Rangeland Ecology & Management

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WILD HORSE AND CATTLE GRAZING INFLUENCE ON GREATER SAGE GROUSE LATE BROOD REARING HABITAT
Author
Tsocanos, Sebastian A.
Burdick, Jacob M.
Swanson, Sherman R.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2018
Body

There is widespread agreement that many lentic meadows throughout Nevada are functionally at risk, threatening the long-term stability and possibly the short-term quality of habitat critical for greater sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). What puts these riparian areas at risk, however, is often debated where cattle (Bos taurus) and federally protected wild horses (Equus ferus caballus) are both present. Our study examines the condition of 12 randomly selected meadows across Nevada where both cattle and wild horses graze within designated core sage grouse habitat. Large grazing animals can strongly influence the vegetation of wet meadows, affecting the quantity and quality of sage grouse preferred forb species such as dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), clover (Trifolium sp.), and yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and the abundance and structure of stabilizer species such as Nebraska sedge (Carex nebrascensis) and Baltic rush (Juncus balticus), that are important for the long-term stability of meadow morphology, hydrology, and vegetation. In 2016 and 2017 we used trail cameras set to 5 minute intervals from mid-May through mid-September and 30 minute intervals over the winter to establish the timing, duration and number of grazers using each meadow throughout the year. We measured forage quality for sage grouse chicks based on the abundance, phenology, and succulence of their preferred forb species throughout the meadow and adjacent upland transition zone. In addition, we measured the short-term effects of grazers on the stabilizing vegetation along the central flow path through the meadow, specifically stubble height, alterations and stabilizing species cover and composition. This research will help improve our understanding of how current wild horse and cattle grazing management is effecting the quality of sage grouse late brood rearing habitat and the functioning condition of lentic meadows in diverse locations across Nevada.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Reno, NV