R anchlands Quest - Madison Valley Ranchlands Group
Transcription
R anchlands Quest - Madison Valley Ranchlands Group
Rancher Lynn Owens speaks at the Water Summit Newsletter of the Madison Valley Ranchlands Group Volume 6 - Issue 2 - Fall 2007 WATER ISSUES Much of Montana has been impacted by nine years of drought which has caused significant changes in ground water levels. The exponential growth rate has increased the number of domestic wells during this same period of time. The last legislative session considered many bills related to water management. Working collaboratively to enhance production agriculture, open space, resource stewardship, wildlife, and habitat management. Ranchlands Quest Drought, New Water Laws & Growth On July 17th a Madison Valley Water Summit was held to gather experts on water issues together for a discussion. The meeting was open to the public and over one hundred people attended. Water law was looked at from a historical perspective. The Montana Water Use Act of 1973 established regulatory authority of water rights and use under the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. A readjudication of water rights has been going on ever since then. Throughout the west, water rights are becoming of greater value than land. They are being traded on the open market. As unmanaged growth continues, we will probably see the same situation in Montana. Also, the relationship between ground water and surface water was presented at the Water Summit. A recent Montana Supreme Court ruling established the connectedness of surface water and ground water. In a closed basin such as the Madison Valley, no new surface water rights can be filed. There is huge concern for the cumulative impact of new domestic wells and septic systems on water quality and quantity. Starting next year the state will conduct a two-year ground water assessment in Madison County. Local residents gave accounts of well production and location. Wells being drilled within a quarter mile radius will often vary in depth and production dramatically. Most new development is occurring in areas of fractured bedrock which are the most unstable areas for water supply. Those are also the areas more susceptible to groundwater contamination. A tour was taken to view and discuss a project to restore significant wetlands on the Longhorn and Granger ranches at the headwaters of O’Dell Creek. Geological, biological and hydrogeological experts shared accounts of the interconnectedness of plants, birds, fish and wildlife which this project accomplished. The dramatic changes were impressive to view but also surprised the biologists involved with the project. A follow-up meeting on the Water Summit will be held on September 27, 2007 from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. There will be a follow up of the Summit on September 27th at the Ennis High School foyer. This community meeting will provide a review of some of the more significant information and also look at some of the more critical challenges that are facing the valley and its residents regarding water issues. The meeting is open to the public and will go from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. Fire on the Horizon private land fires this year than last year.” This has been a huge wildfire season in Montana. Two factors that keep growing in significance are the increasing fuel base and the proximity of homes to wildland areas. There are a couple of radical environmentalist groups that sue anyone and everyone who suggests reducing forest fuel base. The only way to reduce that fuel base is through logging. Mark Rey, US Department of Agriculture Undersecretary recently said, “We spent $1.4 million on fire expenses in 2006 and have spent $3.5 million so far in 2007 because there have been much bigger There have been 8.4 million new homes built over the last 20 years in the wildland interface, one reason firefighting and recovery have become so expensive, Rey said. “The continued growth of houses in rural areas drives the increased fire costs, along with increased inflation on the cost of materials and equipment used to fight fires. We are working to educate landowners to make them fire-wise, working on fuels treatment on federal lands and amassing information necessary on non-critical acres.” “There are presently 80 million acres of forestland deemed priority acres for thin- Living With WildlifeWorkshops by Barb Cestero, MVRG Wildlife Committee and Greater Yellowstone Coalition Last summer’s Living with Wildlife workshop was so successful, this year the MVRG Wildlife Committee held two! As new people move to the Madison, ongoing education about living well with the valley’s remarkable wildlife continues to be important. Residents’ daily practices -- from garbage storage to feeding pets and fencing their properties—have a big impact on sustaining the abundant wildlife that make the Madison such a special