Babbitt Ranches and its nonprofit research arm, Landsward Foundation, have long considered the golden eagle a sensitive species and have been monitoring the SP Crater area in particular for decades as an important golden eagle territory. In collaboration with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, they have been focused on protecting the eagles from human disturbances during the critical breeding and nesting period occurring now, from January through May. Meanwhile, Babbitt Ranches began … [Read more...] about High-Tech Avian Detection System Becomes Golden Eagle Conservation Tool
Babbitt Ranches
Shipping Day on Babbitt Ranches: A Scene Out of the Old West
Arizona’s Western traditions ride on in the high country of Babbitt Ranches. A quiet outpost known as Tin House Camp roars to life each year on Shipping Day as cowboys on horseback round up hundreds of healthy, free-range heifers and steers that they’ve worked all year to raise. Ranch Manager Clay Rodgers calls it “Super Bowl for the Cowboy World.” Watch now on Zonie Living at Star Worldwide Networks … [Read more...] about Shipping Day on Babbitt Ranches: A Scene Out of the Old West
‘Super Bowl for the Cowboy World’
On a cold autumn morning, the quiet of the sprawling plains on Babbitt Ranches pulses to life with the pounding hooves of cattle and horses racing toward Tin House Camp. Shipping Day, also known as Fall Works, is a time-honored scene out of the Old West. Cowboys ride herd from all directions, bringing in cattle the same way it’s been done since the 1800s. “It really does look choreographed,” said fourth generation Arizona Babbitt family member Roberta “Birdie Wallace. “It’s amazing how these … [Read more...] about ‘Super Bowl for the Cowboy World’
Babbitt Ranches Calls Wind Farm a ‘Promise for the Future’
As crisp white wind turbine blades rotated gently against a clear blue Northern Arizona sky, more than 100 people, representatives from Salt River Project, NextEra Energy Resources, Arizona State Land Department, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Coconino County and Babbitt Ranches, along with dignitaries, business owners, consultants and scientists, gathered to celebrate the completion of Arizona’s newest wind energy center and the meaning behind the steel. “When I consider the future of … [Read more...] about Babbitt Ranches Calls Wind Farm a ‘Promise for the Future’
Promoting Space Travel with a Land-Use Ethic
Once again, cows and astronauts shared the high desert landscape of Babbitt Ranches as NASA, assisted by geologists from USGS, tested equipment, conducted moonwalking drills and practiced geology in preparation for Artemis 3, a crewed mission to the dark lunar south pole region, anticipated for 2026. The cattle seemed untroubled by the slow-moving visitors in spacesuits, a recurring event throughout the last half century. “I smile when I think about my grandad, John Babbitt, a quiet, … [Read more...] about Promoting Space Travel with a Land-Use Ethic
Teen Equestrians See Their Future Riding on Hashknife Horses
At 16 years old, Grace Copeland knows what she wants. A year ago, she started to ride horses and fell in love with everything equestrian, from running barrels to cleaning stalls. Her goal is to have the whole experience of raising and training a horse. So, with $5,000 she earned from jobs like babysitting and dog walking, she arrived at the Babbitt Ranches Annual Hashknife Colt Sale with focused intention. On that warm second Saturday morning in July at Spider Web Camp north of Flagstaff, the … [Read more...] about Teen Equestrians See Their Future Riding on Hashknife Horses
Managing for Renewable Energy and Wildlife
Wildlife managers and researchers from across the country gathered in Flagstaff last month for the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) conference to discuss deer and elk movement and the latest technology being used to track the ungulates as projects are planned for land uses such as public recreation and renewable energy. The conference at Northern Arizona University included a field trip to the Babbitt Ranch Energy Center north of Flagstaff. “There were overwhelmingly … [Read more...] about Managing for Renewable Energy and Wildlife
Construction Underway on Babbitt Ranch Energy Center North of Flagstaff
With a passion to move the state forward with renewable energy while protecting open space, creating jobs, boosting the Northern Arizona economy and planning for generations of Arizonans to come, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, SRP, Babbitt Ranches and the Arizona State Land Department have announced that construction is underway for the Babbitt Ranch Energy Center. The 161-megawatt (MW) wind project, featuring 50 wind turbines across 669 acres on the CO Bar Ranch about 25 miles north of … [Read more...] about Construction Underway on Babbitt Ranch Energy Center North of Flagstaff
Babbitt Ranches Supporting Artemis Missions, Promoting Land-Use Ethic on Other Worlds
On land commonly occupied by Hereford cattle, pronghorn antelope and mule deer, a moon rover prototype cruises at a top speed of eight miles per hour near Black Point Lava Flow. It is here on Babbitt Ranches that NASA, Japan’s space program, JAXA, U.S. Geological Survey scientists, along with engineers and technicians, set up a space camp of sorts. They have been preparing for a series of Artemis Missions to enable human exploration of the moon and Mars. The first, the uncrewed Artemis 1, … [Read more...] about Babbitt Ranches Supporting Artemis Missions, Promoting Land-Use Ethic on Other Worlds
Eaglet Success on Babbitt Ranches Provides Evidence that Conservation Measures Work
Following unprecedented action taken by Babbitt Ranches, the Arizona State Land Department and the Arizona Game and Fish Department to protect a two-mile radius around a golden eagle nest, wildlife biologists report double success. Twin eaglets have been observed by a helicopter crew in what has become known as the SP Crater Golden Eagle Conservation Complex north of Flagstaff. “This is very exciting,” said Kenneth “Tuk” Jacobson, AZGFD raptor management coordinator. “Seeing that the pair … [Read more...] about Eaglet Success on Babbitt Ranches Provides Evidence that Conservation Measures Work
