Nearly the entire Alder Creek allotment in the Stinkingwater Mountains is very rugged, rocky and/or steep with impediments to cattle use. Past BLM deforestation juniper and sage “treatments” have already caused cheatgrass and medusahead expansion. BLM’s older projects clearcut shading trees that would cool water near the tiny streams where closed basin Redband Trout have been nearly wiped out by cattle grazing combined with the existing level of juniper deforestation disturbance that results in stream water baking in the sun. Headcuts are proliferating, and the allotment has been undergoing cattle-caused desertification.
BLM proposed to “treat” nearly all the remainder of the allotment to build more cattle fences and livestock water developments and pipelines, as well as re-excavate and take more water (if any is left) from springs and seeps for cattle water pipelines and troughs. The new excavation threatens new irreparable loss of sustainable perennial surface flows.
BLM claimed that it’s radical juniper deforestation scheme is being done for Sage-grouse – so BLM could latch onto Sage-grouse habitat ”restoration” funds for its alarming $13,317,000 (or more) deforestation project cost estimated by BLM in the EA as $500 per acre, coupled with a $133,000 cattle project building spree in an allotment that already has 39 livestock water developments, and where the BLM annually receives $3,498 in grazing fees. Grazing on public lands is almost free, yet BLM estimated the cost of hay to feed the cow herd under the EA No Grazing alternative as $183,980. These costs do not include the costs of the unknown types and amounts of toxic herbicides BLM proposes to spray the public lands, wildlife habitats and watersheds with after it tears apart the scenic, native landscape and habitat for wildlife and vital for preservation of biodiversity with clearcutting.
GRAZING CONDITIONS IN BURNS BLM ALDER CREEK ALLOTMENT
PAST BLM “TREATMENTS” REMOVED ALL PROTECTIVE TREE COVER AND GAVE COWS 100% ACCESS TO STREAMSIDES AND FAILED TO APPLY PROTECTIVE USE STANDARDS LEADING TO DISGUSTING ALGAE-CHOKED WATER GROSSLY POLLUTED BY LIVESTOCK WASTE AND WATER THAT BAKES IN SUMMER SUN SO FISH CAN’T SURVIVE
Trampled and manure-choked understories of uncut junipers. Cows seek out the shade, and understory is full of cheatgrass and bulbous bluegrass, with medusahead starting to invade.
Juniper trees were cut extending half way up the slope, ensuring that not a bit of shade hits the water. Burns BLM is managing under rancher myths that claim junipers are “water sucking weeds”.
Behold the wonders of juniper removal in cattle grazed watersheds! Cows have access to every inch of the stream, no shade, collapsing streambanks, just plain ecological madness.
Past Upland “Treatments”
BLM finalized an EA expanding its juniper deforestation across nearly the entire allotment. The EA admitted an average “treatment” cost of $500 an acre! Part of what is going on with these radical deforestation schemes is enriching contractors in the treatment-industrial complex.
A tangle of tree skeletons in a juniper clearcut.
Another mesic area and drainage headwaters undergoing cattle-caused desertification. You can see in the drainage on the right side that cows have even managed to trample the soil under the cut down wood. Look at the trampled left bank. General BLM uglification of the watershed.
A flammable weed mix of bulbous bluegrass, medusahead and cheatgrass.
A flammable weed mix of bulbous bluegrass, medusahead and cheatgrass.
Cheatgrass – Looking SW towards Malheur Refuge. There’s been several wildfires in the Stinkingwater mountains which have resulted in a loss of forested cover – making the BLM scheme for killing nearly all the remaining junipers here even worse. The BLMs juniper eradication schemes are devastating wintering habitat for American Robins and Townsend’s Solitaires that feast on juniper berries. Solitaires establish winter territories around berry-laden tree areas, and they sing in winter. These birds were already present in mid-November when most of these photos were taken.
Cheatgrass with medusahead around the margins.
Alder Creek older juniper killing “treatment” with tree cutting and some burning resulted in dense expanses of cheatgrass with medusahead now gaining steam.
A clear view of the past deforestation line above the stream.
A cell phone for scale in a deep cow hoof print in a trampling-torn mesic site. Despite the clearcut junipers and large rocks and boulders, the cow pressure is so extreme that the bovines stagger out into the rock and muck to devour moist area plants.