Grazing Strategy

Grazing practices in the Beckwourth Allotment were adjusted to ensure success of the watershed restoration project.  These adjustments amended the Allotment Management Plan and included limits on grazing woody riparian vegetation, sagebrush and bitterbrush, limiting bank disturbance along stream corridors, and setting minimum herbaceous retention heights.

Grazing was excluded from portions of Knuthson and Three Cornered Meadows to allow the restoration projects time to recover.  Grazing was permanently excluded from a small portion of Knuthson and Three Cornered Meadows that were too sensitive to be grazed (such as stabilizing structures, areas where physical disturbance could trigger erosion, and areas where water flows across steeper gradients of the meadow and are therefore more susceptible to erosion).

Sheep bedgrounds and trailing patterns were modified to avoid impacting the restoration projects, cultural sites and botanical resources.  The total numbers of sheep were reduced from two bands to one band.  Cattle grazing policy now allows 40 cow/calf pairs to occupy the area from June 1 to August 20, north of Three Cornered Meadow.