The View from Bald Hill: Thirty Years in an Arizona Grassland (Organisms and Environments)

Organisms and Environments

by Carl E. Bock

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 Hill provides 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.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 16, 2000

Reviews

[David Rudin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bocks are ecologists who share their experiences living on and studying a grassland ecosystem where grazing and other extractive activities have ceased since 1968. Currently owned by the Audubon Society this land acts as an important “control”, an example of land not being grazed or developed as so much other land is in the southwest and beyond.

For me, the most fascinating story is that of the ecology of the grassland birds on the ranch and their relationships with the plants and animals they share the grasslands with. It is an interesting ecological tale, that along with several other studies slowly moves the Bocks to an understanding of the land and a deepening of their caring for it.