Public Grazing Lands Research Articles

Pyrogeography of the Western Great Plains: A 40-Year History of Fire in Semi-Arid Rangelands

This study describes spatial and temporal patterns in fire across the US Western Great Plains over the last 40 years. Although pyrogeographic studies have explored the nexus of fire patterns in relation to the bio-physical environment and socio-ecological trends, most of this research has focused on forested ecosystems and regions long known for conflict between wildfires and human development, especially at the wildland–urban interface. But evidence suggests large wildfire activity is increasing in the US Great Plains, and the Western Great Plains—a Land Resource Region comprised of four ecoregions, Northwestern Plains, High Plains, Nebraska Sandhills, and Southwestern Tablelands—not only contains some of the largest areas of rangeland in the US but also the highest concentration of public land in the Great Plains. As such, the Western Great Plains provides an opportunity to explore fire activity in primarily rural landscapes with a combination of public and private ownership, all dominated by rangeland vegetation. We combined several publicly-available datasets containing fire records between 1992 and 2020 to create two databases, one with georeferenced point data on 60,575 wildfire events in the region, and another with georeferenced perimeter data for 2665 fires. Ignition by humans was the dominant cause of fires. No ecoregion showed a statistically significant trend towards either increasing or decreasing the annual burned area. The Northwestern Plains had the most burned area and the greatest number of incidents—consistently around or above 1000 incidents per year since 1992—with the majority in July. The High Plains showed the greatest increase in annual fire incidence, never reaching more than 200–300 per year 1992–2009, and averaging above 1000 incidents per year since 2010. Few long-term trends in human population, weather, or fuel metrics appear strongly associated with fire patterns in any ecoregion, although the years 2006, 2012, and 2017 stood out for their levels of fire activity, and these years often frequently logged extreme values in wildland fuel metrics. These relationships merit much closer examination in the Western Great Plains, because like other rangeland-dominated landscapes, the fine fuels that comprise these wildland fuelbeds are much more responsive to fine-scale changes in moisture conditions. Rural Western Great Plains landscapes are a mosaic of public and private land ownership, and an increasing impact of wildfires on public grazing lands—which are often situated within other jurisdictions or ownership—will likely have an impact on rural livelihoods.

Germplasm of Indonesia local pig: potential, threat of extinction, and conservation strategy

One type of livestock that is widely cultivated by some people is pigs, especially local pigs. Pigs are popular animals and are widely cultivated for needs related to socio-culture, traditional ceremonies, religious ceremonies, weddings and other ceremonies by certain community people’s in Indonesia. Indonesia has germplasm of five local pig species from eight types of pig species in the world. The pigs species lives and develops in several main areas, namely in Sumatra, Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi and Papua. Local pig species in Indonesia include Nias pig, Toba pig, Samosir pig, Bali pig, Toraja pig and Papua pig. Currently, local pigs are facing the threat of extinction, due to low productivity so that people tend to keep imported pigs with better productivity. In addition, the threat of epidemics, poaching and the absence of real preservation and conservation measures from the government have also contributed to the decline in the local pig population in Indonesia. Conservation actions that can be taken include: 1) Establish areas for cultivation and development of local pigs in districts/cities; (2) Maintaining the existence and use of public grazing land for local pig farming; and (3) Develop and increase the productivity of local pigs. In local pigs that have been raised by the community, conservation is carried out by selecting within the clump so that purity is maintained and conservation through efforts to improve the management of local pigs.

Bovine trichomoniasis overview and testing

Bovine trichomoniasis, caused by Tritrichomonas foetus, is a venereal disease of cattle, resulting in infertility, pregnancy losses, abortion and delayed calving seasons. The disease has global distribution, with greater prevalence in areas in which natural service is the primary means of reproduction. When ar­tificial insemination, with appropriate hygiene practices, is im­plemented, as well as aggressive testing and culling of positive bulls, control and eradication of the disease is possible. Addi­tionally, minimizing co-mingling of animals with unknown sta­tus through herd additions or on public grazing lands will help decrease the likelihood of introduction into negative herds, and contribute significantly to the decrease in prevalence in the local region. Testing methods have improved over the last 100 years; however, proper sample collection and handling are still paramount to gaining true positive results in infected bulls.

