WEBVTT 00:00.280 --> 00:03.150 This project is a long time coming . Uh 00:03.450 --> 00:05.617 I have been wanting to do this project 00:05.617 --> 00:07.860 since I joined this , since I came into 00:07.869 --> 00:10.850 this position uh in August of 2021 . 00:11.369 --> 00:13.579 And so it's really awesome that Marine 00:13.590 --> 00:16.510 Corps Air Station , Yuma , um stepped 00:16.520 --> 00:19.389 up to do it . So what you're seeing is 00:19.399 --> 00:22.159 um regenerative grazing and you've got 00:22.170 --> 00:25.040 cattle mixed in with actually rescued 00:25.049 --> 00:27.260 um donkeys . And so you kind of got a 00:27.270 --> 00:30.120 mixed herd . And what the hope is here 00:30.129 --> 00:33.099 for me as the climate change advisor is 00:33.110 --> 00:36.430 that I hope that we um improve the 00:36.439 --> 00:38.720 soils . We got a lot of sand , we're 00:38.729 --> 00:42.540 standing on a lot of sand and we hope 00:42.549 --> 00:45.290 that we can get less bare ground , uh 00:45.299 --> 00:48.180 more plants . Why do I care about that 00:48.189 --> 00:50.380 from a climate change perspective ? 00:50.389 --> 00:53.459 Because we know in a desert , water is 00:53.470 --> 00:55.680 kind of boom and bust . There's not a 00:55.689 --> 00:58.680 lot and then it comes all at once and 00:58.689 --> 01:00.911 you really want your soils to hold that 01:00.911 --> 01:02.745 water in so that you can make it 01:02.745 --> 01:04.967 through the dry times . But when you've 01:04.967 --> 01:07.189 got a lot of bare ground , what happens 01:07.189 --> 01:09.411 is it runs off and people in the desert 01:09.411 --> 01:11.411 know this very , very well . And so 01:11.411 --> 01:13.356 what I'm hoping to do , what we're 01:13.356 --> 01:15.522 hoping to do is to create those plants 01:15.522 --> 01:17.578 that are gonna hold that water , the 01:17.578 --> 01:19.578 soil that's gonna soak it up like a 01:19.578 --> 01:21.745 sponge rather than having it run off . 01:21.745 --> 01:23.967 Um where no one can use it and where it 01:23.967 --> 01:26.133 causes a lot of damage on a lot of our 01:26.133 --> 01:28.430 desert bases , um erosion and e and 01:28.440 --> 01:30.540 even here at Marine Corio Station , 01:30.550 --> 01:33.610 Yuma . So we do have some grazing at a 01:33.620 --> 01:37.139 base in Fallbrook , California . But 01:37.150 --> 01:39.372 you know what we're doing is I'm really 01:39.372 --> 01:42.500 focusing on our desert bases and um I'm 01:42.510 --> 01:44.677 retired navy . I spent 21 years in the 01:44.677 --> 01:46.860 navy and I had no idea that actually 01:46.870 --> 01:49.190 most of the acreage from our Navy , 01:49.199 --> 01:51.310 Marine Corps bases is out here in the 01:51.310 --> 01:53.366 desert . These are our largest bases 01:53.366 --> 01:55.310 because at the end of the day , um 01:55.310 --> 01:57.421 climate change and all the impacts we 01:57.421 --> 01:59.366 feel from climate change are about 01:59.366 --> 02:01.532 water . It's the water cycle being out 02:01.532 --> 02:03.588 of whack , whether that's drought or 02:03.588 --> 02:06.260 fire or increasing temperatures or , 02:06.269 --> 02:08.269 you know , hurricanes in California 02:08.269 --> 02:10.213 where you don't typically see them 02:10.213 --> 02:12.436 atmospheric rivers , all these things , 02:12.436 --> 02:14.269 melting glaciers , they're all a 02:14.269 --> 02:16.325 function of the water cycle . So I'm 02:16.325 --> 02:18.380 really laser focused on how we get , 02:18.380 --> 02:20.602 how we slow water , how we get water in 02:20.602 --> 02:22.713 the ground , how we , how we keep our 02:22.713 --> 02:25.509 landscapes from drying out . So we're 02:25.520 --> 02:27.720 taking this approach here , we're also 02:27.729 --> 02:29.729 doing some other projects and we're 02:29.729 --> 02:31.785 gonna , we're looking to do more and 02:31.785 --> 02:33.951 more . I had AAA big idea to do it but 02:33.951 --> 02:36.190 there was people um all up and down the 02:36.199 --> 02:39.410 Marine Corps chain . Um General Maxwell , 02:39.440 --> 02:41.750 uh who leads um our installations 02:41.759 --> 02:43.703 command has been very supportive . 02:43.850 --> 02:46.072 We've got our natural resources lead at 02:46.072 --> 02:48.128 headquarters , Miss Jackie Rice . We 02:48.128 --> 02:51.509 have who has been just super , super uh 02:51.520 --> 02:53.600 like a force of nature getting this 02:53.610 --> 02:55.777 done . And of course , the Yuma team . 