Rangeland Goals and Objectives

 

Manage the Tribes’ rangeland to produce quality food for the community and contribute to the overall economic stability of the reservation while ensuring that future generations have the opportunity to maintain a relationship to the land through cultural recreational activities such as horseback riding, hiking, camping, gathering, hunting and fishing.

Rangeland Resource Objectives

• Establish a Rangeland Monitor position to ensure AUM counts and assess perennial and forb conditions in grazing units.

• Expand the Rangeland Health Inventory to include valley rangeland in concert with the Natural Resource Conservation Service.

• Prepare annual Range Unit Conservation Plans

  • Range Unit Rancher and NRD Rangeland Monitor.

  • Contact NRCS and BIA for guidance as needed.

• Construct boundary and internal cross fencing on grazing units where it is economically feasible. Utilize NRCS funding for infrastructure when available.

• Supplement fencing with herding to avoid overgrazing.

• Provide alternate water supply for cattle away from springs and streams.

• Establish an education program and signage to educate the community on the need to keep gates closed to ensure effective grazing management .

• Provide human-sized gates on fences that cross trails.

• Install cattle guards in highly traveled access roads.

• Enforce livestock numbers – animals should be counted at least once a year.

• Continue mapping range improvements as they are installed and monitor for effectiveness.

• Identify areas lacking adequate soil cover.

• Maintain a monitoring program to document rangeland health.

• Host educational workshops for the operators and interested community members on a variety of environmental and husbandry topics.

• Develop a noxious weed plan to:

  • Identify and map areas with noxious weeds.

  • Prepare and implement eradication/control program.

• Maintain a vegetation clipping program to facilitate production estimates.

• Designate ecological sites for monitoring and to reference comparable locations in the State.

• Research and enter into Right of Way negotiations with adjacent landowners.

• Designate revenues generated through leasing and other use permits for future projects.

• Coordinate with and contribute to the Round Valley Indian Housing Authority’s planning efforts for future housing development.