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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 08/25/2009 - SOAPSTONE GRAZING MANAGEMENT DATE: August 25, 2009 STAFF: John Stokes WORK SESSION ITEM Daylan Figgs Erica Saunders FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL Pre-taped staff presentation: available at fcgov.com/clerWagendas.php SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION Soapstone Grazing Management. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Overall management of Soapstone Prairie Natural Area is guided by the Soapstone Prairie Natural Area Management Plan, which was adopted in 2007. The Plan describes conservation targets (natural and cultural resources of the highest conservation value) and management actions to help conserve those targets. Since the City of Fort Collins began acquiring Soapstone in 2004, the Natural Areas Program has conducted monitoring projects to collect data and inform management actions and decisions. Several specific conservation values of the Natural Areas Program are dependent on grazing. The Management Plan describes the need to continue grazing the property. The Natural Areas Program began managing Soapstone in 2005 and, since then, has brought one grazing lease and a 2008 extension to that lease to Council for its approval. During the extension process, Council expressed its interest in the grazing program and requested that Natural Areas discuss with Council its approach to grazing management in more detail. At the end of 2010, the existing grazing lease with Folsom Grazing Association will expire. Natural Areas staff intends to advertise a Request for Proposals (RFP) in Fall 2009 to solicit tenants to graze the property, beginning in 2011. The RFP will emphasize that the property is being grazed in order to help the Natural Areas Program achieve ecological objectives and to enhance the conservation status of the property. GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED What questions or guidance does Council wish to provide regarding the-intended approach to grazing management? BACKGROUND Soapstone Prairie Management and the Role of Grazing Soapstone Prairie Natural Area: Management overview In 2004,the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program(NAP)began purchasing Soapstone Prairie Natural Area (Soapstone), a nearly 22,000 acre natural area just south of the Wyoming border in northern Larimer County. The primary habitat in the eastern half of Soapstone is shortgrass prairie, August 25, 2009 Page 2 which transitions into foothill shrub lands to the west, with significant wet meadows running through the north central and eastern portions of the property. The Soapstone Prairie Natural Area Management Plan (2007) was developed to direct the overall management of Soapstone Prairie Natural Area. The Plan is the result of a multi-year process that involved the creation of baseline inventories of natural and cultural resources. Once the baselines were prepared, resources were ranked in order of their conservation importance. The ranking process was aided by a technical advisory committee of local resource experts and extensive public involvement, including open houses and property tours. The Plan identifies eight "conservation targets," or natural and cultural resources of the highest conservation value, that directly influence how the property is managed. Several of the conservation targets are further subdivided into"nested targets." Nested targets reflect a species or system occurring within the landscape of the conservation target. Conservation and nested targets are outlined in the table below and the general location of the ecological targets shown in Attachment 1. Conservation Nested targets Conservation Distribution on target concerns Soapstone Shortgrass Grasslands birds Rangewide, roughly Eastern and Prairie/ (burrowing owl, half of the historic southern portions Grasslands McCown's longspur, shortgrass prairie of property System mountain plover) has been converted • Black-tailed prairie dog to other uses, but community vast expanses of this • Pronghorn system still occur. • Swift fox Birds of Prey • Golden eagle • Human • Distributed • Ferruginous hawk encroachment throughout property Wetlands/ • Seeps, springs and • Relatively • Wetlands occur Riparian streams uncommon in on the north- System • Northern leopard frog shortgrass habitats central and (potential) • Important wildlife eastern portions • Native fish habitats of the property • Connection to Riparian areas cultural and occur throughout archaeological property but most resources surface water occurs on eastern portion Rare and • Colorado butterfly plant • Habitat loss Rare plants occur Threatened • Rocky Mountain blazing • Declining in the Brannigan Plants star populations Springs wetland • Pale blue-eyed grass complex (northeast portion of property) August 25, 2009 Page 3 Conservation Nested targets Conservation Distribution on target concerns Soapstone Foothills • Mountain • Limited global Northwest portion Shrub lands mahogany/needle-and- distribution of property