Livestock grazing and habitat for a threatened species: Land-use decisions under scientific uncertainty in the White Mountains, California, USA
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Authors: G. M. Kondolf
Date: 1994
Journal: Environmental Management
Volume: 18
Number: 4
Pages: 501-509
Summary of Methods: In this scientific opinion, previous work (author’s dissertation and other investigations [Kondolf, 1993 also available in the RSIS database]) conducted on Paiute cutthroat trout habitat along the North Fork of Cottonwood Creek in Inyo National Forest, California was relied upon to examine the costs and benefits of restoring degraded riparian areas. The costs of riparian and in-stream restoration along with grazing permit fees were also calculated.
Article Summary / Main Points: Trout habitat recovery success is difficult to measure because there are no areas in the region that have not been grazed; therefore, grazing exclosures are used to measure differences between grazed and ungrazed areas. At Cottonwood creek, stream widths and depths were similar in grazed areas and areas that had been exclosed from livestock, but vegetation cover was higher in ungrazed areas. Restoration efforts cost $260,000 from 1981 until 1991, while permit fees totaled $12,000 during the same period. Forest Service policies should be changed to reduce or eliminate grazing in sensitive trout habitat because the cost of restoration outweighs the fees being charged and the lack of scientific findings that grazing does not degrade riparian habitat in the region suggests the need for more research.
Vegetation Types: Riparian and Wetlands
MLRA Ecoregions: 18 Sierra Nevada Foothills 22A Sierra Nevada Mountains
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Grazing
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Documented Case History
Keywords: public lands, cumulative watershed effects, paiute cutthroat trout, oncorhynchus clarki seleniris, aquatic habitat, streambank recovery, grazing impacts, exclosure
Annotation: Conclusions in this scientific opinion should be used with caution as the author was describing a specific area in the White Mountains of California where he had conducted research. His point that additional scientific research is needed to better understand the inconclusive results of previous studies on riparian habitat recovery is warranted due to the threatened nature of the trout species.
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