Stanley and Knopf looked at the effects of a 2-month grazing/34-month rest rotation system on the presence of birds in a northcentral Colorado riparian area. The study compared pre and post sample vegetation and bird censuses on 2 grazed pastures and 2 controls prior to and after 2 cycles (6 years) of the grazing system. The authors found no statistical difference in vegetation change between the grazed and ungrazed pastures. Bird species increased in numbers across all guilds (eurytopic, mesotopic and stenotopic) as well as an increase of 9 species overall. Although bird numbers increased on the grazed plots, they did not increase at the same rate of the control plots. Stanley and Knopf urged that if a management plan had goals for a maximum recovery of a certain bird species, then cattle grazing should be avoided.
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