02:55.970 --> 02:57.990 Um and then here on the ground , we 02:58.000 --> 03:01.899 have some ranchers who are um who 03:01.910 --> 03:04.039 are just world renowned for what they 03:04.050 --> 03:06.750 do . This is not just any rancher that 03:06.759 --> 03:09.460 we picked to come here . Um When I 03:09.470 --> 03:11.637 wanted to do something in the west , I 03:11.637 --> 03:13.859 reached out to one of the biggest names 03:13.859 --> 03:15.859 in regenerative agriculture . And I 03:15.859 --> 03:18.137 said , I want to try to green a desert . 03:18.137 --> 03:20.248 Who do you got ? And he said you need 03:20.248 --> 03:22.414 to talk to Alejandro Carrillo . And so 03:22.414 --> 03:24.581 that's we're incredibly fortunate that 03:24.581 --> 03:26.803 Alejandro um was willing to come here . 03:26.803 --> 03:28.859 He works all over the world . And uh 03:28.859 --> 03:30.803 we're just super excited to have a 03:30.803 --> 03:32.970 really great team here . So in climate 03:32.970 --> 03:35.081 change , we talk a lot about reducing 03:35.081 --> 03:37.248 emissions , right , solar and electric 03:37.248 --> 03:39.359 vehicles and , and that's a big focus 03:39.359 --> 03:41.581 and certainly like super important have 03:41.581 --> 03:43.748 to do all that . And we know that like 03:43.748 --> 03:45.803 all the climate models say we cannot 03:45.803 --> 03:48.320 get where we need to go by just 03:48.660 --> 03:50.716 lowering our emissions , we actually 03:50.716 --> 03:53.210 have to carbon out of the air , which 03:53.220 --> 03:55.276 is what plants do , right ? We learn 03:55.276 --> 03:57.220 that in like middle school science 03:57.220 --> 03:59.830 class , it's photosynthesis . And so , 04:00.039 --> 04:02.679 you know , as a steward of nearly 5 04:02.690 --> 04:04.801 million acres of land , which is what 04:04.801 --> 04:06.968 the Department of the Navy manages . I 04:06.968 --> 04:09.023 was like , well , here's what we can 04:09.023 --> 04:11.134 contribute . We can try to like goose 04:11.134 --> 04:13.357 up that carbon sequestration as much as 04:13.357 --> 04:15.690 we possibly can because oh , by the way , 04:15.690 --> 04:17.801 it also makes you more resilient when 04:17.801 --> 04:17.450 you do that , like you're getting the 04:17.459 --> 04:19.380 water , you're getting the , the 04:19.390 --> 04:22.410 biodiversity that our natural resources 04:22.420 --> 04:24.660 people want . Um And you're just , 04:24.670 --> 04:27.500 you're getting heat to come down dust . 04:27.549 --> 04:29.771 It just has so many like nature is just 04:29.771 --> 04:31.938 miraculous , right ? So there's just a 04:31.938 --> 04:35.459 no , no lose in doing this like Marine 04:35.470 --> 04:37.526 Corps Station . Ya and , and lots of 04:37.526 --> 04:39.526 other bases around . I mean that we 04:39.526 --> 04:41.690 have tests and training events 04:41.700 --> 04:44.679 sometimes um here or other places that 04:44.690 --> 04:47.149 get delayed for dust storms , you know , 04:47.160 --> 04:49.809 or just for the , the marines that have 04:49.820 --> 04:51.987 to train out here . I think they would 04:51.987 --> 04:54.153 have really appreciated if it was just 04:54.153 --> 04:56.431 a little bit , you know , some of that , 04:56.431 --> 04:58.542 some more vegetation made it a little 04:58.542 --> 05:00.653 bit cooler and you know , that , that 05:00.653 --> 05:02.876 run off , that erosion is real when you 05:02.876 --> 05:04.894 get uh even just like a normal 05:04.904 --> 05:07.071 rainstorm here in the desert and folks 05:07.071 --> 05:09.182 who are listening to this and live in 05:09.182 --> 05:11.071 this environment , know this much 05:11.071 --> 05:12.793 better than I it can be really 05:12.793 --> 05:14.960 destructive . So anything we do to try 05:14.960 --> 05:17.071 to slow that water down when it comes 05:17.071 --> 05:19.744 is gonna have so , so many benefits in , 05:19.755 --> 05:22.005 in particular this project , you know , 05:22.015 --> 05:25.545 I really wanted to show communities the 05:25.554 --> 05:27.776 world . I mean , if you look at climate 05:27.776 --> 05:29.998 change and the impacts it's having , of 05:29.998 --> 05:32.054 course , you've got a lot of coastal 05:32.054 --> 05:34.276 impacts . But what I really worry about 05:34.276 --> 05:36.276 is the loss of water security , the 05:36.276 --> 05:38.332 loss of food . Like when you can't , 05:38.332 --> 05:37.899 when people can't grow crops , when 05:37.910 --> 05:39.910 they don't have enough water , they 05:39.910 --> 05:42.021 have to leave their land , you've got 05:42.021 --> 05:44.243 conflict . So you can take it at like a 05:44.243 --> 05:46.243 local training level like we talked 05:46.243 --> 05:48.466 about and just dust and erosion and all 05:48.466 --> 05:50.577 that sort of stuff being good for the 05:50.577 --> 05:52.521 base or , you know , being problem 05:52.521 --> 05:54.632 solving those problems for the base . 