Surviving or Thriving in Drought

Case Study

Malmberg, T, J. Howell (2008) Surviving or Thriving in Drought. In Practice. (117) 10-13.

Key Takeaways

This case study is from the Jan/Feb 2008 issue of theIn Practice journal.
Analyzing ecological monitoring data from 1999 to 2007, Tony Malmberg of Twin Creek Ranch and Jim Howell assess how Twin Creek's drought-induced
management adjustments enabled them to maintain the integrity of their ecosystem processes.
Malmberg also discusses his "ah-ha" moment after hearing Howell's hypothesis that low production, brittle environments likely evolved under grazing patterns with longer (sometimes multi-year) recovery periods compared to brittle environments with higher production.

Summary

From 1978 – 2009 Tony, Andrea, and KD Malmberg owned and managed Twin Creek Ranch, just a little southeast of Lander, Wyoming. At Twin Creek, a normal year sees a scant 8.5 inches (213 mm) of precipitation, erratically spread throughout the year, and temperature extremes from 105 to -25 F(41 to -32C).

In the process of managing their livestock and trying to make a living, found themselves scrambling to adjust to the worst eight-year drought in recorded history. Here is their story of how they arrived at this drought, how they’ve negotiated the drought, and how their ranch’s ecological base has “weathered” the drought. Most importantly, it’s the story of lessons learned throughout this tough period, and how those lessons will help all of us negotiate more tough times down the road.