Development of Assessment Tools and Inventory Methods
Wild Utah Project designs, field-tests and trains others in our own set of ecosystem health assessment and monitoring tools for use by agency personnel and other conservationists. In general, agencies use monitoring methods that often are subjective and may not capture the most important ecological factors. Recognizing this situation, over the past seven years Wild Utah Project has been working with many regional scientists to develop some key ecological assessment tools to help our partners in their work. Examples include:
• Rapid Stream-Riparian Assessment Protocol. We led a team of respected riparian scientists in developing a biologically based method for better assessing the health of riparian areas. The Rapid Stream-Riparian Aassessment method is now being used to assess riparian health by a number of conservation groups, Universities, independent biologists and consultants, and agencies (including the Mancos Conservation District and Capitol Reef National Park) across the Colorado Plateau.
• Forage Analysis and Stocking Protocol. Past range management did not include ecological needs when deciding how many cattle can graze. Recognizing that we needed a solution that ensures that wildlife and habitat needs come first, we worked with other scientists to develop a more ecologically-based protocol for grazing capacity. This new forage capacity model is giving Wild Utah Project and our conservation partners real traction with our work to positively affect public and private land grazing management in northern Utah.
• Method for Determining Livestock's Role in Ecosystem Health. In response to an invitation from the Grand Staircase Monument and in cooperation with other scientists, we developed a method for determining when grazing is a factor for an area to fail to meet rangeland health standards. Pursuant to its regulations, BLM must decide whether livestock use is the cause of an area's failure to meet these standards. Surprisingly, BLM has no method for making this determination. In 2003 we developed an analysis tool based on the ecological literature that gives BLM, for the first time, a consistent scientifically-based method for making this key determination. We worked with other regional scientists in the development of this new protocol, and formally submitted it to this Monument. We hope that our solution will aid BLM in their grazing decisions.