05:54.632 --> 05:54.559 You can look at the Yuma or desert 05:54.570 --> 05:56.737 communities that are facing this . And 05:56.737 --> 05:59.070 if we can showcase how this can be done , 05:59.640 --> 06:01.862 you know , the goal is not to keep this 06:01.862 --> 06:05.040 on 277 acres , right ? We need to find 06:05.049 --> 06:07.720 approaches that really scale . And then 06:07.730 --> 06:09.880 it's an example for the world because 06:09.890 --> 06:12.057 all the places that marines are on the 06:12.057 --> 06:14.760 receiving end of when things go wrong 06:14.769 --> 06:17.239 like solutions like this is where the 06:17.250 --> 06:19.139 rubber meets the road . I talk to 06:19.139 --> 06:21.194 marines , I talked to special forces 06:21.194 --> 06:23.194 and they're like a lot of the times 06:23.194 --> 06:25.528 it's not ideology that's driving people , 06:25.528 --> 06:27.694 they need to feed their families . And 06:27.694 --> 06:29.917 so much conflict is driven by that food 06:29.917 --> 06:32.139 and water and just resources . And so I 06:32.139 --> 06:34.250 think about all those layers when I , 06:34.250 --> 06:36.994 when I put forth a project like this , 06:37.005 --> 06:39.227 I was thinking about all those things , 06:39.227 --> 06:41.600 what we were saying . So we actually uh 06:41.609 --> 06:45.079 just got some money from dod to be the 06:45.089 --> 06:48.480 lead service for a , a National um 06:48.489 --> 06:50.799 innovation Landscape Network . Like the 06:50.809 --> 06:52.920 chapter in the Southwest , we put our 06:52.920 --> 06:54.976 hands up . You said we're doing some 06:54.976 --> 06:56.976 cool stuff . How about you ? Um You 06:56.976 --> 06:58.920 fund us . So they've given us some 06:58.920 --> 07:01.087 money and they really want us to scale 07:01.087 --> 07:03.198 innovation on desert landscapes , not 07:03.198 --> 07:05.253 just for the Navy and Marine Corps , 07:05.253 --> 07:07.309 but for all the services . So that's 07:07.309 --> 07:09.365 what I'm charged and that's what I'm 07:09.365 --> 07:11.198 really excited to do . And we've 07:11.198 --> 07:13.198 reached out to private industry and 07:13.198 --> 07:15.087 we've actually just um sent out a 07:15.087 --> 07:17.253 request for proposals and they came in 07:17.253 --> 07:19.365 just this week . So now my goal is to 07:19.365 --> 07:21.531 just bring in a group of all different 07:21.531 --> 07:23.698 experts and be like , what can we do ? 07:23.698 --> 07:25.865 Let's find solutions too often when we 07:25.865 --> 07:27.976 talk about climate change , it's just 07:27.976 --> 07:30.087 about , oh , like things are terrible 07:30.087 --> 07:32.198 and like , it's , it's really bad and 07:32.198 --> 07:34.087 yes , but there are solutions and 07:34.087 --> 07:35.976 they're not rocket science , like 07:35.976 --> 07:35.940 they're really not , not , you know , 07:36.220 --> 07:38.387 but a lot of simple solutions can go a 07:38.387 --> 07:40.609 long way . I think another thing that I 07:40.609 --> 07:42.720 just love about this is so many times 07:42.720 --> 07:44.887 climate change is like politicized and 07:44.887 --> 07:47.350 it's sort of a red and blue and , and I 07:47.359 --> 07:50.790 just love that farmers and ranchers can 07:50.799 --> 07:54.100 be at the center of the solution and , 07:54.109 --> 07:56.299 um , and we can all agree on that . 07:56.309 --> 07:59.369 Right . It's , it's just good , you 07:59.380 --> 08:01.920 know , this is just like nature and , 08:01.929 --> 08:04.040 uh , and all humans can resonate with 08:04.040 --> 08:06.040 that regardless of what side of the 08:06.040 --> 08:08.829 political spectrum you're on . Um I 08:08.839 --> 08:10.839 feel like it's just win , wins . So 08:10.850 --> 08:12.794 that's why I love this kind of pro 08:12.794 --> 08:16.290 project . We're grazing cattle and some 08:16.299 --> 08:19.820 uh some mules and a burrow out 08:19.829 --> 08:21.662 here uh in an effort actually to 08:21.662 --> 08:24.119 improve the the soil quality . So 08:24.850 --> 08:27.072 Marine Square Station , Yuma owns a lot 08:27.072 --> 08:29.294 of range space and actually has several 08:29.294 --> 08:31.461 environmental programs and this is one 08:31.461 --> 08:33.517 of the ones we've got going on right 08:33.517 --> 08:35.517 now . Uh It's actually tied to some 08:35.517 --> 08:37.628 over water conservation programs that 08:37.628 --> 08:37.020 we have going on as well as just 08:37.099 --> 08:39.321 generally trying to uh kind of care for 08:39.321 --> 08:41.543 the environment here and participate in 08:41.543 --> 08:43.950 an experiment to see how by selectively 08:43.969 --> 08:45.940 grazing animals , we can actually 08:45.950 --> 08:47.950 improve the uh the soil quality and 08:47.950 --> 08:50.710 encourage plant growth . So I find 08:50.719 --> 08:52.775 myself talking about this a lot . So 08:52.775 --> 08:54.941 Marine Corps Air Station , Yuma , like 08:54.941 --> 08:57.108 I said , um has a ton of range space . 