are doing this at our property in SE Arizona. Just put in 3 large swales. It finally rained and we caught so much water. Thanks for demonstrating and showing everyone how it can be done.
Thats amazing, how big is your land? If you looking to add more earthworks we are always looking to partner with people with private land who want to dedicate an area of their plot to nature and conservation and restoration. If that's something that interests you, please get in touch with us infoleafoflife@gmail.com
FIRST MISTAKE might be Zia Hole that hold/contain all rainfall so swale/pond never fill. Second Mistake ? you have not mentioned fencing to exclude grazing animals while grassland re-establishes. REALISE that water you soak in holes and swales is now no longer available to rehydrate topsoil when grasslands re-establish = so what you have done (time will tell) is fail to implement a holistic grassland management plan that is now sending most rainfall too deep to be of any benefit to total grassland area.
Marvelous! I look forward to seeing the results! I watched the Turkey Pen Creek documentary and follow Tiny Shiny Home, who recently built a swale and retention pond on their southeastern Arizona homestead.
Fascinating. Great work. Would it be possible to post regular updates spanning considerable months between? Be helpful to see the land transformation over time.
bless You!
IMHO, much of this could be accomplished by simply collecting the rocks on the surface & using them to create barriers to runoff. I've read this was done in one part of Ethiopia, with success. (Not every instance will support the cost of a backhoe.)
Great video! I've never seen Zai Holes before, and I look forward to the next video.
The background music and sound effects were a little distracting. Maybe consider decreasing volume or omitting them in future videos?
Build a swale on contour. Genius!
Grazie!!!
Fausto (Roma, Italia) 19.01.2024
All the best.
Keep us posted.
Add beavers. Free labour and they help dig pools or keep the pools from silting up.
This is cool. We are in Arizona so we have an idea of what you are up against. Wishing you luck. Thanks for the video. Looking forward to more updates!
00:03:06 where did you get the France screenshot from? Is that including Belgium?! xD
What an interessting project. I'll stay with you and watch your progress. Best wishes from Germany
Well-done
I’m curious to compare this with Dustups. It seems like this one is more earthworks and wait while Dustups is more hands on. I wonder what the optimal amount of effort is. Maybe all we need are the earthworks, maybe the additional effort speeds things up. We’ll see.
Cant wait for Update
the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts are beautiful places all year around but they are heavenly in the spring time after a wet fall/winter. Spring 2024 should be extraordinary after El Niño does its magic this year.... ven, ven niño!
Well done.
The justdiggit project calls the zai holes earth smiles, which is really cute :)
Cattle ranching doesnt hurt the land. It improves it. The cattle prune the grass wich stimulates growth and branching. Plus the fertilizer that the cattle provide.
Depends how intensively its been grazed, you should check out this video about cattle ranching done properly
@@LeafofLifeWorld cattle don't over graze. They can chew it down to the ground .it is physically impossible. Now sheep and goats can .
Stop with the sound effect noises.
Great start. I would recommend adding holistically-managed herbivores under planned grazing to restore keystone species function and maintain biological cycling of nutrients. Grazing, followed by long rest periods, would stimulate plant growth and boost soil biology through root exudation. Hooves would break any hard capping created by rain hitting bare soil, and also trample in any dead vegetation they didn't graze (that would otherwise oxidise if left standing). Their dung would provide a fungi and bacteria rich source of organic matter for soil life, and would be carried underground by dung beetles and termites, where it is made avaliable to feed plants and soil. Urine and saliva work as fertilisers and fungal/bacterial inncoluants.
Check out Las Damas Ranch for an example of regeneration in the Chihuahua desert, utilising livestock.
This only works with bison in North America, this patch has already been over grazed by cows the area is too small for herd management and actually detrimental to this area, introduced cows est 10x more in a given area than bison, that move faster through large ranges, getting bison is expensive and difficult and needs large area with fencing. Cows are also expensive. You don't need herbivores to regenerate land.
@LeafofLifeWorld Then move the cows as often as bison migrate. you do need herbivores to regenerate brittle landscapes in the long term. And whether it's bison or cows makes little difference so long as there are adequate rest periods. Overgrazing is a function of time and not animal type. A bison could be overgrazing if it was fenced in one area for too long, just as a cow could. There's nothing inherently bad about cows. It's not the cow, it's the how.
