On Wed, 16 Aug 1995 STEPNIEWSKI at delphi.com wrote:

> Jon, Interesting thoughts on grazing and Sharp-tails. It is my fervent hope
> management practices can be implemented which brings this species out of its
> tailspin in WA.

Andy,

I agree with you, as do most grazing and wildlife managers. Having
studied rangeland mgmt and known a lot of progressive, forward-thinking
cattlemen and range managers, it still amazes me that some folks will
graze their (or our) range away!!

The rotational grazing system described in the paper was operating on the
mixed-grass prairies of the midWest.

Rest-rotational grazing in the Pacific Northwest's
bunchgrass country is good in that it gives the grass a rest in between
grazing "treatments". Healthier grass plants equals *more* grass
production, which should make the cattleman happy. It should result in
good cover - between grazing periods. I would imagine that the timing of
the grazing would be critical when considering disturbance of
ground-nesting birds.

But anything would be better than season-long grazing at cattle densities
that are too great for the available forage! That's what a lot of
private outfits have ended up with because of Ag economics. And, that
seems to be what at least a few public grazing managers have settled for
due to politics or whatever. Besides, intensive management takes a lot
of work....

I think that we, as a birding community, should support managers and
grazers in their uses of alternative grazing systems, as well as in
keeping them "honest" in their regular grazing management - especially on
public lands. The benefits of good grazing management are evident in a
healthy range plant community, in a healthy and diverse wildlife
community, and in a healthy hydrologic regime.

One thing to consider is whether the alternative grazing systems actually
benefit the species of concern. It is all well and good to increase
forage production and species diversity by using rotational grazing, but
if it results in such intensive management that the sharp-tails are
discouraged from nesting due to human activity, or because the initial
grazing treatment left too little nesting cover prior to re-growth of the
vegetation, then maybe we were better off with the 'old' management?

Darn! I wish wildlife management was simpler! (But then, everyone would
want to do it... :-))

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, WA
anderjda at dfw.wa.gov