08:57.108 --> 08:58.775 In fact , the the range space 08:58.775 --> 08:58.429 associated with Marine Corps Air 08:58.440 --> 09:00.329 Station Yuma is about the size of 09:00.329 --> 09:02.719 Connecticut . Um Just to kind of put it 09:02.729 --> 09:06.580 in perspective for you . Um We're 09:06.590 --> 09:08.534 able to train here in ways that we 09:08.534 --> 09:10.757 really can't train anywhere else in the 09:10.757 --> 09:12.812 country or arguably anywhere else in 09:12.812 --> 09:14.923 the uh in the world that's to do that 09:14.923 --> 09:17.146 and to be able to continue doing that , 09:17.146 --> 09:18.979 we need to not only not harm the 09:18.979 --> 09:20.940 environments that we train in but 09:20.950 --> 09:24.229 really care for them , curate them and 09:24.270 --> 09:27.609 uh make sure that the , the natural 09:27.619 --> 09:29.919 beauty that exists here that we operate 09:29.929 --> 09:32.719 in and all of the species that exist 09:32.729 --> 09:34.729 here as well are cared for and that 09:34.729 --> 09:36.896 we're really looking 50 100 years down 09:36.896 --> 09:38.951 the road in terms of the impact that 09:38.951 --> 09:41.007 we're going to have on the land that 09:41.007 --> 09:43.173 we're responsible for . We do actually 09:43.173 --> 09:45.340 have uh endangered species programs in 09:45.340 --> 09:47.340 a lot of different places . There's 09:47.340 --> 09:49.396 some fairly well known ones . Desert 09:49.396 --> 09:51.062 tortoises up at 29 palms , uh 09:51.062 --> 09:53.118 historically woodpeckers uh in North 09:53.118 --> 09:55.396 Carolina at Camp Lejeune and New River . 09:55.396 --> 09:57.562 I know we manage all of those programs 09:57.562 --> 09:59.710 very carefully . Um The Department of 09:59.719 --> 10:02.650 the Navy at large is very engaged in 10:02.659 --> 10:05.119 conservation , both at sea and in the 10:05.130 --> 10:07.352 ranges on the ground . For example , up 10:07.352 --> 10:09.463 in Fallon , Nevada where the Navy has 10:09.463 --> 10:11.686 some very large range spaces uh as well 10:11.686 --> 10:13.519 here locally uh Marine Corps Air 10:13.519 --> 10:15.463 Station , Yuma has a large biology 10:15.463 --> 10:17.130 department , wildlife biology 10:17.130 --> 10:19.070 department . Um We have on staff 10:19.080 --> 10:21.320 several uh several biologists , Randy 10:21.330 --> 10:23.441 English is the , the senior biologist 10:23.441 --> 10:25.663 on our staff who really manages kind of 10:25.663 --> 10:27.774 all of our programs or he manages the 10:27.774 --> 10:29.997 staff who work for all of the different 10:29.997 --> 10:32.163 programs that , that we have . So , um 10:32.163 --> 10:34.163 this program here specifically , uh 10:34.163 --> 10:36.386 we're doing it in conjunction with some 10:36.386 --> 10:36.349 other folks , but really , it's run by 10:36.359 --> 10:39.039 Marine Cor Station , Yuma . Um just 10:39.049 --> 10:41.271 like several of the other programs that 10:41.271 --> 10:43.493 we have going on preserving the natural 10:43.493 --> 10:45.605 environment in , in its current state 10:45.605 --> 10:47.827 is probably climate resiliency . Um But 10:47.827 --> 10:50.049 we do actually have some uh some really 10:50.049 --> 10:52.271 interesting water conservation programs 10:52.271 --> 10:54.438 going on . Uh We're helping to kind of 10:54.438 --> 10:56.160 build or encourage the natural 10:56.160 --> 10:58.382 collection of water and run off in some 10:58.382 --> 11:00.438 of the ranges to slow the runoff for 11:00.438 --> 11:02.660 the sort of the same reasons that we've 11:02.660 --> 11:04.549 got this program going on here to 11:04.549 --> 11:06.549 improve soil quality , encourage uh 11:06.549 --> 11:08.640 growth of natural plant life and uh 11:08.650 --> 11:10.872 also just control uh erosion in some of 11:10.872 --> 11:12.983 the areas that come off of the ranges 11:12.983 --> 11:15.150 as well . Yeah . So , I mean , I think 11:15.150 --> 11:17.261 it's uh it's very important for the , 11:17.261 --> 11:20.289 for the public , both the uh the local 11:20.299 --> 11:22.521 population here in Yuma , who we have a 11:22.521 --> 11:24.688 really close working relationship with 11:24.688 --> 11:26.966 as well as I think on a national level . 