System thread community • Relatively weed-free • Mountain condition mahogany/streamside • Habitat wild rye community fragmentation Geological • Loss of unique • Central portion of Features habitat property Cultural • Lindenmeier Valley • Distributed Resources and other Native throughout American sites property illustrate long history of human presence on Soapstone Prairie Viewshed/ One of the last Entire property Sense of places in the Front Place Range with large undeveloped landscapes and scenic views The Natural Areas Program has been monitoring the status of conservation targets since the property was purchased. The recommended grazing management approach is driven by the monitoring data as explained herein. Surrounding lands and partnerships Several of the conservation and nested targets identified in the Management Plan are driven by landscape-scale interactions. These include species that generally respond to habitat patches that are much larger than Soapstone. To effectively manage habitat for these species, coordinated management with surrounding properties is essential. Soapstone is part of the Laramie Foothills Mountains to Plains Project. The City has partnered in this region with many other entities including Latimer County, the Nature Conservancy, the Legacy Land Trust, Great Outdoors Colorado and private landowners to achieve large-scale conservation resulting in over 200,000 acres being protected from development(see Attachment 2). The City has conserved several properties around Soapstone through acquisition and conservation easements. Soapstone's primary neighbor to the west is Larimer County's Red Mountain Open Space. The City and County worked together throughout the management planning process to develop as much as possible for a seamless transition between the properties. The Natural Areas Program continues to work cooperatively with the County on many issues, such as non-native plant control. August 25, 2009 Page 4 Soapstone's primary neighbor to the east is Meadow Springs Ranch, owned by the City Utilities Department and used for the City's biosolids applications. Over the last several years the Natural Areas Program has been working cooperatively with the Utilities Department to better understand natural resources and management actions being taken on Meadow Springs Ranch. To date, 22 bird species of high conservation need, as determined by state and federal wildlife agencies and international bird conservation initiatives,have been documented on Meadow Springs. Species are similar to those documented on Soapstone,with a few notable exceptions. For example, a high number of Cassin's sparrows (26 individuals in 2008), a rare species in this region, were documented on Meadow Springs, while none have yet been detected on Soapstone. Other biological survey efforts have identified native stream fish and northern leopard frog on Meadow Springs, but not on Soapstone. In 2008, Colorado State University's American Fisheries Society sampled portions of Soapstone and Meadow Springs for fish. Along Spottlewood Creek on Meadow Springs, they found brassy minnows (state threatened species) and Iowa darters (state species of special concern). Northern leopard frogs (state species of special concern) were also documented during this sampling effort. Meadow Springs clearly is a benefit to Soapstone from a landscape conservation perspective, and the recent biological surveys have revealed that conservation values are being conserved and well stewarded through careful management of this property. Role of grazing in grassland health Grassland ecosystems evolved with three primary influences or ecological drivers: climate,fire and mammalian grazers. While all three drivers are vital to grassland systems, the importance of each differs from tallgrass to midgrass to shortgrass. As an example,fire is considered a dominant factor and likely occurred in relatively higher frequencies in tallgrass and mixed grass than in shortgrass systems. In North America,grasslands have historically been associated with a diversity of grazing animals. Research demonstrates that moderate grazing increases productivity and diversity of grasslands,and plants produce more biomass than could be decomposed in order to compensate for consumption by grazing. Grazing animals reduce excessive litter accumulation. While some litter is necessary to help reduce soil erosion, excessive litter inhibits seed germination, decreases light resources for seedling plants, and binds nutrients including nitrogen and carbon, making those nutrients unavailable to living plants. Grazing animals also provide nutrients through their excrement that are beneficial to plants. Additional benefits of grazing include increased photosynthesis, increased tillering, reduced shading, reduced transpiration losses, introduction of growth-promoting substances, and turning of the soil surface to incorporate seeds. By providing these benefits, grazing can help improve plant vigor, facilitate plant reproduction, and reduce competition between grasses and shrubs. From approximately 10,000 years ago