place to live. Sponsored by MVRG’s Wildlife Committee, with support from Keystone Conservation, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the US Forest Service, and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, these workshops share information and facilitate discussion about how wildlife in the valley and techniques residents can use to improve the safety of their properties for both people and wildlife. In the middle of July, about 60 landowners in the southern part of the Madison Valley gathered at SunWest Ranch to learn about the valley’s abundant wildlife. This was the second annual workshop held at SunWest. After an overview of the ...continued on back cover 2 Todd Graham speaks at a Wildlife Workshop ning because of their close proximity to urban and ecological areas, he said. The West is changing and growing fast, which is coming from the wildland urban interface-subdivisions converging farms and ranches into ranchettes - the single largest environmental problem in the west.” So, whose problem is it really? Well, we better understand that how growth occurs in Madison County is part of the largest environmental problem in the west. All citizens of the county should be concerned and involved in how that future growth occurs. We cannot afford, financially and esthetically, to see one or more huge wildfires impact our communities. In the Madison Valley we are seeing the same trend of people wanting to build as close to the trees as possible. The moisture content of trees in the forest during August was lower than kiln dried lumber. We have been enormously fortunate that there have been no significant forest fires in the Gravelleys, Tobacco Roots or Madison Range this summer. Many subdivisions adjacent to the Forest make no effort to address the grass which grows and is not mowed or grazed. This is not good stewardship nor does it show a concern for the safety of our community. Madison County Hires New Planning Director The Madison County Commissioners were successful in hiring a new planning director. Charity Fechter will begin work around the first of October. She grew up in the Helena area, attended college at MSU receiving a BS degree in Earth Science with an emphasis on planning. She also has an MS in Geography with an emphasis on regional land use planning and an MS in Aeronautical Science. She is a private pilot. She has worked in planning in Craig and Fairbanks, Alaska, North Las Vegas, Nevada, Bakersfield, California, Albuquerque, New Mexico and is presently the Planning Manager for the city of Farmington, New Mexico. Charity is excited to be returning to Montana again. We look forward to having her on board. Madison Valley Wolf Encounters As wolf numbers continue to escalate in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho there is an increase in interaction and conflict between wolves and livestock. There are also sportsman groups who are raising concerns over the impact of wolves on wildlife populations. We are approaching delisting which will place the management of the species in the hands of state agencies. In Montana that will be Fish, Wildlife and Parks. There are a few conservation groups who are trying to block delisting through litigation because they feel the process is not progressing according to their understanding of the law. Even though the number of wolves has far exceeded what was perceived as reasonable, these groups are trying to impose their perception of how the process of delisting should occur above what the mandated managing agencies have decided. This year has had its share of wolf conflict in the Madison. Several wolves were killed as a result of calves being killed on Cedar Creek Ranch. The Sun Ranch had recurring livestock depredations and the Wedge Pack, which has caused depredations over the past several years, was eliminated. There have been ongoing livestock depredations on the Bar Seven Ranch and wolves have been eliminated as a result. In late August wolves killed cattle in the Centennial Valley and actions are being taken to remove wolves from the population. A new pack of wolves with pups were discovered near Antelope Basin by the Range Riders. FWP radio collared at least one of the adults and the pack is being closely monitored to hopefully prevent livestock losses. John Crumley, Lynn Owens and Lane Adamson visited with a couple of Yellowstone Institute classes in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone Park during August. The Institute provides multi-day classes for folks to attend and learn about the ecology of Yellowstone Park. After the participants have had a morning of viewing and discussing wolves, the representatives from MVRG talked to them about the challenges of wolves moving into active livestock communities. The rapidly escalating human populations of the West are encouraging ranches to be converted into subdivisions and ranchettes. This is a huge challenge in