Estimating Reduction in Standing Crop Biomass from California Ground Squirrels in Central California Rangelands

California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus spp.) cause more economic damage to California rangelands than any other rodent. Damage comes in many forms, although forage loss is typically the greatest concern. These losses are believed to be significant for ranchers, particularly given the economically marginal environment in which they exist, yet our understanding of these economic losses is limited. Furthermore, current public opinion is often not supportive toward ground squirrel control on many public grazing lands. Information on the damage that ground squirrels cause to rangelands may be needed to justify management actions in the future. Therefore, we evaluated the amount of standing crop removed by California ground squirrels across 16 sites at four different ground squirrel density categories in central California rangelands from 2019 through 2020. We also included precipitation and livestock grazing intensity to help account for their potential effect on forage production. We found that ground squirrel abundance negatively affected standing crop biomass, with available forage reduced by 27.2 kg ha−1 per individual ground squirrel at the end of the growing season. Likewise, precipitation influenced standing crop, with each cm of precipitation yielding a 16.6 kg ha−1 increase in available forage. We did not observe any effect of livestock grazing intensity, an interaction between livestock grazing intensity and ground squirrel abundance, or an interaction between precipitation and ground squirrel abundance on residual standing crop. Collectively, this information will be useful to ranchers to help determine when control efforts may be needed for California ground squirrels given relative abundance of ground squirrels on their rangeland properties.

Public Grazing Lands and the Progressive Conservation Movement: Reassessing the Gospel of Efficiency

Public Grazing Lands and the Progressive Conservation Movement: Reassessing the Gospel of Efficiency

Adaptive use of nonlethal strategies for minimizing wolf–sheep conflict in Idaho

Worldwide, native predators are killed to protect livestock, an action that can undermine wildlife conservation efforts and create conflicts among stakeholders. An ongoing example is occurring in the western United States, where wolves (Canis lupus) were eradicated by the 1930s but are again present in parts of their historic range. While livestock losses to wolves represent a small fraction of overall livestock mortality, the response to these depredations has resulted in widespread conflicts including significant efforts at lethal wolf control to reduce impacts on livestock producers, especially those with large-scale grazing operations on public lands. A variety of nonlethal methods have proven effective in reducing livestock losses to wolves in small-scale operations but in large-scale, open-range grazing operations, nonlethal management strategies are often presumed ineffective or infeasible. To demonstrate that nonlethal techniques can be effective at large scales, we report a 7-year case study where we strategically applied nonlethal predator deterrents and animal husbandry techniques on an adaptive basis (i.e., based on terrain, proximity to den or rendezvous sites, avoiding overexposure to techniques such as certain lights or sound devices that could result in wolves losing their fear of that device, etc.) to protect sheep (Ovis aries) and wolves on public grazing lands in Idaho. We collected data on sheep depredation mortalities in the protected demonstration study area and compared these data to an adjacent wolf-occupied area where sheep were grazed without the added nonlethal protection measures. Over the 7-year period, sheep depredation losses to wolves were 3.5 times higher in the Nonprotected Area (NPA) than in the Protected Area (PA). Furthermore, no wolves were lethally controlled within the PA and sheep depredation losses to wolves were just 0.02% of the total number of sheep present, the lowest loss rate among sheep-grazing areas in wolf range statewide, whereas wolves were lethally controlled in the NPA. Our demonstration project provides evidence that proactive use of a variety of nonlethal techniques applied conditionally can help reduce depredation on large open-range operations.

