Chuck Horning's Publications

• The Importance of Saving the Earth’s Topsoil, Part 1, Chuck Horning January, 2011 Dedicated to preserving and restoring the earth’s resources, Chuck Horning devotes considerable energy to rehabilitating topsoil. The element remains one of the most vital on earth, yet many of us do not realize both its significance to our lives and the imminent threat it faces. We may know and feel appropriate concern about the depredations that modern industrial practices have wrought upon the earth, including global warming and the destruction of oceans, wetlands, forests, and myriad other ecosystems. The fundamental issues of healthy dirt and its peril, however, may have escaped our notice. About three feet of topsoil covers the earth. This nutrient-rich soil beneath our feet literally supports all life on the planet. Some experts estimate that we currently lose one percent of topsoil a year due to erosion. Topsoil replenishes at the excruciatingly slow rate of an inch or two every few hundred years, and we must protect this resource. The erosion and destruction of topsoil primarily stems from industrial agricultural practices that rely on over-tilling the soil, making it vulnerable to wind and rain. Moreover, toxic chemical pesticides and fertilizers poured into the soil inhibit the soil’s ability to restore itself. Sustainable, no-till practices leave organic matter from previous harvests in the soil. This precious matter both enriches the soil and makes it resistant to erosion from wind and rain. The Importance of Saving the Earth’s Topsoil, Continued here

• Becoming a Rancher, Part 1, Chuck Horning January, 2011 by Chuck Horning With the rise of the technology field and other popular job markets, ranching has suffered a decline. Over the past decade, the occupation has attracted fewer young people than ever before, resulting in plenty of opportunities to make a living ranching. If you are interested in becoming a rancher, there are several points you should know: 1. Be Ready to Work Hard Ranching is not a nine-to-five job. You will not spend eight hours a day ranching before returning home in the early evening for leisure time. Ranchers have little vacation time, rarely take a day off, and sometimes do not retire unless they have successors ready to step in and tend the ranch. In short, ranching is hard, tireless labor, but the satisfaction of the work and the chance to make a positive impact on agriculture makes the lifestyle worthwhile for many people. 2. Pursue a Ranching-Oriented Education Animal husbandry is the practice of breeding and raising livestock, and it will become one of your primary concerns as a rancher. Many two-year colleges offer courses that teach animal husbandry. Research and consider attending such colleges in order to learn about the practice before beginning your ranching career. 3. Study Business Being a rancher means more than raising and tending animals. You must be a businessperson because your animals and ranch need to make a profit, just as any other business would. Study business alongside animal husbandry courses. Business practices can apply to any field and occupation, including ranching. If you know any ranchers or can contact ranchers through college guidance counselors, meet with them and listen to everything they have to tell you about the ranching business. Becoming a Rancher. Part 2 continued here

• The San Juans Fen Partnership February, 2011 by Chuck Horning As a passionate supporter of land restoration and wildlife protection, I work to incorporate sustainable practices at all of my real estate holdings, from my ranches in California and Hawaii to my vacation resort in Colorado, the Telluride Ski & Golf Resort (Telski). At my California ranches, nestled in the foothills of the Northern Sierra Nevada, I continue the soil rehabilitation work that my late father began; at my ranches on the Island of Oahu in Hawaii, overlooking Waimea Bay and Kaneohe Bay, I participate actively in local land preservation efforts. At Telski, I have the unique opportunity to work in a community partnership to protect the rich and remarkable ecosystems in the San Juan Mountains and Prospect Basin. After I acquired Telski in 2003, I made it a priority to maintain its reputation as a high-end vacation resort known for its environmentally sensitive practices. In just the year before, Telski had received the Golden Eagle Award for Overall Environmental Excellence from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), and I was determined to continue building on this tradition of excellence. To do so, Telski partnered with other members of the community to create the San Juans Fen Partnership, a collaborative group that identifies, studies, and protects the type of ancient mineral-rich, alkaline wetlands present in the San Juan Mountains and Prospect Basin, habitat to increasingly rare forms of life. The Partnership, a coalition of the region’s towns and counties, universities, environmental interest groups, pursues joint initiatives with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service. Together, Telski and the San Juans Fen Partnership designed a special kind of trail construction, which minimizes environmental intrusion but also called awareness to the region’s ecological fragility. Today, the resort supports on-site Prospect Basin fen studies, the only research of its kind in the United States. In 2006, Telski received the NSAA Silver Eagle Award for Fish & Wildlife Habitat Protection. Earning recognition from the industry’s most prestigious program for environmental excellence was an honor that attested to the strength of our collaborative efforts, as well as a reminder for me to continue working on behalf of the land and its wildlife. by Chuck Horning

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