11:26.966 --> 11:26.159 I mean , I think there's a lot of 11:26.169 --> 11:28.391 misconceptions out there about what the 11:28.391 --> 11:30.859 military does about the impact that we 11:30.869 --> 11:33.450 have on the environment . And I think 11:33.460 --> 11:35.571 people are commonly very surprised to 11:35.571 --> 11:37.627 find out that , for example , Marine 11:37.627 --> 11:39.849 Corps Air Station , Yuma , which is the 11:39.849 --> 11:42.182 busiest air station in the Marine Corps , 11:42.182 --> 11:41.719 you know , conducting all kinds of 11:41.729 --> 11:44.062 training , getting people ready for war , 11:44.062 --> 11:46.229 that we also manage climate resiliency 11:46.229 --> 11:48.396 programs , right ? And that we view it 11:48.396 --> 11:50.451 as really very important part of our 11:50.451 --> 11:52.396 overall mission set . And let's be 11:52.396 --> 11:54.618 honest , I mean , climate resiliency is 11:54.618 --> 11:56.673 a national security threat . We , we 11:56.673 --> 11:58.840 have to address that as well as all of 11:58.840 --> 12:01.173 the other threats that face the country . 12:01.173 --> 12:03.340 Um Any , if we can demonstrate success 12:03.340 --> 12:05.340 with , uh with programs like this , 12:05.340 --> 12:05.244 particularly where we've got the 12:05.255 --> 12:07.311 Department of the Navy involved here 12:07.311 --> 12:09.422 today , right ? I mean , that kind of 12:09.422 --> 12:11.422 opens up the , the aperture for the 12:11.422 --> 12:13.422 entire Navy to look at uh employing 12:13.422 --> 12:15.199 similar projects . And uh we're 12:15.199 --> 12:17.033 absolutely on board with sharing 12:17.033 --> 12:19.199 information , sharing data and helping 12:19.199 --> 12:20.977 out any other bases , any other 12:20.977 --> 12:20.604 military or really any other 12:20.614 --> 12:22.336 organizations at all that want 12:22.336 --> 12:24.170 information about how they could 12:24.170 --> 12:26.336 replicate something like this anywhere 12:26.336 --> 12:28.447 in the country . And , and you know , 12:28.447 --> 12:28.150 in fairness , some of the uh some of 12:28.159 --> 12:30.215 the biologists that we have managing 12:30.215 --> 12:32.437 this program are doing these things not 12:32.437 --> 12:34.437 only all over the country , but all 12:34.437 --> 12:36.548 over the world . I was talking to one 12:36.548 --> 12:36.530 of the ranchers who is actually engaged 12:36.539 --> 12:38.483 in South America . He's engaged in 12:38.483 --> 12:40.650 Mexico , they're looking at hiring him 12:40.650 --> 12:42.650 to come over to Mongolia to do some 12:42.650 --> 12:44.872 similar projects . I mean , it's , it's 12:44.872 --> 12:47.039 really , you know , we're a very small 12:47.039 --> 12:49.900 part of a global effort , you know , 12:49.909 --> 12:51.465 part of it is just building 12:51.465 --> 12:53.465 understanding and frankly that's uh 12:53.465 --> 12:55.631 incumbent on us to , uh , to do a good 12:55.631 --> 12:57.853 job of communicating to the community , 12:57.853 --> 13:00.020 what it is that we've got going on out 13:00.020 --> 12:59.159 here and you can see there's cars 12:59.169 --> 13:01.336 driving by all over the place . People 13:01.336 --> 13:03.391 see us out here with the , uh , with 13:03.391 --> 13:05.502 the cows . I mean , it is , uh , it's 13:05.502 --> 13:05.400 our job to make sure that people 13:05.409 --> 13:07.465 understand why we're doing it , what 13:07.465 --> 13:09.353 we're doing that we advertise our 13:09.353 --> 13:11.353 successes frankly . Right . We do a 13:11.353 --> 13:13.919 really good job of putting cool 13:13.929 --> 13:15.929 pictures out there , marines , fast 13:15.929 --> 13:17.929 roping out of helicopters and , you 13:17.929 --> 13:20.151 know , storming the beach and doing all 13:20.151 --> 13:22.318 kinds of stuff like that . We probably 13:22.318 --> 13:24.429 historically haven't done a very good 13:24.429 --> 13:26.485 job of , uh , of advertising some of 13:26.485 --> 13:25.900 the other things that like this , that 13:25.909 --> 13:28.020 we do . So I think that that falls on 13:28.020 --> 13:30.020 us . I mean , if people want to get 13:30.020 --> 13:30.020 involved , certainly there are 13:30.030 --> 13:31.752 volunteer opportunities , uh , 13:31.752 --> 13:33.830 available also . You know , we run 13:33.840 --> 13:36.173 tours out into the range spaces to , uh , 13:36.173 --> 13:38.173 to show people some of the projects 13:38.173 --> 13:40.396 that we've got going on to kind of help 13:40.396 --> 13:42.507 them understand what's available . We 13:42.507 --> 13:44.673 also open up the majority of the range 13:44.673 --> 13:46.896 space that we have to uh , recreation . 