Compatibility of Livestock Grazing and Recreational Use on Coastal California Public Lands: Importance, Interactions, and Management Solutions

While the primary use of rangelands for over a century has been livestock grazing to produce food and fiber, elevated demand for recreational land has increasingly brought livestock-recreation interactions to the forefront. California’s coastal range is a hotspot for graziers and recreationists alike and is an important region in which to address the challenges and opportunities of concurrent grazing and recreation. Here we review issues related to livestock grazing on publicly owned recreational lands, discuss potential areas of conflict, and highlight promising avenues for fostering positive livestock-recreation interactions. Managers grazing livestock on public lands have adopted a variety of management practices to minimize conflicts and maximize benefits derived from multiple uses of public lands. However, even a few perceived negative recreationist experiences may prompt some public land agencies to remove livestock grazing entirely. California’s grasslands—a large component of public lands—are the most “at-risk” habitat type for development, and increasing economic and social pressures on ranchers who utilize leased public lands make it more likely that ranchers would sell their private lands to developers if access to public grazing land were eliminated, further increasing threats to our already dwindling rangelands. The continued accessibility of public lands for grazing is thus inextricably linked to the protection of private rangelands and the critical resources they provide. Novel approaches to public education and collaborative land management are critical to reducing negative livestock-recreation encounter and ensuring continued conservation of wildlands.

The welfare of long-line tethered and free-ranging horses kept on public grazing land in South Wales

AbstractA welfare assessment was conducted during 475 observations of 75 long-line tethered horses and 587 observations of 112 freerange horses kept on public grazing land in South Wales over a six-month period from March to August 2010. The observations included quantitative and qualitative behavioural assessments, assessments of physical welfare and assessments of the environment of the horse. Multi-level modelling was used to identify the significant factors affecting each measure. Tethered horses had similar behavioural repertoires to free-range horses but there were differences related to tethering, such as fewer observations of walking, trotting and cantering, increased vocalisations occurring during the observation and poorer qualitative ‘mood’ scores. There were few observations of severe physical welfare problems in either tethered or free-range horses, however tethered horses were observed more often to have eye abnormalities, hoof cracks, lameness and signs of limb pain but less often with mane and tail tangles, as thin or as dirty. Shelter from wind, rain or sun was available to almost all free-range horses (99.8% of observations) but was only found during 16.5% or fewer observations of tethered horses, giving them a greater risk of poor welfare during inclement weather. Similarly, tethered horses were infrequently observed to have access to clean water, and their willingness to drink when offered water, suggests the provision of water was inadequate and tethered horses may have been thirsty. There were significant confounding effects of the observer or climatic factors for some behavioural and physical measures that should be considered when conducting future studies.

Using Social Media to Discover Public Values, Interests, and Perceptions about Cattle Grazing on Park Lands

In the western United States, livestock grazing often co-exists with recreation, cultural resource management and biodiversity protection on federal and state protected rangelands as well as on many local government open space areas. While the value of livestock grazing for managing rangeland vegetation to reduce fire fuel loads and improve wildlife habitat is increasingly recognized by resource management professionals, public concerns, and conflict between recreationist and livestock have led to reductions in public land grazing. Traditional public input methods yield a constrained picture of people’s attitudes toward cows and public land grazing. Public meetings, hearings, and surveys, the most commonly used mechanisms for public land managers to solicit public opinion, tend to foster participation of organized special interests or, in the case of surveys, focus on a specific topic. General public input is limited. This study explored the use of personal photography in social media to gain insight into public perceptions of livestock grazing in public spaces. Key findings of this study include that many recreationist in grazed San Francisco Bay Area parks shared views, interests, and concerns about cows and grazing on the photo-sharing website, FlickrTM that seldom show up at a public meeting or in surveys. Results suggest that social media analysis can help develop a more nuanced understanding of public viewpoints useful in making decisions and creating outreach and education programs for public grazing lands. This study demonstrates that using such media can be useful in gaining an understanding of public concerns about natural resource management.