the beautiful mountain valleys surrounding Yellowstone Park. There is a need to foster a keener community conscience regarding the cumulative impact of escalating unmanaged growth on historical wildlife and economic trends. Ecotourism Project in the works MVRG recently received a grant from the National Forest Foundation to put together an ecotourism project in the valley. The abundance of bird and animal populations we enjoy are amazing to all who come to the Madison. We are fortunate to have many ranches which provide critical wildlife habitat for all these species. At times the wildlife are a liability to some ranchers because of their impact on forage and fencing. Wildlife numbers are increasing and have been for the past several years. Animal and bird watching are the most popular outdoor activities not only in the United States but also throughout the world. The project is called Madison Valley Expeditions. We are in the front end of meeting with landowners and local businesses to get input on how it could work for the benefit of all the valley residents. The ranches need additional income to keep them in a sustainable economic status. Other landowners are often very tolerant of wildlife numbers and appreciate their presence. We are currently fine-tuning a business plan. If there are folks who have an interest or expertise that would lend itself to making this a successful endeavor we encourage your participation. We have incredible resources from which to benefit. With some foresight and collaboration, valley residents and visitors could broaden an appreciation for the many resource appreciation opportunities which are here. This can be done in a way to benefit all of us without impairing the sense of community we enjoy. 3 The Madison Valley Ranchlands Group’s Weed Committee would like to thank the following sponsors, donors & volunteers for making the 9th Annual Noxious Weed Fundraiser a huge success! 1st American Title Company 2 B’s Designs Adventure Cycle and Sled Alan & Pat Schutts Antler Designs Arrow Real Estate Aurora Ranch Baker Street Bar 7 Ranch, Bear Claw Bear Creek Angus Ranch Bearfeather Studio Bennie and Gary Clark Bethany Boutell Big Sky Carvers Big Sky Motors Bill & Ladena Ramsay Bill and Quinn Mercer Blacktail Station Blake McKitrick Blue Ribbon Flies Bob and Ann Evans Bob & Annie Graham Bottle Barn Bozeman Hot Springs Bozeman Symphony Bradley Creek Ranch Brian and Linda Dyk Brian Lovette Construction Brooke Sanchez Carla Hoopes Carroll Brothers Ranch Cedar Creek Ranch, Kroenke Ranches Colten Clark Complements, Inc. Conlin’s Corral Creek Ranch Cousin’s Candy Shops Crumley Ranches Dairy Queen Danhof Chevrolet Daniel Smith 4 Devan Leo Dillon Tractor Implement Co., Inc. Don Wyler Dow AgroSciences Dwellings Gifts and Decor El Western Motel Elk Meadows Ranch Ennis Trading Post Fan Mountain Inn Farm Bureau Financial Services First Madison Valley Bank Fischer Realty Flawless Skin Care Fred and Pam Rentschler Fred King, MT Dept of FWP Fred Zweifel and Niki Kline Garnet Plank Floors Gina Lopez Glass Horse Studio Global Travel Gloria D’ Studios Gordon Patton Great Harvest Bread Company Headwaters RC&D Area Helena Chemical Heli-Works High Valley Ranch Bill & Ingrid Poole Hole in the Wall Gallery JC Excavation JDL Construction Jerry Wing JeVo Salon and Day Spa Jim Dolan J-L Ranch Joe & Stephanie Vujovich John & Donna Crumley Jonsi Corns Jordan Doud Josh Vujovich JR Tires Judi Gress Jumping Horse Ranch Just an Experience Kay Willett Larry Zabel Leigh Fosnot Les Schwab Linda Page Little Bear Interiors Lone Elk Business Resources Maddison Meats Madison Foods Madison Lumber Co. Madison Meadows Golf Course Madison River Fishing Company Madison River Outfitters Madison Saddlery Madison Square Athletic Club Madison Valley Properties Madison Valley Veterinary Clinic Madison Valley Volunteer Fire Dept. Madisonian Magic Mirror Maki Weed Control Mariah Fredrickson Marina Smith Mary Oliver Matson Excavation and Irrigation MDM Construction Meadow Creek Veterinary Clinic Mel’s Barber Chop Meredith Brokaw Mill Creek Inn Montana Audubon Society Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Montana Furniture Traders Montana Gift Corral Montana Hot Tub Montana Mad Hatters Montana Mike’s Montana Trails Gallery Montana Weed Control Association Montana Woolen Shops Moonlight on the Madison Mountain Arts Pottery Thank you to our sponsors, donors & volunteers continued.... Mountain View Coffee MR Ponds MT Sheep Institute MT Wellness Center Nancy Burns NAPA Auto North 40 Development North Star Yamaha Off the Beaded Path Old Kirby Place Owens Ranch Papa’s Candy Pat Schutts Patagonia Outlet Patsy Eckert Plant and Flower Shop Power Play Pronghorn Meadows Homeowners’ Association Quality Supply R Weed Spraying Radio Shack Ranchy Girls Rank’s Mercantile Ray and Juni Clark Reel DeCoy Right Angles Rijline Metal Art Rising Sun Mountain Estates Rocky