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Show Ranchers need say in monitoring By CLEON M. KOTTER Important decisions regarding range use are based on results from monitoring studies on key areas. Utah State University Extension Range Specialist Paul Mc-Cawley Mc-Cawley is urging Utah ranchers to have a part in that monitoring since it can greatly affect their range use. "It's most critical to those studies to put them in key areas that represent the different dif-ferent range types. We need input from experienced ranchers to help determine where these key areas are," McCawley said. He explained, "A key area should be such that if you watch closely what happens hap-pens at that location when any management is changed, it will give a fairly accurate indication of what is happening hap-pening over the whole range of that type. Location is critical. If the monitoring site is too close to water or on a trail, the area will continue to be heavily grazed regardless of any change in management. On the other hand, if the area is too far from where the animals graze or on a rocky slope where the cows don't like to go, it will be of little value as an indication of the whole range." McCawley said the Bureau of Land Management is changing the range monitoring procedures and methods to be more understandable to the ranchers. They hope to get more participation from them in the process. |