This study evaluated the influence of flash grazing and livestock trampling on selected hydrologic variables, on the Rio Bonito watershed in central New Mexico. Mean terminal infiltration rates, after flash grazing and trampling, were only 25% of the rates before applying livestock to the sites in May. By August, the rates were only 32% of those before. Infiltration rates significantly decreased from May to August in untreated plots, but there was no significant difference after treatment by livestock from May to August. Sediment production was 10 times higher after treatment in May than before treatment, and was 13 times higher in August. Results from this study suggest that flash grazing and hoof action or trampling, that occur as a result of grazing systems, may decrease infiltration rates and increase sediment yields. Resting a pasture 110 days in the summer was not enough time for the plants within the enclosure to return to pretreatment levels.
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