Walker Basin Allotment Management Plan 1990

Beaver Creek Ranger District, Coconino National Forest, Yavapai County, Arizona

Prepared by: M. Tony Valdes, Range Conservationist, Date: 4/4/90
Agreed to by: Ben Zink, Permittee, Date: 4/4/90
Submitted by: Bruce Greco, District Ranger, Date: 6/11/90
Approved by: Alan S. Defler, Acting Forest Supervisor, Date: 11/26/90

I. Introduction

The management of cattle and vegetative resources within the Walker Basin allotment is directed herein, providing prescriptions, to meet Forest, District and Permittee goals and objectives. The Walker Basin allotment is located on both the Beaver Creek and Long Valley Ranger Districts. See Exhibit I, for allotment map.

The allotment is presently under permit to Ben Zink, who is authorized to graze 495 head of cattle for a 12 month season of use (1/1 to 12/31). Mr. Zink conducts a cow-calf operation on two ranch headquarters located near RimRock and Mahan Park, Arizona. Generally, all calves are marked in the fall, primarily during the month of October. Bulls are placed with the main cow herd in March and remain with the herd through the summer. Branding occurs during March through June, using the Shipping and Cedar Flat corrals.

Winter grazing use occurs within the Montezuma, Wickiup, Russel, Walker Basin and winter Heifer Unit areas. Spring and early summer grazing occurs within the Cedar Flat, Twin Buttes, and to some extent, the Shipping pastures, if special breeding areas are needed. These pastures also serve as late fall and early winter grazing areas during the transition from summer to winter divisions of the allotment. Summer and fall use occurs within the Buckhorse, Horse Knoll, Snake Ridge, Banfield, Heifer, Harris Park, Pine, Stanford, and Steer Units. The shipping facilities used when marketing fall calves is located in Mahan Park, Mr. Zinks summer ranch headquarters.

Dual use of forage resources by livestock and big game will require coordination of pasture rotation and establish proper use criteria to prevent adverse effects on vegetative resources. In addition to proper use criteria, duration of livestock grazing in terms of leaving a pasture prior to grazing on secondary growth, should be coordinated to include use by big game. This will be accomplished by reducing pasture size.

Implementation of actions described within this plan, provides opportunities to foster effective livestock management and attain resource goals and objectives concurrently with other uses. The allotment plan, as a working document, is intended to be an on-going process of evaluation and support of adjustments in management determined necessary for continued improvement of the allotment. The effectiveness of this plan is based on the flexibility of management and inherent productive potential of the vegetative resources on the allotment.

Other resource activities that will require coordination include: timber sales on the Long Valley portion of the allotment, and Merriams Turkey nesting areas, which is addressed in Section II, Goals and Objectives. Opportunities for transitional rangeland created through commercial and individual firewood sales is encouraged, in addition to wildlife habitat improvement projects, such as creating five acre openings within pinyon-juniper communities as a means of increasing habitat diversity. Dispersed recreation activities should continue to be a focus on the allotment. No restraints in current uses will occur due to the management strategy of livestock being implemented. Additional fence construction will be implemented using specifications aimed to minimize conflicts.

Areas exhibiting excessive soil loss through gully cutting may be included in the watershed restoration plan, which is an amendment to the Forest Plan. These areas may include sections of Wickiup Draw, located in the winter portion of the allotment, and areas within the Twin Buttes units, located in the transitional portion of the allotment. Other means of improving watershed condition may include broadcast seeding.

II. Goals and Objectives

The Walker Basin allotment, to meet the following goals and objectives, will be managed using both deferment and rest principles. Existing units will be divided to create smaller pastures, that will provide shorter duration of use, and alleviate overuse and over rest. Specific pasture rotation, cattle use, and rotation schedules are illustrated in Section III, Action Section. Investments include pasture division fences, water developments, and vegetative maintenance and/or improvements. Investments are listed in Section IV, Range Improvements Section. These improvements are needed to successfully implement the prescribed management program and to meet the goals and objectives of this plan.