13:46.896 --> 13:46.559 There are some areas that are closed 13:46.570 --> 13:48.626 off for safety reasons , but for the 13:48.626 --> 13:50.959 most part , you can get a permit online , 13:50.959 --> 13:52.959 you can get out into the desert and 13:52.959 --> 13:55.126 check it out and we actively work to , 13:55.126 --> 13:57.126 uh , to facilitate that and to help 13:57.126 --> 13:59.292 people do that safely so that they can 13:59.292 --> 14:01.348 kind of understand what's out here . 14:01.348 --> 14:03.459 See why it's a national treasure from 14:03.459 --> 14:03.090 an environmental perspective . Really ? 14:03.150 --> 14:05.206 II , I think this is really cool . I 14:05.206 --> 14:07.372 mean , it's really kind of outside the 14:07.372 --> 14:07.179 box thinking and I'll just tell you , I 14:07.190 --> 14:09.359 mean , I , having grown up with a lot 14:09.369 --> 14:11.679 of livestock and a lot of grazing , um , 14:12.010 --> 14:14.121 as soon as somebody says , grazing in 14:14.121 --> 14:15.732 nature to me , I , I kind of 14:15.732 --> 14:18.010 immediately go to overgrazing problems . 14:18.010 --> 14:20.066 I mean , it's kind of what I grew up 14:20.066 --> 14:19.789 with was uh sheep over grazing 14:19.799 --> 14:22.070 mountains in Utah , um , free range 14:22.080 --> 14:24.070 cattle and conflicts with uh other 14:24.080 --> 14:26.136 species that are out there and stuff 14:26.136 --> 14:28.247 like that . Yeah . And I think if you 14:28.247 --> 14:30.247 talk to the , the biologists here , 14:30.247 --> 14:29.909 they'll , they'll tell you , it's 14:29.919 --> 14:31.808 really not the animal that you're 14:31.808 --> 14:33.919 grazing . It's how they're doing it . 14:33.919 --> 14:36.030 It's , uh , it's kind of , you know , 14:36.030 --> 14:38.030 using these things responsibly , um 14:38.030 --> 14:40.086 employing them to , to get the feces 14:40.086 --> 14:42.419 the year and the , the fluids out there . 14:42.419 --> 14:44.530 They're actually fertilizing the soil 14:44.530 --> 14:44.229 without letting them over graze , 14:44.239 --> 14:46.406 without letting them trample it down . 14:46.406 --> 14:48.295 And they'll point out to you that 14:48.295 --> 14:50.406 natural grasses , that plains grasses 14:50.406 --> 14:52.628 evolved with animals . And if you don't 14:52.628 --> 14:54.850 provide that , that a lot of places are 14:54.850 --> 14:56.683 actually kind of experiencing de 14:56.683 --> 14:58.795 desertification , I think is the word 14:58.795 --> 14:58.179 I'm looking for . It's kind of a 14:58.190 --> 15:00.330 mouthful , right ? Because they don't 15:00.340 --> 15:03.119 have grazing animals fertilizing uh 15:03.130 --> 15:05.186 generation after generation of plant 15:05.186 --> 15:07.186 growth . So I think it's a , it's a 15:07.186 --> 15:09.019 really interesting , exciting uh 15:09.019 --> 15:11.130 concept . I think it's fun that we're 15:11.130 --> 15:13.463 able to uh to do it here . And honestly , 15:13.463 --> 15:15.686 it's just , it's , it's great to be out 15:15.686 --> 15:17.908 here on a beautiful day in um Arizona . 15:20.780 --> 15:22.891 All right . So let's start off here . 15:22.891 --> 15:25.113 Will you spell your first name and your 15:25.113 --> 15:27.113 last name for me ? My first name is 15:27.113 --> 15:29.169 Alejandro . My last name is Carrillo 15:29.169 --> 15:31.169 and Alejandro . How do I spell it ? 15:31.169 --> 15:34.770 Alejandro . A Lejandro and Carillo is 15:34.780 --> 15:38.489 Carrillo . So what is your official 15:38.500 --> 15:40.722 title ? And what company are you with ? 15:40.722 --> 15:44.450 Yeah , I'm a manager of the company . 15:44.460 --> 15:46.549 Uh It's a grasslands grasslands 15:46.559 --> 15:48.950 regeneration project and you guys are 15:48.960 --> 15:51.071 out contracted with the Department of 15:51.071 --> 15:53.071 the Navy for this project . Tell me 15:53.071 --> 15:55.238 about what it is and what you're doing 15:55.238 --> 15:54.909 out here and how long you've been here ? 15:55.679 --> 15:57.901 Yeah , we've been , we've been here for 15:57.901 --> 16:00.068 almost a couple of months . Uh that is 16:00.068 --> 16:02.549 to come here and , and graze this land 16:02.979 --> 16:06.000 in order to bring the biology . So we , 16:06.010 --> 16:08.121 we use livestock to bring the biology 16:08.121 --> 16:10.177 because actually there's very little 16:10.177 --> 16:12.399 rain . So we bring not only the biology 16:12.399 --> 16:14.454 but also the , the , the , the , the 16:14.454 --> 16:16.454 moisture uh through , through the , 16:16.454 --> 16:18.566 through the cows to the . Well , here 16:18.566 --> 16:20.788 is the livestock at the world we should 16:20.788 --> 16:20.659 talk about livestock because we have 16:20.669 --> 16:23.710 donkeys , mills and cattle here . 