|
In the fall of 1996, a group of ranchers from the Morgan Creek
Grazing Association assembled to meet with representatives from
various federal, state and private agencies. A very difficult
and frustrating grazing season had just been completed and nobody
was happy. Everyone stood in a circle and the mood was tense as
they prepared for a modern-day version of "Gunfight at the OK
Corral."
Then something miraculous happened; instead of a fight, everyone
agreed to try something called "Collaborative Stewardship." With
the help of a top-notch facilitator from Idaho Round Table, we
formed a team and assented to work together to develop common
goals and objectives that would allow the ranchers to optimize
their grazing while providing better management of the riparian
communities. Over the course of the winter a plan evolved and
grazing strategies were altered, but what really changed was the
manner in which the adjustments were developed.
We needed to find a way for the ranchers to achieve more
complete use of their allotment while minimizing impacts to the
riparian communities. In a bold and progressive move, the Forest
Service agreed to allow the team to function independently and
make their own decisions in a collaborative manner.
We decided on a grazing strategy that emphasized handling
the stock as a cohesive herd. To facilitate this, we broke the
allotment down into numerous small paddocks and we identified
reasonable, attainable criteria for forage utilization and streambank
disturbance. If problems developed, the herd would only have to
be moved to the next paddock instead of off the allotment. This
ensured a more complete grazing season while allowing greatly
improved control over riparian "hot spots."
The 1997 grazing season was a huge success. The ranchers
enjoyed a full grazing season for the first time in more than
a decade and the riparian communities looked better than anybody
could remember. Sure, we made plenty of mistakes and we had a
few wrecks, but they were our mistakes and our wrecks. When problems
developed we all stuck together. Nobody pointed fingers and nobody
panicked.
This winter we’ll work together to fix some of last year’s
mistakes. But we’ll do it with a new enthusiasm. We all can see
that there is a long-term future in this. The grazing systems
may evolve, but the ranchers now feel confident they’ll be using
the allotment and we’ll all be working and riding together for
years to come. Most amazing of all is that we’re actually having
fun together because we took the time to discover that we share
a sense of community, with common goals and concerns.
* * *
|
