Proceedings brand creation for a prescribed fire culture – utilizing key social media parameters. Lars Coleman*1, J. Kelly Hoffman1, Thomas McDaniel1, R. Patrick Bixler2, Urs P. Kreuter1, Morgan Russell3

Partnering with and/or mimicking beaver dam building has been a conservation and restoration tool for over a century. However, the popularity of such approaches has surged in the past decade as a cheap and cheerful alternative to expensive restoration and conservation projects. Moreover, such projects can be highly effective and simultaneously meeting multiple instream, riparian, upland, wet meadow and working lands management objectives.  However, when partnering with a rodent and relying on beaver dams that naturally come and go, expectation management is critical. Moreover, the management of the rangelands and these riparian areas is too often disconnected. Proactive and effective grazing management is often an essential tool in the effectiveness and feasibility of such approaches. A variety of planning tools (e.g. Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool, Riparian Condition Assessment Tool) will be highlighted to help build appropriate expectations for what is possible where and to what degree. Moreover, specific examples of how ranchers and beavers are partnering effectively will be highlighted to illustrate how to use this information to appropriately design and implement such projects. 

BEAVER MIMICRY IN MONTANA: EXAMPLE TECHNIQUES, EARLY BENEFITS, AND LESSONS LEARNED. Amy Chadwick*; Great West Engineering, Malta, MT

Beaver mimicry, also called low-impact restoration, provides a means for range managers on public and private land to improve natural water storage and subirrigate floodplains for improved stream flows, habitat, and forage production. Beaver mimicry is gaining momentum as a cost-effective restoration approach in Montana and other western states. In this presentation, I provide examples of beaver mimicry techniques from multiple projects, discuss natural resource benefits that have been realized from recent projects, and review lessons learned about adapting techniques to site conditions, managing expectations, and potential regulatory speedbumps.  

ECOSYSTEM PIONEERS: EXAMINING BEAVER DISPERSAL AND SETTLEMENT SITE SELECTION TO IMPROVE RIPARIAN RESTORATION EFFORTS.

The activities of beavers (Castor canadensis) provide a variety of benefits to stream systems by capturing and storing water and sediment, expanding riparian habitats, and increasing habitat heterogeneity. Understandably, land and wildlife managers are increasingly interested in implementing beaver restoration projects with the goal of improving stream health and landscape water storage capacity. However, most research on habitat selection by beavers does not address factors affecting successful colony establishment in novel areas. We radio-marked juvenile beavers and conducted beaver activity surveys in streams in the upper Gallatin and Madison River drainages in southwest Montana to investigate dispersal, survival, and settlement site selection. Our goal is to improve the ability of managers to identify suitable sites for beaver restoration that have the highest probability of successful colony establishment and associated habitat improvements. We examined the influence of habitat variables related to hydrology, geomorphology, vegetation, and local beaver colony densities on the probability a stream segment would be settled by dispersing beavers. Additionally, we modeled the probability of survival and dispersal of radio-marked beavers as functions of body mass and sex, as well as natal colony size, habitat quality, and local colony densities to assess additional factors that may influence the ability of beavers to occupy new territories. Results of these modeling efforts will be presented and management recommendations will be provided as they relate to beaver reintroduction and restoration projects in the western United States.

BEAVER PONDS AS CRITICAL HABITAT FOR SENSITIVE GREAT BASIN WILDLIFE SPECIES. Kent McAdoo*; University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Elko, NV

Based on the accounts of early fur trapper forays in the 1820s, beavers (Castor canadensis) were abundant along the Humboldt River at early Euro-American contact and an important resource for Great Basin Indian tribes, but by the late 19th century, they had been highly over-exploited. Excessive reduction of beaver from this region probably caused changes in stream channel morphology, reduced perennial wetlands, and altered riparian vegetation. However, as the result of hunting restrictions and re-introductions (1920s through 1950s), beaver populations have rebounded to inhabit much of their former range and possibly even areas where they did not occur before European contact. Over the last 20 years, beaver activity in northeastern Nevada has increased substantially as these animals respond to and contribute to the functionality of streams. Many wildlife species are favored by beaver-created habitat. The Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) and Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi) are two sensitive species that are largely benefitted by beaver activity. Functioning as ecological engineers, beavers create pools of slow-moving water that serve as sites for frog reproduction and wet meadows for foraging habitat and protective cover. In northern Nevada, spotted frogs are closely associated with slow-moving or ponded surface waters that are clear and have little or no vegetation canopy cover. Habitat changes caused by beaver may increase the resilience of Great Basin spotted frog populations in the face of threats from drought, climate change, overgrazing by livestock, and predation. Beaver ponds also provide critical refuge for Lahontan cutthroat trout, allowing them to persist, especially overwinter, in many small headwater streams. Cutthroat survival may be higher in beaver ponds than free-flowing stream sections as temperatures approach lethal limits. Proper beaver management is essential for sustaining Columbia spotted frogs, Lahontan cutthroat trout, and a host of other wildlife species in the Great Basin.