Great work
Joe and Valer Austin started building rock swales in the 1980s on their El Coronado Ranch in Arizona. Amazing results. This project in Mexico looks very interesting, good luck!
"to turn the desert green again" while standing in a field of calf height grass. "you keep using that word, i don't think it means what you think it means"
cartel are going to love you for all the hard work DA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Permaculture !!!💚💚💚
Great work! Thanks a lot! I find this so satisfying. Life comes back so fast with the water! 🥰😍🥰😍
Thank you for your dedication
Good luck!
It is a big job, you better buying land that has dirt and some top soil
Thanks!
Thank you for your support!
thanks! Keep Saving the planet!
gl!!!!
If those projects could be combined with LNC technique from Desert Control (projects with University of Arizona) the efficiency could be even much higher.
I have wanted to do this for years. The entire west coast should be covered in swales and land work like this. Why do they just let all the rain water rush away to the ocean when they are in droughts?
Its called insanity
open land and projects like this are cheap in the areas that need it most. hopefully more and more people continue to do things like this. simply digging some holes and altering the land a little can change the land for the next 100 years or more. what if all organic waste was managed properly and efficiently. could large amounts of compost restore the microbiology of barren land?
This been my goal since I was a kid , turn a drought into a paradise and liveable with plenty resources. I love my Gaia
I love the project, but the music/sound effects really detract from the video.
Love what you are doing but the background sound effects were really destracting. Would have been great without them.
This is great! where is the 2nd video? I subcribed.
Great work!
Funny to see you wearing a hard hat out in the desert😂
Yes its funny but the straw hat would fly off in the wind and you need to stay shaded in the desert, the hard hat stays firmly in place
Lets make the planet green again. 😊😊😊
Looking forward for part 2.
I’m going to do this in remote South Australia when I get money
Great project.
1:02
Awesome Content! 🎉
1. Awe man, I just wish that there was a longer version of this process! As if to say, this is merely the preview of a longer video for those who are interested; such as on Patreon.
2. I have land in Deming, NM that looks just like this. But I don’t have an excavator at my disposal. Any suggestions?
3. Also, are there any invasive nitrogen fixer heat-hardy desert plants that I can set & forget for a month or two?
4. Do you guys do paid consultation all the way up to landscape services for food-forest?
Thank you so much for your help, support, and sharing this with us! ❤
Thats amazing, yes we can offer consultation, how big is your land? ALSO...If you looking to add more earthworks we are always looking to partner with people with private land who want to dedicate an area of their plot to nature and conservation and restoration. If that's also something that interests you, please get in touch with us infoleafoflife@gmail.com
Brilliant video thanks very much anything is possible when you know how to go about doing it each one teach one
world class content
Thx Dudes
Incredible project - best of luck and please keep us updated!
WORKING ON A IMILAR PROJECT, THANK YOU FOR SHARING
thank u
Good luck with your efforts, look forward to seeing how it develops
I see the vision, but I'd like to see Part 2 as well.
The swales is bigger than the catchment area. Like the ship is bigger the port.
Really cool!
Hope to see future updates
Please do updates in this project. Though I know live in the Northeast US, my favorite place in the world is the Sonoran Desert. I am fascinated by deserts and the life they support. I use the word “support” on purpose…it’s so much more than survival.
AT 3.40 you have an example of mexican desert when it is green (from good rainfall events) """""where there are no swales"""" the best and most cost effective method to restore grasslands is via grazing animal management = swales for your stated purpose of restoring grasslands create a "negative feedback loop" that interferes with the natural infiltration of rainfall where it actually falls.
once you restore grasslands you eliminate/reduce runoff.
Recommend you research Allan Savory and Holistic Grazing Management i think he is based in arizona. CONSIDER this: there are no viable swales in arid zones anywhere on the planet. you cant grow tree crops without stored water in arid lands. once you have stored water your arid land becomes irrigated land so it is no longer arid land. swales are better suited for higher rainfall zones. however best of luck you may be able to prove what will be viable on your patch - maybe
Thank you for doing this, also a bigger thanks for putting on UT to encourage others to replicate. 👏🏼👏🏾🇮🇳
very interesting. .and challenging. .i want to follow the development
good job
Thank you so much May Allah bless you 💓🙏❤🎉❤🎉
❤❤❤❤❤