to European colonization of the western United States, grazing mammals created a mosaic of habitat types with patches of heavily grazed areas with sparse grass cover and lightly grazed areas with taller grasses. This diversity of habitat types is essential for grassland bird diversity because different bird species require different grazing intensities, and many species use different grass'structures for different periods in their life cycle (e.g., nesting, foraging, etc). Conservation strategies often focus on creating this habitat mosaic through the careful application of grazing intensity, including periods of rest from managed grazing. August 25, 2009 Page 5 When grasslands are not grazed for long periods of time,some of the potential disadvantages include plant decadence, nutrients becoming tied up and residual plant material (excessive litter buildup) impeding light getting to young seedlings, plants becoming less palatable, and weed invasion. Excessively resting shortgrass prairie can also negatively impact dependent wildlife species. For example, the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory notes that Long-billed Curlews (a species documented on Soapstone) will not use areas that have not been grazed for over one year. Historically,mammalian wildlife grazers,including bison,created the mosaics to which many other native species are adapted. Unfortunately, these historic grazers have been removed or greatly reduced from historic population sizes. Inventory efforts have identified vastly fewer animals than what would be needed to meet conservation target goals at Soapstone. Grazing management does identify and reserve forage needed to sustain current population levels of wildlife grazers. Although grazing provides many benefits to grassland systems and is a critical driver in creating a functioning system, grazing can also create negative impacts if it is improperly managed. Periods of grazing need to be balanced with periods of rest so that plants have an opportunity for regrowth and to complete reproductive cycles. Historically,large herds of ungulates roamed freely across the grasslands. In modern times, fences restrict livestock from ranging widely and distributing across the landscape in a more natural pattern. More animals can be placed in an area than the area can support, or animals can graze in an area for too long so that it does not have a chance to recover. If animal distribution and timing of grazing is not well managed,potential effects include reduction in grazing-susceptible species(also considered highly palatable species)and persistence of grazing- tolerant species, overuse of riparian and wetland areas (these areas provide water and shade, so animals tend to congregate here), excessive plant removal or excessive creation of bare ground. While several grazing impacts are obvious,such as extensive bank erosion along streams,others are more subtle. As an example, loss of highly palatable species such as winterfat or fourwing saltbush not only removes these species from the plant community, these species are also highly nutritious plants for wildlife such as pronghorn antelope and mule deer. Soapstone, grazing, and relationship to conservation targets In general, livestock grazing at Soapstone has been well managed in past years. Livestock grazing has occurred by domestic cattle, sheep and horses for over 100 years, and the landscape is still diverse and highly functioning. Plant communities are dominated by native species (96%native), and surveys by Natural Resources Conservation Service(MRCS)personnel indicate that rangeland health is generally high. Rare plant communities and species exist on the property. For example, the Colorado butterfly plant(Gaura neomexicana ssp.Coloradensis),a federally threatened species, inhabits a wetland area in the northeast portion of the property. This plant is thought to have very specific habitat requirements and has flourished in an area that typically was grazed during early summer or late fall (at a time when the plant was not flowering so that it was able to successfully produce seed). Grazing appears to be necessary to maintain open ground around plants and provide opportunity for seed establishment. Soapstone supports a nearly complete suite of grassland birds, including such high-profile species as Mountain Plover, Long-billed Curlew, Prairie Falcon, Ferruginous,Hawk, and Golden Eagle. Grassland birds have experienced steeper, more consistent and more widespread declines than any other group of birds on the continent. In addition to presence on the property,high nest success(for example, 44% nest success of Lark Buntings in 2007) may indicate that the property is a "source" for many of these declining species. Research has shown that in habitat types found within the August 25, 2009 Page 6 Laramie Foothills, successful populations of grassland birds are dependent on grazing providing a habitat mosaic where some patches of grassland are grazed intensely and other patches more sparsely. For example,Mountain Plovers and Long-billed Curlews breed in shortgrass