Intensive rotational grazing was used to see if it could be used as an alternative to costly buffer strips to restore streambanks following continuous grazing. The authors compared bank erosion, fish habitat characteristics, trout abundance, and a fish-based index of biotic integrity among stations with either riparian continuous grazing, riparian intensive rotational grazing, grassy buffers, or woody buffers along 23 trout stream reaches in southwestern Wisconsin, during 1996 and 1997. Stations with riparian intensive rotational grazing or grassy buffers had the least bank erosion and fine substrate in the channel. Continuous grazing stations had significantly more erosion and, with woody buffers, more fine substrate. Riparian land use had no significant effect on width/depth ratio, cover, percent pools, habitat quality index, trout abundance, or index of biotic integrity, but overall watershed conditions influenced these parameters. Buffers and intensive rotational grazing appear to both be effective for rehabilitating the streams.
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