How I Developed Some Skills in Plant Monitoring that extended into retirement Or don t pass up opportunity even if it seems whacko
Program There is rangeland monitoring and rare and listed plant monitoring. Monitoring was required by the range program and rare plant management. So often monitoring was done as a accomplishment in a work plan. Then shelved. Monitoring was and is more.
1990 a old burn and overgrazed
Can a Mojave sight like this be recovered or restored?? My curiosity got me to read the trend nearly every year. I was curious whether we could do it with livestock present.
2006 Some Recovery has occurred. What do the studies show
What the original looked like before fire and overgrazing
Composition by Weight in the 19 years. P. Grass in 1990 Fluff grass. In 2009 Three awn and mesa dropseed. Rest rotation grazing 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Per Grass Browse Shrubs Forbs 1990 1994 2004 2005 2009
Limy Upland 6 9 Site Guide for Lower Cottonwood Wash Rotation Grazing 70 60 50 40 30 Site Guide 2009 20 10 0 Per Grass Browse Shrubs Forbs
Limy Upland Deep 6 9 Big Hole Pasture Rested from grazing for 19 years 2009 70 60 50 40 30 20 Per Grass Browse Shrubs Forbs 10 0 Actual Site Guide
Followup I would do the grazing system studies and at the time did more studies, this trend area was one of those, to answer my questions if our management was working to meet out objectives. Often I found them not meeting objectives, but moving to the objective. I also believed in publishing the studies and doing presentations to share and get feedback or challenges.
Siler Pincushion Cactus Listed endangered 1979, down listed to Threatened in 1994
Siler growing in Schnabkaib of the Moenkopi
A Cactus Study Plot. Variable Sizes. This one 30x32 meters. Siler plots 1/10 of an acre to 2 acres
Siler shown in total amount per plot. 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 1985 1993 2004 2012
Livestock Trampling Deaths in Plots Brady Pincushion (1986 2004) 3 Siler Pincushion( (1986 2005) 4 Fick Pincushion (1986 2008) 11
Mortality and Recruitment of the Siler Natural is drought
Alleged Threats (1979) Siler Pincushion cactus and what the studies actually showed 1.Imminent threats from gypsum and uranium mining and prospecting-no saleable gypsum found in Schnabkaib member of Moenkopi. Some uranium prospecting-but mines all out of habitat. Clearances done to protect. No mortality. 2. Illegal collecting-none ever detected. 3.Fewer than 1000 remaining- Close to 11000 counted. Lake Powell Pipeline surveys found 900 more on the Kaibab Indian Reservation
Alleged Threats and Reality 5. Habitat disturbance-off road vehicles in the St. George Basin were a major problem in the Coyote Spring and Warner Ridge Areas. They have all been fenced. This protects the Dwarf Bear Poppy mostly. The poppy was the most endangered plant in UT. This was necessary. But, was a small area. Rodent, rabbit and drought depredation have killed hundreds and were and are the major mortality factors. Trampling, collecting, mineral activity, and even ohv activity contribute only a little to mortality.
Other Rare Plant Monitoring With herbaceous plants I used a gps to do a polygon around a population and then counted the plants. Holmgren Milkvetch had this done on it because it totally disappears on areas for up to 10 years or more. Need to move to new areas where they occur. Plots are left empty, and lot of work. Belt transects work good on Gierisch Mallow, a endangered plant.
Holmgren Milkvetch
Thoughts on Honing Skills 1. Monitor over the years, analyze, publish or present data and interpretations. Be interested in what your management is doing or not doing. 2. If ranchers are some of your clientele. Share the data with them. Most of the ranchers I showed trend were interested. 3. Go to SRM meetings, Native Plant meeting and present data. Its fun and you grow. When dealing with FWS you will be challenged even if FWS have no data to challenge your data. When I showed illegal collection amounted to nothing, it took years before they modified their thinking on this.
More This past year the FWS listed two plants that occur on the Strip Gierisch Mallow and the Fickiesen Plains Cactus. Gierisch was listed because of a gypsum mine and livestock grazing, climate change(drought/rodents)and non native plants. Fick was listed due to livestock trampling and threats from climate change. Collecting was noted not a problem.
Negotiations The mining company and one rancher involved with both plants called me in and we met and had field trips to persuade the FWS not to list. But, to no avail. They removed non native plants threats. Collection threat was removed. The gypsum company(field people) offered to remove one major hill of gypsum mining, as they were not going to mine it. But, corporate did not want to look like they were backing down to FWS. This may have reduced listing, as FWS was interested.