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Grazing
Management - Techniques for Reducing
Intensity of Use by Influencing Distribution
Off-stream
(alternate) water:
1.
There are many techniques which might be implemented to
influence livestock use of riparian areas. Which ones are
most likely to apply in a given situation will depend on
the riparian area, the specific operation, and the desired
objectives.
2. Application
of these principles requires knowledge of the characteristics
and conditions of your riparian areas, animal behavior,
and plant responses to grazing and browsing.
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In addition to
selecting the appropriate season or seasons of use, there are other
techniques to encourage livestock to move out of the riparian area.
Of these, the single most important may be the development of off-stream
(alternate) water. The appeal to livestock of off-stream water sources
includes improved water quality and better footing. Proper location
of water tanks can entice cattle up fairly steep hills as long as
forage is available, as shown in Figure 3-8.
Developing water
away from the riparian area may include running pipelines from the
stream itself, fencing out and developing seeps and springs with
pipes leading to troughs, and installation of windmills or solar
pumps. Technological improvements have significantly reduced the
cost of such developments. For example, the heavy duty ("bust-proof")
synthetic pipe in Figure 3-9 has been laid above the ground to provide
water to several tanks in a grazing operation in southwest Montana.
Troughs dug
into hillsides and covered with dirt can provide water when the
air temperature is well below freezing. Insulated water tanks can
be especially valuable for livestock wintering on open range. In
Figure 3-10, access to the water is located on the other side of
the dirt mound covering the water trough.
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Figure
3-8
In
addition to the trough in the foreground, another on
the hill in the upper center of this photo has drawn
cattle away from the riparian area. |
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Figure
3-9
This pipe feeds a tank several hundred yards from the
creek. |
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Figure
3-10
Water is gravity-fed to this trough from underground
tanks at the top of the hill. |
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