Standardized rangeland monitoring methods (ground point cover, pace frequency, dry-weight rank and repeat photography) have been carried out on a 160 acre exclosure located on public land in the Hualapai Valley of Arizona since 1986 to assess long-term vegetation trend.� The objective of this project was to compare the vegetation trend inside and outside of the exclosure. From 1980 to 1999, the outside of the exclosure was on a deferred grazing system. From 2002 to 2011, the outside of the exclosure was grazed year round. Since 2011, the outside of the exclosure has not been grazed. Climate data in the Hualapai Valley over the span of the last 30 years is expressed through the Standard Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index. Since 1986, bare ground has decreased from 75% to 59% inside the exclosure and 92% to 81% outside of the exclosure. Rooted frequency of Hilaria rigida (big galleta) has decreased from 27% to 23% inside the exclosure and from 16% to 0% outside of the exclosure. Cover frequency of Larrea tridentata (creosote bush) has increased from 18% to 42% inside the exclosure and from 14% to 27% outside of the exclosure. Long-term vegetation trend data such as this has been collected across Arizona through the Arizona Cooperative Rangeland Monitoring Program; a collaborative effort between the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and the Bureau of Land Management. This program encourages extension personnel, agency staff and grazing permittees of the County to come together to monitor the range and participate in educational rangeland activities in order to better understand each other and the land with the goal of more sustainable management of Arizona�s vital rangelands.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.