prairie where the vegetation is sparse and very short. In contrast,Lark Buntings require tall grasses to protect their nests. In order to support the diverse assemblage of grassland birds that occupy Soapstone, a diversity of habitat must be provided. The presence of such a wide diversity of grassland birds indicates that grazing has helped provide this habitat diversity at Soapstone. There are some grazing related impacts that have been identified on the property. For example, although there is a high percentage of native species on the shortgrass prairie, the vegetation community is somewhat different than its expected historic condition. Communities tend to be dominated by blue grama (in much higher percentages than historically occurred). Blue grama is a warm season short bunchgrass that tends to succeed with high amounts of grazing pressure when other species are removed. Cool season mid-bunch grasses like green needlegrass have been reduced, as well as warm season mid-bunch grasses like little bluestem, prairie sandreed and sideoats grama. Important shrub components such as fourwing saltbush and winterfat have also been reduced. These are all indications of either long-term continuous grazing or overstocking at some point in the landscape's past. Additionally, the riparian areas on Soapstone are among the most impacted portions of the property. Some of the most prominent problems include lack of woody vegetation recruitment, presence of weeds and exposed soil/ bank trampling. The lack of woody vegetation is particularly problematic because willows and other shrubs provide structural diversity necessary for wildlife, and large cottonwoods and peach-leaved willows provide nest locations for raptors. Natural Areas Program staff believes that changes in grazing management since the City's ownership have helped and will continue to help improve the condition of the riparian areas. Recent changes to the grazing management focuses on increasing periods of rest from grazing. Management approaches include grouping cows into one herd rather than multiple herds, rotation through pastures more frequently to create shorter more intense grazing periods, longer rest periods during the growing season,and yearlong grazing deferments. In addition,a portion of Spottlewood Creek was fenced to create a riparian pasture so access by cattle can be much more controlled in this area. The fence was constructed in a manner to allow for wildlife passage and if needed can be partially removed when cattle are not in the area. Additional management issues occur on the property that can be improved through grazing. The western portion of the property has become invaded with the non-native plant Dalmatian toadflax which threatens the integrity of the mountain mahogany communities. Toadflax is particularly difficult to control in the mountain mahogany communities because chemical applications have the potential to damage mahogany plants and the terrain is often steep and difficult for crews to access. The Natural Areas Program has instituted an'integrated weed management approach using a combination of techniques including handpulling, chemical applications in areas where mahogany will not be affected, biological control (toadflax stem-mining weevils were released in 2009), and sheep grazing. Sheep are well-suited to grazing in the mountain mahogany for a variety of reasons. They are small, sure-footed and easily travel in rough topography which may not be accessible to crews. Given their gregarious nature, sheep are easily managed by human herders to focus grazing in specific weed-dominated areas. They consume a higher percentage of forbs in their diets than cattle(cattle eat more grass)so they often selectively consume toadflax. The Natural Areas Program began working with a sheep producer in 2008 to target toadflax infestations at Soapstone. August 25, 2009 Page 7 Grazing Plan As noted above, the Natural Areas Program uses livestock grazing as a tool to effectively manage for conservation targets. Conservation targets are not evenly distributed across the property; they are found in clumped patterns within different portions of Soapstone. As such, grazing practices will differ depending on the habitat needs of the target and where the conservation target is located. Grazing within the shortgrass habitat (primarily the eastern and southern portions of the property) is aimed at creating habitat mosaics required by grassland conservation targets. Grazing will be used to create habitat patches ranging from areas of very sparse vegetation within topographically flat areas'to grassland with little to no grazing. Domestic cattle (cow/calf pairs) are currently used in a grazing rotation that grazes each pasture approximately 4 weeks and rests each pasture approximately 16-20 weeks(during the grazing period of June—November). In addition,a portion of grassland habitat is rested the entire grazing season. The rotation is based on previous grazing patterns, habitat needs for species with high site fidelity, and water availability relative to average temperatures. Historically, cows