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The
Riparian Area Management Plan - Summary
Planning is
a four-step process which requires commitment and effort, but the
benefits of having a plan far outweigh the time and effort involved.
Planning involves: (1) setting goals; (2) inventorying resources;
(3) exploring possible actions and implementing specific techniques;
(4) monitoring the effects of actions and modifying activities accordingly.
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Figure
4-17
Like the rest of a ranch, riparian areas must be managed
to meet defined goals.
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Planning and
developing a grazing management system for riparian areas takes
the same basic four steps of any planning process. However, it is
difficult to set goals, inventory the riparian resources and explore
possible management techniques if you don't have a basic understanding
of stream characteristics, the purpose of a properly functioning
riparian area, and the grazing principles and techniques that can
enhance the riparian area.
This online
tutorial has been designed to provide you with a more complete understanding
of streams, riparian areas, and techniques that might assist you
with management decisions for effectively grazing those areas. To
set your grazing management goals, you will need to know the condition
of your riparian areas, the resources available, and the limitations
of each.
Your selection
of possible actions will depend on the nature of your sites, your
objectives, the relationship of riparian areas to the rest of your
operation, and the resources you may have available. Make sure your
goals and the resource inputs needed to manage riparian areas are
part of your grazing plan and not in conflict with your overall
ranch objectives.
The plan you
develop for grazing your riparian area must be flexible enough to
accommodate natural phenomena as well as being systematic enough
to have a desired direction of resource sustainability. Only through
systematic monitoring will you know if you are moving toward accomplishing
your goals and what adjustments might be required to reach them.
Your final exercise
will be to complete the Riparian Management Plan for your riparian
areas. You have already completed parts of this process during the
exercises in the previous sections. To help you complete the inventory,
planning, and monitoring processes you may wish to contact your
Extension Agent.
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