Common water resource goals

Transcription

1 Healthy Rangeland Watersheds and Productive Livestock Enterprises: Why Not? Society for Range Management Annual Conference Billings, MT February 7, 2011 Common water resource goals Improve water quality. Enhance soil hydrologic functions. Restore riparian functions. Conserve sensitive aquatic species & habitat. K. Tate, L. Roche, T. Becchetti, D. Lile, D. Lewis, T. O Geen, R. Dahlgren, M. George, and R. Atwill Optimizing agricultural productivity is generally considered to diminish water resources cm - 3 ) Bulk Density (g CA Annual Rangelands No grazing 20+ years Light grazing, >1200 lb/ac RDM Moderate grazing, 800 lb/ac RDM Heavy grazing, <500 lb/ac RDM NO L M H Grazing Intensity Grass, not oaks, makes your cows fat UCCE 1960 s CA Annual Rangelands Thinning oak density is a common practice to increase forage. acre/auy oak thinning 26 none oak woodland 13 thin to 30% oak cover 7 thin to 0% oak cover Unsaturated Infiltration on Annual Rangeland We can manage for healthy watersheds and productive livestock enterprises. Under Oak 80 in/hr Grassland 8 in/hr Moderate Seasonal Cattle Grazing, 7-13 acre/auy I can be good.i promise! 1

2 The key is Water resources enhancement must be a management goal. Site-specific adaptive management. Examples from California Microbial water quality. Riparian health. Sensitive aquatic species. A big tool box = flexibility & options. Keep the big picture in mind. Irrigation & Drinking Water Microbial Water & CA Range Watersheds The Big Picture Sources Outbreaks human wildlife livestock companion animals surface water polluted recreational contact drinking water irrigated fresh food crops shellfish consumption Microbial Water & Cattle Grazing California Annual Rangeland Stocking rate increases WQ risk, background is not zero water, and runoff long calving water during rainy rainy and runoff runoff prior to and Grazing Intensity Indicator E. coli No Grazing Heavy Grazing

3 Microbial Water & Cattle Grazing >60% of fecal loading near livestock attractants water, and runoff long calving water during rainy rainy and runoff runoff prior to and Livestock distribution tools such as stock water and supplemental feeding stations can be placed to improve water quality. Microbial Water & Cattle Grazing >90% of E. coli retained in the fecal pat or trapped within 1 ft Rainfall An additional 70% to 99.9% trapped within 1 yard of pat water, and runoff long calving water during rainy cowpat stream rainy and runoff runoff prior to and Narrow buffer strips are effective. Maintain soil infiltration rates. Distribute cow pats away from streams and the whole range is a buffer When riparian are considered sacrifice to optimize agricultural productivity, we see riparian degradation fecal pat >90% trapped at fecal pat 30-99% trapped each additional 1 yard 30-80% trapped in riparian 3

4 When all riparian area services are included as management goals, we see enhancement Clean, reliable water supply Biodiversity Climate regulation Flood attenuation Survey of 130 Stream Riparian Areas Streams across CA ranging from excellent to poor health. Which practices are associated with excellent and poor health? Grazing & Correlations +Time maintaining off stream attractants (days/yr). +Herding to reduce time near stream (days/yr). Cattle density (AU/ac). Frequency (times/yr). f Taxa Number of This enhancement in riparian health benefits aquatic species Macroinvertebrate Total Taxa Richness 20 Cobble Gravel Fines Livestock Distribution Effort (days/yr) Cattle grazing is negatively effecting Yosemite Toad use of Sierra Nevada mountain meadows? CONCEPTUAL MODEL Livestock Toad Presence 4

5 Cross sectional sectional survey of 24 meadows RESULTS Mixed effects Bayesian structural equation model 3.74** -0.29* 0.54** Livestock NS Toad Presence -0.35** 0.43* Occupancy responds to meadow, rather than grazing intensity. Likely due to different habitat preferences of cattle and toads. 2 mi CONCEPTUAL MODEL: : THE BIG PICTURE Historic land use Climate change Livestock NS Upland watershed mgmt Restoration 3.74** Predator dynamics Toad Infectious Presence diseases Airborne chemicals We can manage for healthy watersheds and productive livestock enterprises. Water resources enhancement must be a management goal. Site-specific adaptive management. Conservation of this sensitive species will require a more comprehensive approach than focusing solely on grazing management. A big tool box = flexibility & options. Keep the big picture in mind. Tradeoff: How does the ranch enterprise cover these added operating costs? California Rangeland Watershed Laboratory Market ecosystem services CA Ranch Water Incentive Program Reduce regulatory compliance costs Feather River Watershed from $50K down to $10K/yr Public investment: USDA cost share programs Backbone of funding for these practices Still need more alternatives 5