Aldos Silver City • Entered by Marcia Stout on April 28, 2023
Riparian – Grazing Monitoring
April 1, 2023 – April 23, 2023
Participants and Hours
| Pre Planning hours | 2 |
| Post Admin hours | 1 |
| Activity Hours | 8.5 |
| Participants | 4 |
| Total Hours | 37 |
Key Issue: Livestock Grazing Management
Activity Type: Stewardship (monitoring, sampling, planting, etc.)
Key Partners: Gila National Forest
Landscape/area: Gila National Forest (2658321 acres)
Measurable Outcomes
Outcome 1: Trail/land monitored (2 surveys)
Outcome 2: Hiked (8.5 miles)
Short Description of Activity
On April 11, two members monitored along Saliz Creek, heading downstream from there toward the San Francisco River. We did not find cows, but did find fresh sign, as well as off-road vehicle tracks. This was a four-mile round-trip walk. On April 21, three members of our team walked along the Gila River in the Bird area. We reported two open gates, and five adult cattle as well as four calves. This is part of a monthly monitoring requested by the Forest Service. One of the gates into the exclosure has been left open to allow cows to leave it. The other was not expected to be open, according to our FS contact last month. This was a 4.5-mile round-trip walk. Two members also had Avenza maps restored to their phones by a FS contact.
Reflection/Evaluation
The rains have stopped and riparian areas are becoming easier to navigate. We have initiated our monthly monitoring trips to the Gila River Birding area. This area remains problematic. We reported cattle in that exclusion area this month and are waiting to hear back regarding actions taken.
Photos/Uploads
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Photo Captions
1. Looking at areas of cropped grasses due to grazing in Saliz Canyon – April 11, 2023
2. Crossing a still relatively high Saliz creek while monitoring downstream on April 11, 2023
3. Observing unauthorized cattle at the Gila River Birding Area exclosure, April 2023
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