MOVING FORWARD, WHY LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN MORE RIPARIAN HABITAT. . Eric T. Thacker*; Utah State University, Logan, UT

Range managers have long recognized the importance of riparian areas.  Early range management often referred to riparian areas or watering points as "sacrifice areas" due to the concentrated use by livestock.  More recently rangeland managers have recognized the importance of riparian areas for the variety of ecosystem services such as wildlife habitat, water quality, and watershed health.  However, these areas are still vital to livestock production because they provide high-quality forage late into the growing season. Sometimes riparian management means excluding cattle from riparian areas, which could have a negative impact on livestock production. While livestock exclusion may be an effective management strategy other alternatives lie in the expansion of or the restoration of riparian habitat. We will provide a Case study of how this is being attempted and what it may mean for livestock producers, wildlife, and water. 

HYDROLOGIC AND BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO RESTORATION OF ANTHROPOGENICALLY-ALTERED SPRINGS IN THE GREAT BASIN. Leah Knighton*, Steven L. Petersen; Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

ABSTRACT

Since the arrival of European settlers, many Great Basin springs and seeps have been altered to provide water for livestock using a springbox structure. This has resulted in altered natural hydrologic processes that often fail to maintain spring function such as depleted surface water and lowered water tables levels, below that needed to sustain hydrophilic plant species. The purpose of this study is to characterize the impact of springboxes on ecohydrology and assess restoration potential by testing different spring reconstruction techniques.  Twenty-four springbox sites were located within the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, located in northwestern Nevada.  Sites were divided into four groups based on flow rates. Within each group, springboxes were randomly assigned to one of six treatments; 1) capped pipes within the springbox to prevent outflow, 2) removal of the springbox and filled with sand, 3) removal of the springbox and filled with gravel, 4) outer springbox shell remains and is filled with sand, 5) outer springbox shell remains and is filled with gravel, and 6) control. Hydrologic (flow rate, geochemistry, temperature), vegetation structure (composition, cover), and wildlife use data were collected during 2016 and 2017. Intact springboxes filled with sand was most successful in returning surface water flows (3 of 4 sites recovered).  Sites with restored surface flows saw a shift in plant composition away from sagebrush to more riparian species and increased overall biomass in the first year after treatment. The results of this study can be used by managers to assess the potential impacts of future restoration efforts on impaired spring ecohydrology.  Additionally, these data provide understanding of the response of sagebrush-steppe plant communities to reestablishment of natural hydrologic conditions, and may give insight into techniques that could be used to encourage positive recovery in similar ecosystems.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: LACK OF COMMUNICATION, PARTNERSHIPS, AND SCIENCE, AND HOW THINGS BEGAN TO CHANGE. Mike Pellant*; BLM (retired), Boise, ID

ABSTRACT

Research in the Great Basin was initiated at the beginning of the 19th century to address the degradation of millions of acres of range and forest lands caused by unrestricted livestock grazing.  The goal of these early research and rehabilitation efforts was to reestablish desirable forage species to support the livestock industry and reduce soil erosion.  Research was conducted primarily by scientists from  federal agencies and universities with extension specialists as the primary means for science delivery. This model generally persisted until the 1970’s when several environmental laws were passed that shifted management of public lands from a focus on commodity production to a broader resource values approach.  Science to support management moved to a more interdisciplinary approach to address complex resource values at larger landscape scales.  Around this same time, invasive plant species, (poster child is cheatgrass  (Bromus tectorum)) and wildfires increased in extent and in impacts to human and natural resources.  Collaboration between scientists and land managers was strengthened to better address the spatial scale of issues as well as these new threats to functional ecosystems and their inhabitants. Examples of collaborative partnerships linking science and management will be presented along with the associated positive outcomes.  This collaborative approach to addressing landscape scale issues will greatly reduce the potential for a future “dust bowl” catastrophe in the Great Basin. 

CONSERVING THE SAGEBRUSH BIOME: WORKING AT THE EDGE OF SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT.