Hawkins Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Rocky Mountain Supply Ron & Linda Schott Rubystone Resources Rusty Cowboy Ruth Haak Sam Dyk Seven H Land Company Shedhorn Sports Shirley Storey Silverbow Hearth & Home Sitz Angus Spence Hegstad Stein & Francoise Eriksen Stephen’s Floral Steve & Sandy Flanagan Steve Grube Steve Sanchez Sun Ranch Sun West Ranch Sunrise Bagel Sweet Pea Nursery T-L Irrigation Company Taylre Sitz Terry & Karin Braxton The Illustrious Virginia City Players The Jeffers Inn The Montana Man, Bob Fosnot Tim Bozorth TKO Invasive Weed Management Tom & Kelly Leo Tom’s Custom Woodworking Travis Suzuki Trenz Trudi Gilliam True Value Uncle Bob’s Outdoors, Inc. Valley Bank of Ennis Vickie Noack Vigilante Chapter RMEF Wagner Nursery Wayne Lower Wendy McKitrick West of the Madison Wilderness Edge Wiley Leo William Legg Wolfpack Outfitters 9th Annual Noxious Weeds Fundraiser a Huge Success! On August 4th, 2007 the MVRG Weed Committee hosted its 9th Annual Noxious Weed Fundraiser at Wall Creek Game Range. A late afternoon weather system threatened to put a damper on the festivities, with high wind and some rain. However, just before the party was to get started the storm blew over and the sun came out, making for a beautiful afternoon and evening! The dinner and auction was a great success and the Weed Committee looks forward to putting those dollars to work fighting weeds in the Madison Valley. Local artist Larry Zabel generously donated another original painting for this year’s auction. The painting, “Wall Creek Salt” was specially painted to highlight the grazing history at Wall Creek. It features former Wall Creek permittee Pete Durham and the current range rider for the Wall Creek Stock Association, Gary Shelton. Wall Creek Game Range is a great example of how wildlife and livestock can be managed to the benefit of both. Artist reproductions, or gicleés, are available in two different sizes through the MVRG office. If you’d like to order a gicleé please contact the MVRG Weed Committee at 682-3731 or email Melissa at mgriffi[email protected]. Special thanks to all of our generous donors and volunteers. Without your donations and hard work this evening would not be possible. We believe the auction was the best ever due to the wide range of truly unique auction items. Also special thanks to Fred King and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for allowing us to host the event at Wall Creek. We can’t thank Fred and his staff enough for all of their hard work the week before and the night of the party. They made us feel right at home! We will look forward to next year’s 10th Annual Fundraiser and provide you with details as they are finalized. 5 Turn Your Cows Into Weed Managers! Farmers and ranchers in the U.S. spend about $2 billion annually combating pasture weeds. They mow, spray, and burn and still weed infestations continue to grow. So maybe it’s time to look at weeds in a new way – “If you can’t beat ‘em, EAT ‘EM! “ Turning your cows into weed managers is really as easy as 1-2-3 according to Kathy Voth of Livestock for Landscapes. During the summer of 2004, she successfully trained cows to eat Canada thistle, leafy spurge and spotted knapweed in a pilot project sponsored by Utah State University and the National Park Service’s GrantKohrs Ranch National Historic Site in Deer Lodge, Montana. The steps she developed were based on twenty years of research done by Dr. Fred Provenza and his team at Utah State University. Over the past few years, Voth has continued to hone the steps so that now she can show you how to teach a cow to eat a weed in as little as 5 days. An introductory workshop will be held for interested individuals on September 28, 2007 The first step is to know what’s in your weed. “Many weeds are equal to or better than alfalfa in nutritional value,” says Voth. That’s important because researchers have discovered that animals choose what to eat based on feedback from nutrients and toxins in the foods. The more nutritious a weed is, the more likely the animal is to eat it. Voth also checks out the toxins the plant contains. All plants contain some toxins, but researchers have found that they simply reduce the amount an animal eats of that plant, and only rarely are there plants with toxins that will kill an animal outright. “Once I know what’s in a plant, I know whether I can safely feed it to animals,” says Voth. served in black tubs. She feeds a different unfamiliar food each morning and afternoon for four days. On day five, when the heifers expect something good in the tubs every time they see them, Voth picks and feeds the target weeds in the tubs. Step two is to choose the right animals to train. Voth prefers working with yearling heifers because younger animals are more likely to try new things. Once trained the heifers will train their calves and other members of the herd, reducing the time a rancher has to spend in the training process. Voth