Habitat selection by cattle in Foothill landscapes following variable harvest of aspen forest

Logging of aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) forests on public grazing land in west central Alberta creates a mosaic of habitat types that may alter cattle (Bos taurus) use of these landscapes. We used an extensive network of field plots and global positioning system (GPS) collars deployed on cattle within four experimental pastures, each containing a mix of uncut forest, clear cut forest, partially harvested areas, and in-block haul roads, to examine habitat preferences during mid-summer grazing in 2008 and 2009. We also examined the effect of two cattle stocking rates the first year. Although cattle removed similar amounts of forage in all habitats, GPS data indicated cattle spent more time in uncut forests, and avoided clear cuts and in-block haul roads during both years, patterns that remained consistent under either livestock stocking rate tested. Observed patterns of habitat use were attributed to conservative cattle stocking rates consistent with or greater than those allocated on publicly grazed forest land in Alberta, combined with specific habitat attributes. Preferred use of uncut forest was attributed in part to favorable forage quality, which was positively associated with cattle utilization (standardized β=+0.13) among plots. Although forage use by cattle of plots also increased with forage biomass (β=+0.33), sharp increases in biomass following clear cut logging appeared to be offset by reductions in forage use associated with increased slash cover (β=−0.12) and sapling density (β=−0.11), both of which may have impeded cattle access. As a result, forage removal remained similar among habitats. Finally, cattle use of forage decreased with increasing distance from water (β=−0.22), highlighting the importance of ensuring reliable access to water across forested pastures to prevent localized overuse. Overall, the reduced time cattle spent in clear cut habitats coupled with similar forage removal suggests that under low cattle stocking rates, grazing can be compatible with deciduous forest management in the region.

Stubble height standards for Sierra Nevada meadows can be difficult to meet

Standards for the height of herbaceous vegetation remaining in meadows at the end of the growing season have been, and continue to be, implemented on public grazing lands throughout the Sierra Nevada. Although supporting research is limited, stubble height standards are intended to benefit riparian resources by limiting grazing pressure. This study illustrates how the timing and intensity of defoliation in mountain meadows can affect the stubble height of herbaceous vegetation at the end of the growing season, and compares these findings with current standards. The research also can help livestock operators and public lands managers develop grazing management strategies to meet stubble height standards and conduct local applied research to evaluate the appropriateness of general stubble height standards.

George Maxwell, the Railroads, and American Land Policy, 1899-1904

Research Article| May 01 1994 George Maxwell, the Railroads, and American Land Policy, 1899-1904 Donald J. Pisani Donald J. Pisani Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Pacific Historical Review (1994) 63 (2): 177–202. https://doi.org/10.2307/3640865 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Donald J. Pisani; George Maxwell, the Railroads, and American Land Policy, 1899-1904. Pacific Historical Review 1 May 1994; 63 (2): 177–202. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/3640865 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentPacific Historical Review Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1994 The Pacific Coast Branch, American Historical Association Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Range Survey Cost Sharing and the Efficiency of Rangeland Use

To meet the requirements of federal legislation, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Soil Conservation Service (SCS), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) complete periodic assessments of the biologic and economic productive potentials of the nation's public and private natural resources.' Public land management agencies (BLM and USFS) are mandated by Congress to manage so that goods and services are produced at levels sustainable in perpetuity. The agencies' management plans, devised to accommodate their legislative directives, have been the subjects of several legal challenges.2 Insufficient accuracy of planning process information has been cited as one of the reasons for ruling against the management plans. Surveys conducted by BLM and USFS were found to be inadequate with respect to both sampling intensity and sample distribution across space and through time. Agencies must now base their resource management decisions on information which is significantly more accurate than that previously used. At the same time, because laws and regulations require selling nondeclining (even) flows of forage to avoid damaging public grazing lands, federal land managers tend to be conservative in the stocking levels they allow. If an error is made it will be on the safe