. Karen L. Prentice*; Bureau of Land Management, Washington, DC

ABSTRACT

 
 
Diverse people and communities care about the sagebrush biome.   It is a part of our life and our being.    To conserve it, we need to work together.  To work together, we need some shared understanding of the condition of the sagebrush biome, threats to the biome, and opportunities to restore and conserve the biome.  We need communication and listening. We need to take the time to ensure a shared understanding of words, concepts, problems, and concerns.    We need science and high quality information that we collaboratively agree helps us. We need some ability to link biome-wide science and data to local science and data.  We need data sharing catalogs and decision support tools to help us make sense of available science and data.  We need to remember that science and information does not appear in a gift wrapped box-instead, people find, develop, organize, interpret, and use science through personal passions, organizational missions; and  personal and organizational relationships.  The social organization changes as the science, organization of science, and science delivery changes.  The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy (IRFMS, May 2015) initiated efforts to meet these needs through development of the Science Framework for Conservation and Restoration of the Sagebrush Biome, the Geospatial Framework, and the Actionable Science Plan.  Recently, Department of Interior Secretarial Order 3353, “Greater Sage-grouse Conservation and Cooperation with the Western States”, recommitted to  IRFMS and recommended increased access to information and improved mechanisms for increased cooperation between federal, state, and local agencies, tribes, non-governmental organizations, and industry to accomplish conservation and restoration of the sagebrush ecosystem, while considering economic tradeoffs.  This session will discuss the continuation of IRFMS related efforts as well as new, related efforts which will build on the IRFMS efforts and work towards implementation of the SO3353 recommendations.

ECOLOGICALLY-BASED INVASIVE PLANT MANAGEMENT.

Successional management is an ecologically-based way of organizing known and hypothetical causes of succession. The successional management model proposes three general causes of succession—site availability, species availability, and species performance—ecological processes primarily responsible for controlling the general causes, and factors that modify those processes. Pickett et al. (1987) proposed the ecological bases for a theoretical framework.  Sheley et al. (1996) reconstructed and proposed an improved model for invasive plant management that addresses the underlying cause of invasion.  This hierarchical model includes the general causes of succession, controlling ecological processes and mechanism, and their modifying factors. This model has been fine-tuned and readily applies to cheatgrass/medusahead infested rangeland. Since then, Sheley et al. (2006) tested the model for its ability to enhance the success of invasive plant management and restoration in small plots. In 2 of 3 cases, using this framework dramatically improved the outcome of management. This mechanistic and process-based model was incorporated into the state and transition models to provide an ecologically based decision-making framework for rangeland management. The combination of the two models are being used to make decisions about site-specific management. In addition to testing site-specific management treatments, this model provides an ecological framework for large-scale planning and implementation.

USING WEATHER DATA IN LAND TREATMENT DECISIONS. Stuart P. Hardegree*¹, Alex R. Boehm¹, Corey A. Moffet², John T. Abatzoglou³, Roger L. Sheley⁴, Mark Brunson⁵; ¹USDA Agricultural Research Service, Boise, ID, ²USDA Agricultural Research Service, Woodward, OK, ³University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, ⁴ARS, Burns, OR, ⁵Utah State University, Logan, UT

Access and interpretation of weather data for natural resource applications is often problematic.  Weather stations in the western US are relatively sparse, local weather conditions vary significantly as a function of topography and elevation, and temperature and water availability for plants is affected by both landscape placement and soil type.  Western rangelands are also subject to high annual and seasonal variability in the pattern and magnitude of thermal and precipitation events relative to the life cycle requirements of both desirable perennial plants and annual weeds.  We discuss the availability and interpretation of site-specific weather data in the western US, the quantitative relationship between localized site conditions and ecological resistance/resilience, and the implications of weather-centric planning to Ecologically-Based Invasive Plant Management.

MEDUSAHEAD CONTROL. Dustin Johnson*¹, Sergio Arispe²; ¹Oregon State University, Burns, OR, ²Oregon State University, Ontario, OR

Medusahead is an invasive annual grass that is having persistent and large-scale impacts on western rangelands.  Continued invasion by this and other exotic annuals represents a complex resource management problem that sagebrush rangeland managers must be able to address in order to maintain ecosystem productivity and function. However, medusahead management plays out in a highly variable environment and tactics that are successful in a particular location or year may not yield similar results in a different time or place.  Consequently, traditional shorter term approaches for addressing rangeland management problems do not commonly lend themselves well to solving persistent, complex threats such as medusahead invasion. Rather, addressing the medusahead problem requires longer-term commitment to an adaptive management process.  The science on medusahead control and associated restoration has advanced markedly during recent decades; however, much of this research has been conducted under a limited range of temporal and spatial variability relative to that which rangeland managers encounter in areas being impacted by or at risk of medusahead invasion.  Therefore, the key role of science is to help managers identify a logical starting point for an adaptive management process focused on limiting the risk and associated spread of medusahead and, typically, iterative attempts at restoring areas already invaded. Limited resources generally demand that planned actions be prioritized based on their projected impact, likelihood for success, and cost efficiency.  Restoration of medusahead-invaded rangeland is resource intensive and carries a high risk of failure; therefore, long-term strategies that reduce the spread of medusahead and increase invasion resistance of intact plant communities should receive priority.  Restoration of medusahead-invaded rangeland should be prioritized based on probability of success and value.  Passive and opportunistic restoration strategies should be planned in less valuable areas with a lower probability of success.                