16:24.450 --> 16:26.506 So what cattle is doing here is , is 16:26.506 --> 16:28.728 actually fertilizing the soil , putting 16:28.728 --> 16:31.349 the manure , the urine , the saliva , 16:31.549 --> 16:33.929 the hoof action in such a way that 16:33.940 --> 16:35.996 we're changing the conditions of the 16:35.996 --> 16:38.329 soil . So instead of having bare ground , 16:38.400 --> 16:40.750 we're gonna have more uh cover in the 16:40.760 --> 16:43.440 soil . Like uh first you're gonna see a 16:43.450 --> 16:45.506 lot of weeds coming up , then you're 16:45.506 --> 16:47.450 gonna see more annuals like annual 16:47.450 --> 16:49.450 grasses and then perennials . So we 16:49.450 --> 16:51.506 really want to establish a perennial 16:51.506 --> 16:53.506 base in such a way that we can cool 16:53.506 --> 16:55.719 this place right now . They're on 300 16:55.729 --> 16:58.669 acres . And then uh every , every 16:58.679 --> 17:02.159 paddock is uh 44 acre . And then we did 17:02.169 --> 17:04.500 subdivided those four acre into half an 17:04.510 --> 17:08.140 acre . So in ranching terms , we 17:08.150 --> 17:10.094 define the animal impact as the uh 17:10.094 --> 17:12.650 pounds per acre right now because we're 17:12.660 --> 17:14.750 moving eight times and let's say we 17:14.760 --> 17:16.760 have available , we have here about 17:16.760 --> 17:20.089 £100,000 . So we are uh uh 17:20.099 --> 17:22.560 impacting . No , no , £50,000 . So we 17:22.569 --> 17:24.791 are actually on half an acre . That's , 17:24.791 --> 17:27.920 that's an animal impact of £100,000 . 17:28.180 --> 17:30.979 So that's the , you know what is really 17:30.989 --> 17:33.156 making a difference here . We keep him 17:33.156 --> 17:36.020 just for one hour and 8888 moves per 17:36.030 --> 17:38.030 day . But when we leave the place , 17:38.040 --> 17:40.318 then we open up all the eight paddocks . 17:40.318 --> 17:42.630 So they actually go and , and do 17:42.640 --> 17:45.319 another sl uh lightly grazing trying to 17:45.599 --> 17:47.710 finish the work . You know , we don't 17:47.710 --> 17:50.239 wanna keep the animals too long because 17:50.250 --> 17:52.583 we don't want the animals to get hungry . 17:52.583 --> 17:54.694 That's why we call it also , this the 17:54.694 --> 17:56.694 art of grazing . So you look at the 17:56.694 --> 17:58.694 animals , are they happy ? Are they 17:58.694 --> 18:01.028 full ? You can see , for example , very , 18:01.028 --> 18:03.139 the animals here are very full , very 18:03.139 --> 18:04.972 shiny . So even the state of the 18:04.972 --> 18:07.150 animals like , uh how calm they are . 18:07.160 --> 18:09.327 Obviously , they get excited when they 18:09.327 --> 18:11.549 are going to a new paddock . But it the 18:11.549 --> 18:13.660 animals , the animals , the livestock 18:13.660 --> 18:16.140 is the one that is actually uh giving 18:16.150 --> 18:17.928 us the feedback that we need to 18:17.928 --> 18:19.928 actually , you know , do we need to 18:19.928 --> 18:22.206 move faster ? Do we need to move early ? 18:22.206 --> 18:24.206 Do we need to open up the paddock ? 18:24.206 --> 18:26.261 What we are trying to do is to mimic 18:26.261 --> 18:28.520 nature because we consider that 18:28.530 --> 18:31.000 movement is equals to health and not 18:31.010 --> 18:33.449 only the animal but also also the land , 18:33.459 --> 18:36.109 you know , so imagine that you're 18:36.119 --> 18:38.760 getting like a new uh plate , fresh 18:38.770 --> 18:41.040 salad like in this case , like every 18:41.050 --> 18:43.106 hour . Well , we are actually cattle 18:43.106 --> 18:45.329 ranchers and then we learn this 18:45.339 --> 18:48.349 holistic regenerative grazing . And now 18:48.359 --> 18:51.560 we're trying to get that benefit into 18:51.569 --> 18:53.791 the , into the military installations . 18:53.791 --> 18:55.513 So we can actually make a more 18:55.520 --> 18:58.099 resilient environment . Yeah , it feels 18:58.109 --> 19:00.165 great . Really , we are very excited 19:00.165 --> 19:02.220 about this project . One of the main 19:02.220 --> 19:04.387 problems here is uh water scarcity , I 19:04.387 --> 19:06.498 mean , like lack of water because you 19:06.498 --> 19:08.720 know , we are in a place that it really 19:08.720 --> 19:10.887 doesn't rain much and we're relying on 19:10.887 --> 19:13.165 the , for example , the Colorado River . 