November 1999 Vol 3., No. 1
Melding Rangeland Ecology and Livestock Grazing Management by Kris Havstad, Supervisory Scientist, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Arid Rangeland Research Unit at the Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces, New Mexico Introduction Sixty-one years ago, F. E. Mollin wrote an article entitled If and when it rains: the stockman’s view of the range question published by the American National Live Stock Association (1938). That article conveyed the idea that our western rangelands were in good shape and any deteriorated lands would be restored with adequate rain. We’ve come a long way from the extremism of that 1930s dust bowl perspective. We now know that many of our western rangelands have been overgrazed, that some areas remain in degraded states despite adequate rainfall, and that some rangelands shouldn’t be grazed by livestock. Yet, we also know fairly clearly that livestock grazing of rangelands can be a sustainable practice for many sites, for many seasons, and for many years. Extensive experimentation has illustrated that grazing can be managed and the integrity of rangeland ecosystems, in terms of
their ability to produce, capture and store nutrients and to conserve soil resources, can be maintained. The purpose of this essay is to outline a scientific perspective that links rangeland ecology with management of rangeland grazing by live-
Editor’s Note This is the first of four newsletters on issues surrounding the New Ranch. This edition discusses the Ecology of the New Ranch. Future newsletters will address the Economics of the New Ranch, the Market and the New Ranch, and the Community and the New Ranch.
stock. We know that well-managed grazing on appropriate sites is characterized by managerial control over the intensity, timing, and frequency of livestock grazing. We also know that some sites (such as riparian areas as described by A.J. Belsky, A Matzke and S. Uselman in a 1999 article in the first quarter issue of the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, pp. 419-431) may require periods of rest and/or very controlled grazing management practices. Irrespective, the livestock management principles underlying these practices have been well described and don’t need elaboration in this essay. What needs elaboration are the ecological intricacies of these rangelands, and the ecological processes that should be the basis for their management. Understanding and Modification During the 20th century
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