The 2008 Joint Meeting of the Society for Range Management and the America Forage and Grassland Council. |
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - 9:20 AM
Watershed Assessments led by County Advisory Committee -- Putting it all together
John Williams1, K. Fregulia-Smith2, E. Melville3, T.A. Smergut2, C. Warnock4, and R. Childers5. (1) Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management, Oregon State University, 668 NW First Street, Enterprise, OR 97828, (2) Range, United States Forest Service, 88401 Hwy 82 #A, Enterprise, OR 97828, (3) Wallowa Resources, 200 W. North Street, Enterprise, OR 97828, (4) Soil and Water Conservation District, 88401 Hwy 82 #B, Enterprise, OR 97828, (5) RL Cattle, 61687 Lime Quarry Road, Enterprise, OR 97828
In the fall of 2000, the Wallowa County Natural Resource Advisory Committee initiated an analysis of the 174,674 acre Upper-Joseph Creek watershed. The objective was to increase efficiencies of planning and implementation of large scale restoration projects having significant impacts on watershed conditions and the county’s economy. Completed in 2005, the assessment contained analyses of rangeland and forest vegetation; riparian conditions; road and recreation areas; wildlife; and, cultural resources for public lands, and over 80 percent of private acres. The rangeland group classified vegetation to plant community and seral stages using Condition and Trend plots incorporating: Parker 3-step, canopy cover, line-point intercept and photo point techniques. This multi-stakeholder effort has not only improved NEPA, but also contributed to the local economy through grants and contracts. There have also been challenges: providing quality data to private landowners about their property, while maintaining confidentiality; interpreting range condition of the broader landscape from small, finite plots, across multiple landowners and management; and, finally, reaching a collective statement about all representatives’ understanding of the watershed. The Lower-Joseph Creek watershed assessment began in 2006 with some changes in the process: landowners were not guaranteed data confidentiality should they choose to participate; the intergovernmental Rangeland Health Indicators will be used to broaden assessment scale; additional representation from various stakeholders were added to the rangeland group, and clearer expectations were agreed to by the group prior to assessments. The broader analysis will help determine if additional detailed plot work is necessary to better understand watershed conditions. The rangeland group has joined other committees in the assessment to complete Proper Functioning Condition analyses and weed, and threatened/endangered/sensitive species surveys. These assessments are assisting the US Forest Service in complete range NEPA on 16 allotments, and 15 landowners will have significant more data to help with management decisions.