Livestock

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Livestock Wildlife Interaction
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Interactions
It Depends on.?
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Potential Positive Impacts

• Proper management
• Maintain water quality
• Improve forage quality for wildlife
• Manage Habitat and cover for wildlife
• Increased wildlife populations

NRCS photo
NRCS photo
http//forestandrange.org/modules/livestockwildlif
e/edu/Presentation6.ppt
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Potential Positive Impacts

• Improved Forages
• Small mammal upland game birds
• Energy-rich seeds
• Vegetation
• Cover
• Forbs
• Grasshoppers

http//forestandrange.org/modules/livestockwildlif
e/edu/Presentation6.ppt
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Potential Positive Impacts

• Improved Habitat
• Grazing patchy, mosaic pattern
• Feeding, nesting, and hiding sites
• Encouraged establishment of shrubs
• Ground squirrels and small rodents
• Birds of prey
• Selective grazing
• Create travel corridors
• Remove rank grass

NRCS photo
http//forestandrange.org/modules/livestockwildlif
e/edu/Presentation6.ppt
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Potential Negative Impacts

• Improper Grazing
• Reduced nest sites for upland game and waterfowl
• Decreased water quality
• Trampled nests for waterfowl
• Disturbed big game during fawning
• Reduced cover that permits wildlife to hide from
  predators

http//forestandrange.org/modules/livestockwildlif
e/edu/Presentation6.ppt
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Properly Managed Grazing

• Create patchy habitat with high structural
  diversity.
• Open up dense vegetation canopies
• Reduce range course grass improve quality
• Stimulate browse production by reducing grass
  biomass
• Use livestock to manage weeds and fire risk
• Create bare ground for feeding, dusting, and
  display areas

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Irresponsible Grazing

• Reduce nest sites for upland game birds
  wildlife
• Trample nest
• Disturb big game during fawning
• Reduce wildlife hiding cover
• Reduce forage for ungulates
• Reduce floral diversity
• Attract predators, parasites, or disease

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A few good examples

• Cattle --- Mountain Plovers Dove
• Cattle Sheep --- Upland Game Birds
• Cattle -- Elk Deer Fall Forage Quality
• Horses Cattle -- Winter/Spring Shrubs
• Goats to reduce dense oak brush

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Effects of Ranches on Wildlife

• Water
• Fences
• Large blocks of land
• Weed control
• Disturbance

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Grazing systems can

• Use strategic rest or deferment to improve
  nesting cover
• Remove livestock from fawning areas to reduce
  disturbance
• Heavy stock in some pasture to create weedy
  patches
• Stocking other pastures with moderate rates to
  create high quality regrowth