Strategic Planning and Resource Assessment

Forest Service 2003 Success Stories

Success Stories: A Creeks and Communities Approach to Bringing People Together Beckwourth Ranger District, Plumas National Forest

A new partnership among California Trout, Five Dot Cattle Company, Plumas National Forest , and University of California Extension Service was created to resolve ongoing issues surrounding grazing and watershed health on public lands in California .

This partnership identified a portion of the Jenkins Allotment as a first attempt at working together to improve riparian and stream conditions. They hope to succeed through livestock management and monitoring the effects of the grazing system on the riparian area.

The National Riparian Service Team (NRST) worked with this partnership in fiscal year 2003 to meet the following objectives:

•  Build trust between the parties

•  Develop a cooperative grazing plan with no permanent reductions in AUM (a measure of the number of animals on a unit in a given month)

•  Establish a ‘no penalty', adaptive management situation

•  Develop a monitoring plan.

NRST assisted with a riparian assessment, the development of management options, and an appropriate monitoring strategy. NRST also conducted a community workshop for other stakeholders in the area. Follow-up will still be necessary to know how much progress the group has made, but a good foundation was established.

Members of the partnership hope this project builds trust among the participants, serving as a foundation for their continued collaborative efforts in other areas of the Sierra Nevada Mountains .

http://www.or.blm.gov/nrst

USDA Forest Service - Strategic Planning and Resource Assessment
Last Modified: Tuesday, 18 May 2004 at 11:33:09 EDT