1. Monitoring Riparian Grazing Use

2. Why Do We Monitor?  To provide accountability for our actions.  To provide feed back on results.  To aid in our decision making What Should We Monitor? Goals and Objectives

3. Types of Monitoring  Annual: Actual use. Actual use. Grazing intensity. Grazing intensity. Plant recovery. Plant recovery.  Short-term (3-5 years): Point-bars. Point-bars. Channel width. Channel width. Over-hanging vegetation. Over-hanging vegetation. Changes in plant vigor. Changes in plant vigor.  Long-term : Channel and bank conditions. Channel and bank conditions. Plant community changes. Plant community changes.

4. Annual Monitoring  Examples of Annual Grazing Use that should be observed and recorded.

5. Are livestock in the pasture when planned? Are the correct numbers present?

6. Did the livestock utilize the forage properly?

7. Did you clean the pasture?

8. What were the impacts of the grazing use?

9. Was there bank displacement?

10. Determine amount of use

11. Leave a 4” stubble height on large sedges Observe stubble height-4”

12. Document regrowth of sedges-6”

13. Side (edge) browsing - Booth willow

14. Short Term Monitoring  The following are examples of typical responses that can be used as indicators of progress towards desired conditions.  These are often useful for short term (2-5 years) monitoring following implementation of improved grazing practices.

16. Brookgrass acts as a temporary filter.

24. Long Term Monitoring  Document streambank stability and channel improvement  Measure and document plant community changes Greenline Composition Greenline Composition Vegetation Cross-Section Composition Vegetation Cross-Section Composition Woody species Regeneration Woody species Regeneration

26. Young Salix drumondiana

27. Mixed roots, sedge/coyote willow

30. Geyer’s & Booth Willows - Stabilizers

32. Greenline of non- hydrophytic plant species.

33. Good willow/sedges, Montpelier Creek, ID

35. Damage & Natural erosion, 7-Mile Creek, Fishlake NF

36. Stream Meander

39. West Muddy Creek, Mule Park, Gunnison NF 1949 2000

41. Mule Park West Muddy Creek 7/8/1954 Allotment grazed season-long by 219 cow/calf pairs from June 24 to October 15. Precip. – 60%

42. Mule Park West Muddy Creek 7/28/1998 (84%). Allotment managed using a 4-pasture grazing strategy by 700 yearlings from July 5 to October 5.