Livestock Grazing

Objectives

Provide for livestock grazing in an environmentally sensitive manner, consistent with management objectives and land use allocations.

Provide for rangeland improvement projects and management practices, consistent with management objectives and land use allocations.

Land Use Allocations

Land use allocations for livestock grazing are described in the Medford District Grazing Environmental Impact Statement and Rangeland Program Summary (see Appendix B).

Management Actions/Direction

Management Actions/Direction - Riparian Reserves

Through a planning and environmental analysis process appropriate to the action, adjust or eliminate grazing practices that prevent attainment of Aquatic Conservation Strategy and riparian reserve objectives.

Locate new livestock handling and/or management facilities outside riparian reserves. For existing livestock handling facilities inside riparian reserves, ensure that Aquatic Conservation Strategy and riparian reserve objectives are met. Where these objectives cannot be met, require relocation or removal of such facilities.

Limit livestock trailing, bedding, watering, loading, and other handling efforts to those areas and times that will ensure Aquatic Conservation Strategy and riparian reserve objectives are met.

Management Actions/Direction - Late-Successional Reserves

Implement range-related management activities that do not adversely effect late-successional habitat.

Through a planning and environmental analysis process appropriate to the action, adjust or eliminate grazing practices that retard or prevent attainment of late-successional reserve objectives.

Evaluate effects of existing and proposed livestock management and handling facilities in late-successional reserves to determine if riparian reserve objectives are met. Where objectives cannot be met, relocate livestock management and/or handling facilities.

Management Actions/Direction - All Land Use Allocations

Apply the management actions/direction in the Special Status and SEIS Special Attention Species section.

Evaluate, and take appropriate action, the following concerns when an operator applies to fill the grazing permit to its upper limits of grazing preference following several years of consecutive nonuse:

Resource conflicts that could require modification of historical grazing use or practices;
Condition of existing range improvements to accommodate grazing (i.e., fences, water facilities, seedings); and
Consistency with objectives identified for the allotment or area.