19:13.165 --> 19:15.165 So what we do is actually improving 19:15.165 --> 19:17.276 what we call the effective rainfall , 19:17.276 --> 19:19.498 that effective rainfall is , don't tell 19:19.498 --> 19:21.665 me how much rain you get , but tell me 19:21.665 --> 19:24.260 how much rain you keep . And I mean , I 19:24.270 --> 19:26.492 can give you an example , for example , 19:26.492 --> 19:28.979 Co Colorado or even uh or home state 19:28.989 --> 19:31.239 like Chihuahua , they did a study and 19:31.250 --> 19:33.390 we're only if you're trading 40% . So 19:33.400 --> 19:35.456 think about that , how much of the , 19:35.456 --> 19:37.344 how much of that rain is actually 19:37.344 --> 19:40.280 running off or evaporating . So by 19:40.290 --> 19:42.250 bringing the biology of the cow we 19:42.260 --> 19:45.079 actually fit in also the other herd 19:45.089 --> 19:47.770 which is the ma herd , the macro herd 19:47.780 --> 19:50.430 is the microbiology . So by bringing 19:50.439 --> 19:52.439 all those do fertility to the cow , 19:52.439 --> 19:54.606 we're feeding the microbiology , which 19:54.606 --> 19:56.717 eventually is going to start creating 19:56.717 --> 19:58.606 aggregation in the soil . Because 19:58.606 --> 20:00.772 remember the major limitation on grass 20:00.772 --> 20:02.883 productivity on plant productivity is 20:02.883 --> 20:05.106 not water is actually air in the soil . 20:05.106 --> 20:07.199 If we have compacted soils , then we 20:07.209 --> 20:09.265 will not be able to infiltrate . And 20:09.265 --> 20:11.431 you may see we are Alejandro but we're 20:11.431 --> 20:13.487 in the sandy soils . Well , the sand 20:13.487 --> 20:15.709 souls also get compacted by the lack of 20:15.709 --> 20:17.542 microbiology . First of all , to 20:17.542 --> 20:19.709 infiltrate the rain . And then because 20:19.709 --> 20:21.876 there's a symbiosis between the plants 20:21.876 --> 20:24.209 and the microbiology , the microbiology , 20:24.209 --> 20:26.376 when it get the water , then I retains 20:26.376 --> 20:28.542 the water because it needs the plant . 20:28.542 --> 20:28.300 He needs the , the photosynthesis 20:28.310 --> 20:30.619 process going on . So the plant can 20:30.630 --> 20:32.852 actually feed that microbiology . So it 20:32.852 --> 20:34.908 says , OK , hold on . I'm gonna keep 20:34.908 --> 20:37.241 the water for you when it's a dry times . 20:37.241 --> 20:39.186 So you can keep being , you know , 20:39.186 --> 20:41.297 staying green so you can keep feeding 20:41.297 --> 20:43.352 me , as you say , it's a pilot right 20:43.352 --> 20:45.463 now and we know it works , you know , 20:45.463 --> 20:47.130 but we , we need to get build 20:47.130 --> 20:49.352 confidence . And as we see , that's the 20:49.352 --> 20:51.290 beautiful thing about uh about uh 20:51.300 --> 20:53.300 livestock because we can bring even 20:53.300 --> 20:55.411 more livestock so we can cover more , 20:55.411 --> 20:57.930 more areas and it will get a great 20:57.939 --> 21:00.217 benefit for , for , for the mission of , 21:00.217 --> 21:03.150 of the marines of the Navy . Because 21:03.160 --> 21:05.216 first of all , let's say if you have 21:05.216 --> 21:06.993 background , they're gonna have 21:06.993 --> 21:08.938 actually prawns on , on the planes 21:08.938 --> 21:11.216 flying . Uh I don't know , for example , 21:11.216 --> 21:14.290 the , the uh uh dust devils , if you 21:14.300 --> 21:16.522 have break , you're gonna have a lot of 21:16.522 --> 21:19.000 dust tables that will , I , I remember 21:19.010 --> 21:22.260 one issue that they have is the turkey 21:22.270 --> 21:25.219 vultures get into the , the dust table 21:25.229 --> 21:27.880 and then hit the planes . So if we have 21:27.890 --> 21:30.112 the soil cover , you will have probably 21:30.112 --> 21:32.223 you will reduce the , the dust levels 21:32.223 --> 21:34.719 for 90% . I believe the less dust 21:34.729 --> 21:37.239 storms , you know , uh less damage of 21:37.250 --> 21:39.306 the runoff for roads and things like 21:39.306 --> 21:42.489 that . Yeah , we uh my , my friends and , 21:42.500 --> 21:44.739 and myself , we , we have a ranch in , 21:44.750 --> 21:46.739 in northern Mexico , close to the 21:46.750 --> 21:48.806 border . But actually I came from El 21:48.806 --> 21:51.028 Paso , Texas , another desert . Right . 21:51.028 --> 21:53.194 The Chihuahuan desert . Yes . So we're 21:53.194 --> 21:55.361 really very familiar with dealing with 21:55.361 --> 21:55.180 cattle in the desert because we are all 21:55.189 --> 21:57.400 ranch in the desert and we are getting 21:57.410 --> 21:59.160 pretty good results in our own branches .