This presentation will highlight the Winecup-Gamble Ranch (Montello, NV) as an example of a collaborative, outcome-based grazing (OBG) term permit renewal process that is currently underway. The Winecup has been engaged in various collaborative efforts focused on identifying opportunities for public land grazing allotments to be managed more holistically and locally for many years. Most recently, they have been an active member of the Results Oriented Grazing for Ecological Resilience (ROGER) group; a newly formed, rancher-led collaborative group focused on expanding grazing flexibility and adaptability to achieve specific ecological and ranch sustainability objectives.� One option currently being pursued by ROGER is the development of OBG permits (i.e., Winecup), and a commitment to share successes/lessons learned with a wider audience. The Winecup operates on approximately 1 million acres in a checkerboard arrangement (390,000 acreas private and 558,000 acres BLM). The ranch currently enjoys quite a bit of flexibility within their existing permit, which has substantially contributed to their success. The goal for developing an OBG term permit is to ensure that existing flexibility in terms of seasons of use, livestock numbers, and the ability to implement needed range improvements is maintained and enhanced; while at the same time ensuring accountability through the development of a robust planning, monitoring and adaptive management strategy. The intent is to map the allotment using remote sensing, threat-based modeling and vegetation mapping (in addition to standard BLM data) to help identify current conditions and threats, and develop ecological objectives; consider the various management tools available to meet stated objectives; determine appropriate thresholds and responses to drive management actions predicated on established rangeland management principles/practices; and design a monitoring plan that provides timely, cost effective, and relevant feedback at an appropriate scale to guide adaptive management. This entire process is embedded within an ongoing collaborative effort.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.