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The
Riparian Area Management Plan - Step
Two: Inventory Resources
Once you've
determined where you want to go, you need to figure out where you
are at the moment. For this you need to do an inventory of the conditions
of the riparian area and of the resources you have to work with,
including resource limitations. We use the term "inventory"
to include a measure of how the system is functioning as well as
what resources are present in the riparian area. Often, this part
of your inventory is the first step in an on-going monitoring process
because it will provide the baseline information for determining
changes over time.
The purpose
of the resource inventory is not only to figure what you have in
terms of resources (for example, land, labor, and capital), but
also to identify what you don't have. Resources and limitations
will influence whether you can attain your objectives and how difficult
getting there will be. They may also suggest intermediate and long-term
goals. This discussion focuses on riparian areas, but to make proper
ranch management decisions all available resources must be inventoried.
Each lesson in this tutorial should have assisted you in identifying
resources and limitations associated with your riparian areas.
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