Final Report, September 1998 Vegetative Cover Monitoring, Public Perception Survey, and Public Outreach Programs for Chino Winds Demonstration Project (Phases I and II): Use of BMPs on Arizona Rangelands to Minimize NPS Discharges from Grazing Activities

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The purpose of the Chino Winds Demonstration Project is to display the implementation and results of a set of Best Management Practices (BMPs) and associated Guidance Practices (GPs) for livestock grazing management to maintain or improve water quality.

Structural improvements completed during the Demonstration Project provide the water and fencing needed to control when and length of time that livestock graze specific areas of the Ranch. New improvements include 54 miles of fence, 30 miles of pipelines, 21 water storage tanks, 33 drinkers, and one well.

A major reduction of approximately 50% of the total livestock on the ranch was made in the fall of 1996, due to extremely low rainfall and lack of forage growth in the fall, winter, and summer of 1995-96. The impact of the low rainfall would have been more severe on both the basic range resource and the livestock herd if management flexibility provided by the new structural improvements had not been in place.

Objective 1 of the Demonstration Project is to document baseline vegetative cover and changes that occur on key areas during the project. Vegetative cover is considered a surrogate measurement of water quality.

Three key areas (limy upland, loamy upland, and a loamy bottom site) were selected for intensive vegetation and ground cover monitoring within the Cienega Demonstration Cell. Baseline data were collected on seven plots at these three key areas on April 6 and 7, 1992. One plot at each key area was fenced as an area not grazed by livestock, a second plot at each area was open to time-control grazing by livestock, and a third plot at the loamy upland site was fenced and subjected to periodic high impact by livestock. Cover data were collected each spring during the project from 1992 to 1998, and cover data and frequency of individual plant species were collected each fall from 1994 to 1997.

Soil parameters, soil surface roughness, and soil cover data were utilized as input data to the Watershed Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model to simulate predicted runoff and sediment yield for the baseline year (1992) and end-of-project year (1998) for the seven plots on the Cienega Demonstration Cell.

Annual variation in vegetation canopy was documented on monitoring plots due to variations in seasonal precipitation and season and intensity of livestock grazing, but neither the time control grazed nor ungrazed plots on the limy upland, loamy upland, and loamy bottom sites nor the high impact plot on the loamy upland site were so dramatically changed in soil surface cover from 1992 to 1998 that increased or decreased erosion were obvious by visual inspection. It is not surprising that the simulations with the WEPP model also did not predict consistent changes in runoff or sediment yield in 1998 compared to the baseline year of 1992 except for a small decrease in runoff and sediment yield for both the time-control grazed plot and the ungrazed plot on the loamy bottom site, apparently a response to the increased litter developed on the soil surface at this site.

Objective 2 of the Demonstration Project is to establish a baseline of public perception relative to attitudes of the public as they relate to the demonstration project, Yavapai Ranch, and current erosion and water quality conditions associated with the project area.

A survey to establish this baseline of public perceptions was conducted in the fall of 1992. A random sample of 286 individuals in Yavapai County were interviewed and asked a series of questions to determine their general impressions and uses of rangelands.

Approximately 90 percent of sampled individuals perceived the rangelands in Yavapai County as both interesting and appealing. The most frequently expressed negative perception of rangelands was that they were eroded (42 percent). Only 35 percent saw a specific connection between erosion and water quality in local streams.

Objective 3 is to encourage public participation in the project and conduct a public outreach education program regarding rangeland management, livestock grazing, and water quality.

Spring and fall monitoring from 1992 to 1998 provided the opportunity for many individuals to participate in the monitoring program. Ten to 15 individuals participated each monitoring date.

Training in natural resource management has been conducted annually through the Yavapai County Extension Office. Information, illustrations, and data from the Chino Winds Project have been distributed and utilized in workshops and field trips.

Although the Chino Winds Demonstration Project is complete, the Coordinated Resource Management Plan for the Yavapai Ranch is still in effect. The structural improvements put in place during the Demonstration Project will continue to be utilized to control when, where, and for how long livestock will graze in a pasture. The Ranch is committed to continuing the livestock herd management and a continuing monitoring program. The Yavapai Ranch will continue as a demonstration for implementation of Best Management Practices to maintain or improve water quality, and monitoring data will be collected to document progress.