"Riparian Management Techniques" Available in Written/Video Format

Background

Managers that make use of riparian areas as part of their grazing resource have an enjoyable and convenient way to learn effective riparian grazing management concepts through the use of a “home study” educational course. This learning tool is the "Stream and Riparian Area Management: A Home Study Course for Managers" by Gene Surber, Extension Natural Resources Specialist, Montana State University, and Bob Ehrhart, former Riparian Research Associate, Riparian Wetland Research Program, University of Montana. Responses to a survey of managers who have used the course materials indicate 60% of them have modified their management following use of the materials.

Good stream and riparian management is important to producers for several reasons:

  • Riparian areas are among the most productive parts of any ranch. They are, in fact, prime examples of "renewable resources" because water and nutrients make them especially resilient.
  • On many ranches, the streams that flow through riparian areas are the major source of livestock water. The riparian area has an influence on the quality and quantity of available water.
  • Riparian areas, including woody draws, can provide essential shelter for livestock.
  • Riparian management is an essential part of good land stewardship because healthy riparian areas are critical to healthy landscapes .

Effectively managing grazing animals in and around riparian areas requires landowners to understand the dynamics of riparian areas and the techniques that may be used to enhance their function. As important as riparian areas are, however, they are not a separate, isolated part of any livestock operation. Implicit in this whole course is the principle that managing riparian areas can only be effective if it's done within the context of an entire operation.

Description of Course

The course was developed to assist busy landowners. It includes a full color workbook with more than 80 pictures, 4 videos ranging in length from 16 to 22 minutes and 12 supplemental reference materials. Some of these materials are referred to in the written lessons and the videos.

This material is built around several questions that will help managers design a plan:

  • What do we have and how well is it working?
  • What do we want to have? What do we want our riparian areas and streams to look like?
  • How will we get where we want to be?
  • How will we know if we're heading in the right direction?

Because each ranch and operation is different, managers will find different answers to these questions based on the lands they manage.

The course is divided into four sections:

  1. Streams and Watersheds
  2. Riparian Areas: Function and Condition
  3. Grazing Management for Healthy Riparian Areas
  4. The Riparian Area Management Plan.

Each section includes a written lesson in the workbook and accompanying video. The material gives a broad, basic overview of the form and function of streams and riparian areas plus describes principles and techniques that can be affected through management. Examples of those items described in the written materials are shown in the accompanying video. The last section of the course assists land managers in the development of a grazing management plan based on an inventory of resources they have collected at the completion of each of the previous sections. The "final exam" will be the development of a riparian grazing plan for a ranch.

The Society for Range Management Watershed/Riparian Committee believes that this course is appropriate for use by SRM Sections for their high school youth activities. The committee received EPA funding to distribute a copy of the video course to each SRM Section and to the majority of Ag in the Classroom state coordinators.

To Obtain This Course

Contact your SRM Section President or Ag in the Classroom representative to view this course.

The workbook portion of the course may be viewed on the web at:http://www.homepage.montana.edu/~stream/. Hard copies of the workbook and videos may be ordered at this site. Copies of the course may also be purchased from:

MSU Extension Publications 
P.O. Box 172040 
Bozeman, MT 59717-2040 
Credit card orders (406) 994-3273

Comments, suggestions and questions are always welcome. Directly contact:

Gene Surber 
Extension Natural Resources Specialist 
Rm. 217 Linfield Hall, 
Montana State University 
Bozeman, MT 59717 
(406) 994-1971 
gsurber@montana.edu

or

Bob Ehrhart 
Associate Professor of Rangeland Resources 
COCC/Ponderosa 215 
2600 NW College Way 
Bend, OR 97701-5998 
(541) 312-8503 
bob.ehrhart@orst.edu

 

Key Points

To be successful, riparian grazing must be based on clearly defined and measurable goals and incorporated into the overall ranch operations.

Riparian grazing strategies are most successful when they are designed for a specific area, and, most of all, are flexible.

Determining the effectiveness of management action and identifying the need for modification are best done with a planned, systematic monitoring program.

 

View Text-only Version Text-only Updated: 08/28/2009
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