Goals and Objectives are:

A. Wildlife Habitat Objectives

1. Continue to identify Merriams Turkey nesting areas. Enhance reproductive success by scheduling cattle use and avoid these areas from May 15 through July 1.
2. Continue to provide forage for big game consistent with the Forest Plan and Comprehensive Wildlife Management Plan. Provide residual forage and water during all seasonal periods of use.
3. Improve foraging, thermal, and hiding cover for big game in Cedar Flat and along corridors within transition areas of the allotment.

B. Watershed

1. Increase ground cover density of perennial herbaceous vegetation within the winter range by 25 percent of present cover density within the first five years after plan implementation.

D. Riparian and Vegetative Management

1. Protect riparian habitat within Hance Draw and Willow Valley riparian, which may include fencing to enhance vegetative diversity.
2. Maintain three age classes of woody vegetation within the riparian areas of the allotment.
3. Maintain existing seral grasslands within transitional rangeland.
4. Increase desirable forage species including both warm and cool season grasses by 25 percent of existing plan density within the first five years after plan implementation.
5. Reduce overgrazing by elk and cattle by 5O percent on full capacity range within 5 years of plan implementation.

III. Action Section

A. Grazing Prescriptions

The allotment is comprised of three elevational divisions where differences in plant development and physiology requires specific grazing prescriptions. These are the winter, transitional, and summer divisions.

The winter division is grazed during the winter months generally from December through March. Most forage species are dormant during this period. Cool season species generally begin growth during mid-February continuing until soil moisture is depleted. Growth on warm season species generally begins in July during the monsoon season after cattle have moved on to summer pasture. The units comprising the winter division are: Montezuma, Wickiup, Russel, and Walker Basin.

The transitional division incorporates Cedar Flat, Twin Buttes and Horse Knoll Units. The majority of breeding occurs within these units and contributes significantly to obtaining a high calf crop due to the high density of livestock per pasture size. These areas prolong the summer grazing season by extending the grazing period through the month of June. As a result, additional plant development and production can be obtained on the summer division. Due to active growth occurring within the Cedar Flat and Twin Buttes Units during the season of grazing, these units will be further divided to reduce the duration of grazing during this critical period. Short duration and higher stock density, due to the reduction in pasture size, will reduce overgrazing. This prescription is essential within the Twin Buttes unit, which is a favored area for elk. A pasture rotation incorporating rest and deferment will be implemented to compliment the short duration of grazing by cattle.

The summer division consists of the following units: Horse Knoll, Snake Ridge West, Middle and East, Banfield, Pine, Stanford, Harris, Steer and Buckhorse. Cattle grazing occurs concurrently with big game over most areas of this division. Proper use of forage in addition to shorter duration within a pasture will foster overall range improvement in lieu of dual use by big game and cattle.

The grazing plan for each division is outlined on form R3-2200-19, Grazing System Pasture Plan and Use Record.

The rotation schedule illustrated in the following table lists the pasture at full implementation of the plan. Due to changes that may occur during the implementation of this plan, it is not practical to create rotation schedules for each phase. Therefore, during the interim, as improvements are constructed within each respective phase, annual operating plans will incorporate new pastures as they are created. Please refer to Exhibit 3, Year One Annual Operating Plan, which depicts the pasture rotation at full implementation of this plan.

Table 1. Sequence of Pastures at Full Implementation Level

IV. Proper Use Guidelines

Grazing management will be coordinated with related resources and uses. Proper use guidelines will vary between pastures. These guidelines will include allowable use on forage species, and planned periods of grazing.

The following guidelines will be used as they apply to each respective situation.

1. Winter Division

1. Proper allowable use on cool season species shall not exceed 50 percent. Residual vegetation is needed to increase surface mulch and ground cover.

   Cool season species include:

   Aristida arizonica - Arizona three-awn
   Bouteloua curtipendula - side-oats grama
   Bouteloua gracilus - blue grama
   Hileria jamesii - galleta
   H. mutica - tobosa

2. Livestock will be moved from a pasture where active growth is occurring when grazing of regrowth exceeds 20 percent of monitored plants.
3. Higher stock density may be used to prepare seedbeds break up surface crusting, and knock down oxidized feed material.

2. Transitional Division

1. Proper allowable use will be 7O percent on the Cedar Flat. Indicator species will be Western Wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii). Due to the dual use of forage by big game, grazing use on forage species will not exceed 60 percent in the Twin Buttes unit. This will provide residual forage for big game.
2. Same as 1-c.