may have used a pasture for four or five months, allowing for repeated grazing of plants and very short rest phases during the growing season. Shortening the grazing period addresses these problems and with adequate stocking rates allows the Natural Areas Program to manage grassland mosaics. This increase in rest phase also allows for recovery of high use areas around stock tanks and naturally wet areas such as small wetlands and wet meadows. All of the changes in grazing duration and timing will help move the current vegetation communities toward historic patterns of plant community composition. Other considerations for grazing include grazing in the northeastern portion of the property(where rare plants occur) early in the season to open up the soil surface, and then removing cows so that they are not present when the rare plants are flowering. A portion of one of the highest value riparian areas on the property, Spottlewood Creek, has been fenced to allow increased control over timing and duration of grazing in that area. Grazing in the northwest portion of the property, dominated by mountain mahogany shrub lands, is primarily aimed at weed control. Although shrub lands were historically grazed,grazing was not as dominant a factor as on the shortgrass. While this does not remove the need to graze the shrub lands, it does indicate the need for a different grazing pattern than the shortgrass. As discussed above,weed problems are the focus of management in shrub lands and sheep grazing is being used as part of an integrated effort to reduce Dalmatian toadflax. This grazing effort is also helping provide some grazing effects beneficial to overall plant health. Monitoring, both short-term and long-term, of the grazing program continues to be a focus of our management efforts and the results are used to make adjustments as necessary. This effort includes monitoring conservation targets but also monitoring more grazing-related indices such as forage production. Natural Areas Program staff also monitors for areas within pastures that need more forage removal, or less, and identify management approaches to resolve those needs. August 25, 2009 Page 8 Lease/Request for Proposals The majority of Soapstone was purchased from the Soapstone Grazing Association. Smaller parcels were acquired from other landholders and the State Land Board. All parcels had previously been grazed and were being grazed at the time of purchase. In 2005, Natural Areas Program staff advertised a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a 3-year (2006-2008) grazing lease on the property. The contract was awarded to the Folsom Grazing Association; many of the members were former members of the Soapstone Grazing Association. In 2008, the lease was extended for an additional two years (2009 and 2010). Council approved the original lease and the lease extension. Staff intends to advertise a RFP in Fall 2009 for a new grazing lease to begin in 2011. The lease will be an annual renewable lease for up to 10 years and will provide flexibility to make adjustments between years based on changing environmental conditions or program objectives. The lease will be structured as a one-year lease, with up to nine renewable one-year terms. This time frame was selected to allow for long-term management planning between Natural Areas staff and the tenant, and,at the same time,to allow for the grazing tenant to plan long-term for their ranching operation. If requested, the Natural Areas Program will provide updates on grazing management and conservation target status to the Council on a shorter time frame. The RFP will discuss stocking rates in terms of animal unit months (AUMs), which is a forage based measurement and does not dictate any particular species of grazing animal. Although the Natural Areas Program currently grazes cows on the eastern and southern portions of the property and sheep in the northwestern portion, any cooperator who can demonstrate that their grazing management style and grazing animal will help us achieve our objectives will be considered. It is important to note that the RFP process will be different than a simple bid process. Typically when contracts are put out to bid,the intent is for the lowest or highest bidder(most favorable to the City) to be awarded the contract. As described above, the Natural Areas Program uses grazing as a management tool to help meet ecological objectives and manage for conservation targets. Therefore, the RFP process will emphasize the goals of obtaining and supporting ecological management objectives as well as bringing in revenue. In addition to managing for conservation targets, the Natural Areas Program is also asking producers for creative ways to interact with visitors. Bison Update Several Councilmember have expressed interest in bison grazing on Soapstone. Natural Areas Program staff continue to pursue this idea under the general philosophy that we are primarily interested in a"conservation bison"operation rather than a commercial bison operation. While any producer who can help manage for conservation targets is