1964-68 Walker Basin (W) Allotment Management Plan

Beaver Creek District

The objective on the winter range is the division of the Allotment into six units of which one, the Hance Spring Unit, will have little significance from a grazing standpoint, and will be included in the Wickiup Unit in this plan. These units will be as follows:

Twin Butte Unit

That area from the Summer-Winter allotment fence down to the proposed Twin Butte drift fence. Vegetatively, the area is primarily a strong perennial grass stand with a moderate invasion of juniper.

Cedar Flat Unit

That area between the Twin Buttes drift fence and the Walker Rim fence: This area is heavily invaded with pinyon and juniper. Forage production can be greatly improved through extensive juniper control followed by seeding. Range conditions within the Cedar Flat Area can greatly be improved through a revegetation project.

Walker Rim Unit

The area from the proposed Walker Rim fence down to fence #1061. This is a rough, broken, unit. It includes Walker Basin, which is a key wildlife area, Walker Mountain, the Rim proper and the breaking country down to and across the Beaver Creek - Clear Creek road. Proper distribution will be very difficult and will require careful placement of salt, fencing of the lower tanks and extensive riding by the permittee.

Russell Springs Unit

The area from fence #1061 west to allotment boundary and south to the proposed Wickiup-Russell Springs Unit drift fence. Vegetatively the area is a deteriorated semi-desert grass area. Objective will be to give this unit spring growing season (April, May and June) rest every other year, alternating with the Wickiup Unit.

Wickiup Unit

The area south of the proposed Russell Springs-Wickiup Unit drift fence. The area is primarily of a deteriorated semi-desert grass type. Objective will be to give this unit spring growing season rest every other year, alternating with the Russell Springs Unit.

It is recognized that, due to the long, narrow shape of the winter range and the difficult topography encountered, the implementation of a complete rest-rotation grazing system will be very difficult and may pose an unreasonable hardship on the permittees. Accordingly, it will be the present objective, for the five-year life of this plan, to give one or the upper units (Cedar Flat or Twin Buttes) spring rest each year, and to give one of the semidesert units (Wickiup or Russell Spring) rest each year during the spring growing season. The Walker Rim Unit will receive fall and winter rest. This management will be discussed in detail under the heading MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS later on.

Range Development Program

A range development and improvement program will be undertaken, subject to available appropriated funds, as follows:

In all of the proposed units, and particularly in those semidesert areas below the Mogollon Rim, there are areas of erosion and erosion control measures such as gully plugging and contour trenching should be carried out in conjunction with the revegetation, noxious plant control and management measures as they are instituted in those units.

Managememt System

To implement the planned rest and deferment type of management, in a gradual manner as the range improvement program develops, the cattle management by units and grazing seasons will be as follows:

(Throughout the following, it is intended that the present driveway from Buckhorn to the shipping corrals in the valley will be used exclusively as a driveway for movement of stock and no other use will be made during the regular grazing season.)

1963 - 1964

No change in fall use - cattle will proceed normally. In March of 1964, the cattle will be removed from the Wickiup Unit, to allow deferment of this area during the spring growing season, and will proceed to Buckhorn and the summer range in the normal manner.

1964 - 1965

Following July 1, 1964, the Twin Buttes Division Fence will be built as will Big Hill, Utopia and Twin Butte Tanks, Juniper control or invasion stands will be undertaken in the Cedar Flat Unit in the summer and fall of 1965 and will be completed in the fall of 1965.· The invasion juniper in the Twin Buttes Unit, following one year of drying, will be burned in the late fall of 1965.

Grazing use will be permitted in the normal manner during the fall and winter in all units except the Walker Rim which will again be deferred during the fall and winter months. In March of 1966 the cattle will be removed from the Wickiup Unit to allow deferment during the spring growing season. At the time of the removal of cattle from the Wickiup Unit, the Walker Rim unit will be opened for spring grazing. Normal spring use will be made of the upper country except that no cattle will be permitted in the Twin Buttes unit during the spring season.

1966 -1967

Following July 1, 1966, the Wickiup Division Fence will be constructed to aid in the separation of cattle on the winter range. Seeding will be completed on the Twin Buttes Unit and chaining of the burned and seeded areas will be completed prior to the summer rains. The Cedar Flat Unit juniper control areas will be burned in the late fall of 1966.

No cattle use will be made this grazing season on the Twin Buttes Unit to permit establishment of the seeding - cattle will be moved past the unit on the stock driveway. Normal season long use will be made of the Cedar Flat and Wickiup Units - the Russell Spring Unit will be grazed in the fall and winter and the cattle removed in March. The Walker Rim Unit will not be used in the fall or winter but will be opened to grazing in March. Drilling of the Cedar Flat will be done in late June.

1967 -1968

Seeding and chaining of the juniper control areas in Cedar Flat Unit will be completed in July, or early August. Shroeder Butte Tank and Hilltop #2 Tank will be built.

The Twin Buttes Unit, following two growing seasons of rest, will be used seasonlong. The Cedar Flats Unit, to aid in the establishment of the seeding, will be rested seasonlong. The Walker Rim Unit will not be used during the fall and winter, Wickiup and Russell Spring Unit will be used until March when the cattle will be removed from the Wickiup Unit and the Walker Rim Unit will be opened to grazing. Cattle movement up in the spring will utilize the stock driveway to bypass the Cedar Flat Unit.

1968 - 1969

Revegetation in the Wickiup Unit will be done in July end August, prior to the summer rains. Walker Creek Tank will be constructed. Following two growing seasons or rest, the Cedar Flat Unit will be opened to grazing, providing the expected establishment of grasses has taken place.

The Twin Buttes Unit will be deferred until spring - cattle moving by in the fall on the driveway. The Cedar Flat Unit will be used until spring when the Twin Buttes Unit is opened. The Russell Spring Unit will be used during the fall and winter months and the cattle removed in March to the Walker Rim Unit, which will have fall and winter deferment. No use will be made of the Wickiup Unit to permit establishment of the seeding to take place. Fall and winter use will be made of the Twin Buttes Unit and the Wickiup Unit, late winter and spring use will be made of the Russell Spring and Cedar Flat Units.

1970 - 1971

Revegetation work in the Russell Springs Unit will be completed in July or August prior to the summer rains. No use will be made of the Russell Springs Unit during this grazing season. Use will be made of the Walker Rim Unit, if the expected establishment of seedlings has taken place.

Following the range improvement construction, revegetation and noxious plant control work, it will be the objective to use the five established units in such a manner that one of the two upper units, either Cedar Flat or Twin Buttes is given spring deferment each year, by pushing the cattle off of it in March, and moving the cattle from below the Rim past it on the stock driveway; and one of the two lower units, either Russell Spring or Wickiup will also receive deferment during the spring growing season by removal of the stock onto the other units. The Walker Rim Unit will receive alternating spring or fall-winter deferment by utilizing it as a swing unit between the upper and lower ranges.

Thus, all of the allotment, as weather conditions may dictate, may receive fall and winter use, but two of the units, one upper and one lower, will receive spring growing season deferment each year. Being a winter use allotment, all of the area receives summer growing season deferment. The schedules of use for each of the units will be determined annually by the permittee and the District Ranger and will be written out and specified in the annual permittee plan.

• Management Unit Allocations

Last Revised: 2 January 2002