NOXIOUS WEED CONTROL THROUGH HERBICIDE AND BIOCONTROL: THE IDAHO SAGE-GROUSE ACTIONS TEAM PROJECT.

In 2015 the Idaho legislature first authorized annual appropriations for sage-grouse conservation efforts.  In the spirit of “All Hands, All Lands”, the State agencies responsible for implementing the Governor’s Sage-grouse Plan formed the Idaho Sage-grouse Actions Team, a group of partners dedicated to assuring that the State’s funds go to conservation projects that best benefit sage-grouse habitat, as well as working to leverage these funds with federal or other dollars.  The Actions Team includes representatives from Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Governor’s Office of Species Conservation, Idaho Department of Lands, Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy.  The team’s four priorities are to fund projects that support 1) Rangeland Fire Protection Associations; 2) strategic fuel breaks; 3) restoration and stewardship; and 4) research and innovation.  In 2016, the team helped facilitate planning/proposal writing and provided matching funds for a Conservation Innovation Grant to the Ada Soil and Water Conservation District, with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as a research partner.  The purpose of this initial project was to conduct experiments investigating emerging tools, including weed suppressive bacteria and herbicides, for controlling invasive annual grasses.  This project’s emphasis was later expanded to include wildfire restoration on two State Wildlife Management Areas that support critical mule deer and elk winter range.  The larger project, led by USGS, includes multiple partners and land ownerships, with the goal of providing land managers with realistic and effective options for restoring resistant shrub-steppe landscapes and minimizing the impact and spread of invasive annual grasses after wildfire.  This presentation will address Idaho’s cooperative process, along with details on the experimental work on herbicides and biocontrols.

DEMYSTIFYING BEAVER AND BEAVER-INSPIRED IN-STREAM STRUCTURES AS RESTORATION TOOLS IN WESTERN RANGELANDS.

The capacity of the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) to alter hydrological, geomorphological, and ecological aspects of the environment has garnered their reputation as ecosystem engineers. Some of these capabilities may be beneficial to humans, such as impounding surface water in arid lands. Rangeland resource managers have been enticed by beavers’ ability to influence surface water and increasingly consider using beaver to build dams or construct artificial dam-like structures to reverse stream degradation and increase late-season flow. Some of these beaver-inspired efforts are implemented as stream restoration projects. Here, I present the range of these practices occurring in western rangelands and discuss what we know and what we presume in terms of hydrological, geomorphological, and ecological effects. Preliminary results suggest that a better scientific understanding of these effects should help inform decisions about the use of beaver and beaver-inspired structures as restoration tools in rangeland streams. However, a complete understanding will likely require further research and better use of monitoring and adaptive management approaches.

AN ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE ON RESTORATION SEEDING. Michael H. Taylor*; University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV

We discuss the challenges to ensuring the availability of genetically appropriate native seeds for wildland restoration in Nevada and throughout the intermountain west.  We present a framework for identifying the characteristics of seed species that suggest that additional policy is required to ensure its stable supply to the market. Our approach distinguished between production and market risk. Production risk relates to variability in production yields; market risk relates to the year-to-year variability in the price. 

INCREASING THE AVAILABILITY OF NATIVE PLANTS FOR RESTORING RANGELANDS: SEEDS OF SUCCESS PARTNERSHIPS. Fred Edwards*; Bureau of Land Management, Reno, NV

ABSTRACT

What happens to sites after weed management, targeted grazing, or wildfire? In a low resistance and resilience landscape, a native seeding treatment is probably going to be needed. Anyone who has ever done a native seeding project knows getting seed from a variety of species and in the quantity you need is a major source of frustration and potential delay. Compromises in which seed sources are used, can have unknown, but potentially serious consequences for project success. The Seeds of Success program and partnerships in the Great Basin are evolving to increase the availability of genetically appropriate native seed sources available on the commercial market for all federal and non-federal land managers. This talk provides an overview of the strategic partnerships, goals, and objectives of regional Seeds of Success and native plant materials development partnerships in the Great Basin.

LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF POST-FIRE SEED MIXES ON BEGETATION RECOVERY: REVISITING A LARGE-SCALE SEEDING EXPERIMENT IN TINTIC VALLEY, UTAH. Jeffrey Ott*¹, Francis F. Kilkenny¹, Danny Summers², Tyler Thompson³; ¹USDA Forest Service, Boise, ID, ²Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Ephraim, UT, ³Utah Department of Natural Resources, Salt Lake City, UT