welcome to respond to the RFP,staff does not intend to show any preference for a commercial bison operation. Commercial bison are considered livestock and are effectively quite similar to cattle. Typically commercial bison are cross-bred with cattle, thus containing many"impure" genes. "Conservation bison" or genetically pure bison are more aligned with the conservation objectives of the Natural Areas Program. Several conservation groups (public and private) are involved in a nationwide effort aimed at the conservation of plains bison as a wildlife species and not a domestic grazer. One of the major challenges facing bison conservation is that herds in parks and preserves are often introgressed with domestic cattle genes. Translocation of the genetically pure bison that August 25, 2009 Page 9 do exist would help increase the pure bison genes in genetically compromised populations. The Natural Areas Program continues to pursue participating in a partnership that would use a portion of Soapstone as a location for genetically pure bison to form social groups in a natural setting before translocating those groups into herds needing additional bison genes. Soapstone is one of several possibilities the bison community is considering to serve this purpose. Natural Areas Program staff toured Soapstone with Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture)and American Bison Society representatives and there is interest in the property.. Staff continues to periodically communicate with these representatives. This is,however, a complicated project. It is unclear at this time if Soapstone would be a suitable site for this endeavor and what each organization's respective roles and financial obligations would be. It is important to note that leasing the property will not limit our options if this kind of a bison project were to come to fruition. ATTACHMENTS 1. Distribution of conservation targets map 2. Laramie Foothills Mountains to Plains Project map 3. PowerPoint presentation Soapstone Prairie Natural Area : ATTACHMENT 1 Distribution of Conservation Targets rannigan �1/letiand- C ack Springs : _. ::::Wetland ComplQfto fto y C , Legend N 0 0 .5 1 1 .5 2 Access Road A Miles Soapstone Boundary ] Wetland Systems - Grasslands System ^- Riparian Areas C" of Fort Collins - Foothills Shrubland System O Birds of Prey Nest Locations �a°;` PAGE 1 OF 1 Laramie Foothills Mountains to Plains Project ATTACHMENT 2 Big Hole Open Space WYOMING City of Cheyenne 7:711 miffCOLORADO Soapstone Prairie Red Mountain Natural Area 10 Meadow Open Space City of Fort Collins Springs a mi _ Larimer County Ranch �1. City of Fort 't - Collins Y Wire Draw Utilities 4 Conservation ■ ement Maxwell a ' Ranch olorado State University �� �r � 85 Rawhide r4 , 15 Power ie *Phantom Canyon Pl p The Nature Conservancy - 80 ter � � - 0° Roosevelt Cherokee State rt' s Ran nee i National Wildlife Area Private National Conservation ■ Grassland Forest Colorado Division of Wildlif Easement � O Eagle' s Open Space r 85 ArLa P count . . r Roosevelt 1 M 40 1 National - �,-. , ■®' . R W Forest zs7 1 Fort Collins Natural Area 41L State Land Board State Wildlife Area Conservation Easement " ~ A 0 1 2 3 4 - Larimer County Open Space i U . S . Forest Service The Nature Conservancy - Other Public Lands Miles PAGE 1 of 1 Soapstone Prairie Natural Area Grazing Management i City Council Work Session August 25 , 2009 Question for Council ATTACHMENT 3 vW • What questions or guidance does Council wish to provide regarding the intended approach to grazing management? F�tf Soapstone Grazing Management • Implement management plan • Conservation targets - °� — Shortgrass prairie/ grasslands system — Birds of prey — Riparian/ wetland system — Rare & threatened plants — Foothills/ shrublands ' system Distribution of Conservation Targets ' � a Role of Grazing in Grasslands • Plant or plant community • — Increases productivity — Reduces excessive litter — Hoof action — Weed control Mike Foresaerg • Wildlife habitat — Habitat mosaic 00900 Grazing — Potential Negative Effects • Overuse • No rest • No re-growth opportunity • Riparian/ wetland impacts • Changes in vegetation community F� [tins Ecological Inventory & Monitoring • Baseline conditions • Resources found on site • Develop conservation targets • Ecological trends • Adaptive management Grazing Management Strategies • Shorter grazing duration - longer rest periods • Time grazing fory - conservation target benefit • Improved control of riparian and wetlands • Grasslands : focus is habitat mosaic • Foothills shrublands : focus is weed control C�tyof F� [tins Lease / Request for Proposals • Existing lease expires 2010 • New lease to start 2011 • Advertise RFP fall 2009 • Focus on management for conservation targets • Continued monitoring and adaptive management Bison Update • Potential future project • Genetically pure bison • USDA / American Bison Society • Project future still uncertain FCity tfins Summary • Grazing : Necessary tool to manage for conservation targets • Different type of grazing for different targets • RFP will seek tenant to assist in management