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The
Riparian Area Management Plan - Step
Four: Monitor the Impacts of Specific Actions
No management
program can be put into operation and then ignored. When dealing
with Mother Nature, activities rarely work out exactly as we planned
them. Only by tracking the changes that result from specific actions
can we tell if we are really moving toward our goals. Only by monitoring
(continued observation and recording of data) can we make the "mid-course"
corrections which might be necessary. Inherent in any monitoring
program is a commitment to adjust management actions based on the
information thus acquired. Flexibility must be a fundamental part
of any management plan.
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Figure
4-9
An on-going photo-monitoring program would have documented
the establishment of this willow stand in less than
five years.
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Monitoring can
take many forms. The key is to start now. You can refine your skills
as you go along, but you can't recreate a year's worth of information
once that year has passed.
Monitoring
refers to the systematic observation of processes, activities, or
conditions. Wyoming rancher Jack Turnell, first recipient of the
National Cattlemen Beef Association's Stewardship Award, stressed
the importance of monitoring when he stated, "If you're not
monitoring, you're not managing." Although all ranchers observe
what is going on around them, many times this effort lacks the systematic
character that distinguishes documented results from casual observation.
Monitoring may
serve many purposes for grazing land managers. Most often, these
involve detecting changes over time. These purposes may include:
- Determining
the effectiveness of specific management practices;
- Documenting
the effects of livestock grazing, including those resulting from
changes in grazing approaches;
- Measuring
trends toward or away from a desired objective or condition;
- Identifying
where and what types of management changes may be necessary;
- Acquiring
information to help make other people aware of the benefits of
good land management practices.
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