POLITICS AND THE NEW RESOURCE ECONOMICS

Two competing theories generally used, at least implicitly, to justify and analyze public resource management are scientific management and pluralism. We briefly review these theories and compare them to the new resource economics, an emerging body of theory which revises resource economics by introducing concepts from Austrian economics, property rights theory, and public choice. We argue that the new resource economics is superior to these traditional theories and then present specific policy proposals for the national forests, wilderness areas, and the public grazing lands. We also criticize new resource economists for not clearly distinguishing ideology from science, for emphasizing efficiency as a criterion for policy analysis, and for lacking political strategies for implementing their proposals

Livestock Grazing Impacts on Public Lands: A Viewpoint

Cronemiller, F.P. 1953. Deerbrush (sweetbirch) in California. U.SFS. Region 5. Unnumbered publ. Heady, H.F., and H.J. Vaux. 1969. Must history repeat? J. Range Manage. 22:209-210. Hodge, W.C. 1904. Guard the forests from fire. Water and Forest 3:1-2. Hooper, J.F. 1967. Potential for increases in grazing fees. J. Range Manage. 20:300-304. Jardine, J.T., and M. Anderson. 1919. Range Management on the National Forests. U.S.D.A. Bull. #790. 98 p. Kennedy, P.B. 1919. A study of the forage on the pastures and ranges of California. Univ. of California Agr. Exp. Sta. Proj. #184B. Manson, M. 1902. Preserving the forests by fire. Water and Forest 2:5-6. Ostrander, H.J. 1902. Letter to the San Francisco Call. Water and Forest 2:5. Peffer, E.L. 1951. The Closing of the Public Domain. Stanford Univ. Press. Stanford, Calif. 372 p. Potter, A.F. 1913. Administration of grazing in National Forests. Address before the 16th annual convention of the American National Livestock Association. Phoenix, Arizona, January 15th. Roberts, P.H. 1963. Hoof Prints on the Range. Naylor Co. San Antonio, TX. 151 p. Roth, F. 1901. Grazing in the Forest Reserves. U.S.D.A. Yearbook 1901 p. 333-348. Smith, E.F. 1920. Grazing Chapter. Supervisor's Annual Working Plan. El Dorado National Forest. Talbot, M.W., and F. Cronemiller. 1961. Some of the beginnings of range management. J. Range Manage. 14:95-102. U.S.F.S. Annual Reports of the Chief. 1905-1975. U.S.F.S. 1936. The Western Range. Senate Document #199. 620 p. Voigt, W. Jr. 1976. Public Grazing Lands. Rutgers Univ. Press. N.J. 359 p.

Public Grazing Lands: Use and Misuse by Industry and Government

Journal Article Public Grazing Lands: Use and Misuse by Industry and Government Get access Public Grazing Lands: Use and Misuse by Industry and Government. By Voigt WilliamJr. (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1976. xiv, 359 p. Illustrations, maps, tables, index. $19.95.) C. Brewster Coulter C. Brewster Coulter University of Puget Sound Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Western Historical Quarterly, Volume 9, Issue 1, January 1978, Page 79, https://doi.org/10.2307/966915 Published: 01 January 1978

Public Grazing Lands: Use and Misuse by Industry and Government. By William Voigt, Jr. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1976. xiv + 359 pp. Illustrations, maps, notes, index. $19.95)

<i>Public Grazing Lands: Use and Misuse by Industry and Government</i>. By William Voigt, Jr. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1976. xiv + 359 pp. Illustrations, maps, notes, index. $19.95)

Public Grazing Lands

Public Grazing Lands

Economic Relationships of Public Lands and Privately Owned Grazing Lands in the Western States

T HE use of the large areas of public lands in the eleven western states in a complementary association with privately owned lands for the production of livestock, has been the basis of many land economic problems and land policy questions. The objective of this discussion is to develop the background of certain of these problems and questions, and to point out the meaning of some of the alternative courses which may be followed in public land administration. The Public Grazing Land Resource