3. Summer Division

1. Proper use allowance will not exceed 60 percent of preferred species.* The species include:

   Koeleria cristata - junegrass
   Sitanion hystrix - bottlebrush squirreltail
   Bouteloua curtipendula - sideoats grama
   Sporobolus Spp. - dropseed
   Festuca arizonica - Arizona fescue
   Poa pratensis - Kentucky bluegrass
   Bouteloua gracilis - blue grama

   * Introduced species may receive heavy use exceeding allowable use on summer range. These species include orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata), Elymus Spp., and Timothy (Phleum Spp.). Generally, forage removal will not exceed 60 percent, leaving residual forage for big game and maintaining litter cover.

2. Same as l-c.

Proper use of pastures is interdependent upon the employment of distribution aids. These include:

1. Water lotting of specified stock tanks to control cattle
2. Salting (away from water and roads)
3. Herding
4. Maintaining gate closures
5. Fences

V. Range Improvements

A. New projects

Due to the limited funds contributed by both the Forest Service and allotment permittee, the construction of range improvements will be programmed into six phases. During the implementation period of these phases, monitoring will be initiated to evaluate the effectiveness of each project and overall contribution to the management of the allotment. Through the monitoring process results will be compared to objectives outlined in Section II. If results support the objectives, a recommendation for additional cattle will be made. The recommendation will take into account big game needs. Details of monitoring methods are described in Section VI. All costs are estimated and are subject to inflation. Costs represent a cost share of approximately 50-50 between the Forest Service and permittee.

VI. Monitoring and Evaluation

This section describes all inspections, studies, forage production and utilization studies, and interim monitoring to be conducted on the allotment during the implementation of this plan. The objective of this follow-up action is to monitor the effectiveness of management, and to provide early recognition and solution to any problems, conflicts, or omissions that may arise during the implementation process. All monitoring procedures will adhere to guidelines provided in FSH 2209.21, Range Analysis and Management Handbook.

1. Use-Intensity mapping

   Use-Intensity mapping will be initiated beginning with the 1990 grazing season, to determine the degree of livestock and big game use and distribution. ·The data will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of pasture size, application of proper use criteria, and estimating grazing capacity for stocking purposes. Utilization cages will be placed in key areas of the allotment to be used for pre-grazing inspection. Forage use by big game in addition to production estimates will be obtained from these observations. Prior to livestock entering a pasture, a selection of plants will be tagged and monitored to ensure over-grazing (regrowth) guidelines are not exceeded.

2. Photo-plot

   Photo-plots will be established in key areas within pastures. These points will assist in evaluating long-term trend in vegetative condition. Photo-plots will also be established in Hance Spring and Willow Valley areas.

3. Long-term trend transects

   Three-step transects will be established·in representative areas of the allotment if needed. Existing transects on the allotment should be reexamined as to their location and relative usefulness in supplying data to the current situation. Data from these transects will be interpreted and used with other data to evaluate the effectiveness of this plan in meeting the goals and objectives. Monitoring of trend will also be established in riparian areas, specifically to measure age structure of woody vegetation.

4. General allotment inspections

   Allotment inspections include, but not limited to:

   1. Compliance with the annual operating land.
   2. Vegetative conditions, such as, low production, areas of overuse
   3. Wildlife use and other resource uses
   4. Maintenance of existing improvements
   5. Salt locations
   6. Animal counts including brand and tag number observations
   7. Unauthorized and trespass livestock
   8. Coordination needs with other resource uses.

Recommendations for temporary increases in livestock numbers will be made following a minimum one full season of evaluation on the effectiveness of new improvements and other supportive data specified in this section. Permanent increases will be recommended following a minimum of three years of allotment evaluation.

Production-Utilization Analysis will be conducted following full implementation of this plan.

A summary of the allotment inspections will be documented and filed under 2210, Range Management Planning.

Exhibit 3

Sample Grazing Schedule for Year 1 of Full Implementation of Plan

* All dates are estimations of carrying capacity and will vary according to resource conditions.

Last Revised: 6 August 2001