has used this process to teach cows to eat Canada thistle, leafy spurge, and spotted knapweed in Montana; Italian, distaff and milk thistles in California, and most recently, late season diffuse knapweed in Colorado. Now, thanks to a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Voth will be assisting ranchers in the Madison Valley. This project, facilitated by the MVRG Weed Committee, is currently seeking volunteers to participate in next summer’s project. Interested ranchers, landowners or managers are invited to attend an introductory workshop on September 28 in Ennis. For more information contact MVRG Weed Coordinator Melissa Griffiths at 682-3731. Step three builds on how animals choose what to eat by creating positive experiences with new foods. Research has shown that an animal that has had lots of good experiences with trying new foods is less afraid to try other new things. Voth gives cows these good experiences by giving them unfamiliar, nutritious foods like ground alfalfa, beet pulp pellets and rolled grains Once cows are eating weeds from the tubs, Voth puts them in a small pasture with plenty of the target weed and a variety of other forages. “No creature changes unless it has to. A little pressure, like these small pastures, is part of a good learning environment, making sure that the cows try a little of everything and don’t just eat the best and leave the rest,” says Voth. “Wall Creek Salt Run” by Larry Zabel “A painting created for the 2007 MVRG Weed Fundraiser” Gicleés are available through the MVRG office at 682-3259. 6 Madison County Bio-Control Project BUGS GALORE!!! the fact that most of the knapweed was dead or dying; it will be interesting to go back next year and see what it looks like. The other cool thing about Cypho is that it only eats knapweed roots- it’s been thoroughly checked out by researchers in quarantined tests. Much thanks goes to David Jamison at Victor High School’s Insectary for his help, his students who assisted us and many others who are trying to spread Cypho throughout the state. We felt that we picked a lot of bugs, but we were told that groups ahead of us had picked twice as many in the same amount of time. It was one of those “you should have been here last week” moments. Ron Schott was the lead bug collector for our crew with 1,000 Cyphos collected in about 4 hours. Way to go, Ron!! We’re working on a trophy for you. Remember when you were a kid and one of the joys of summer was catching grasshoppers, butterflies and all manner of crawly critters? Well, a bunch of us from the MVRG Weed Committee, the MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wall Creek Game Range and Mellissa Newman’s Insectary program spent a day in August on our hands and knees collecting bugs near Victor in the Bitterroot Valley. One of the joys of summer or pure looniness?? We were sure the people driving by the field we were in must have been wondering what strange people had stumbled into their town! But, actually, our team of bug collectors was on a mission of starting a new type of weed eradication in the Madison Valley, called biological control. The target of our insect collecting was Cyphocleonus achates, a root weevil, which feeds on the roots of spotted knapweed. The insect, let’s call it Cypho, is a large, slow-moving, clumsy-looking creature with a long snout, which was imported from Europe. We found them clinging to spotted knapweed plants or burrowed under the litter next to the root collar and, interestingly, climbing on fence posts (warming up we suppose). Apparently, they like the Bitterroot sites where they’ve been released starting in 1988, as they’ve reproduced rapidly and are eating a lot of knapweed. At one 100-acre parcel, the knapweed infestation declined by 80 percent. In the field where we collected, we can attest to Mellissa wants to return to Victor again next year for another collecting adventure. Eventually, if our Cypho populations do well, we hope to be able to collect from our own release sites and have Cypho well distributed throughout the Madison Valley doing its thing of eating knapweed roots. The Madison Valley has significant infestations of knapweed. Although not as heavy as found in western Montana, these infestations are reducing forage available for wildlife and livestock, as well as habitat for birds and other critters. The MVRG Weed Committee is partnering with Madison County, the Forest Service, BLM, Sheep Institute, ranchers, MTFWP, and other conservation groups to develop integrated weed management strategies. Cypho is a new tool for us to use to gain control over weeds. The result of our trip to Victor was that we came home with over 6,500 new residents for Madison County. According to Mellissa Newman, we need about 100 Cyphos for a release site. So, we collected enough weevils to introduce them on over 60 sites. If you are interested in learning more about the Madison County biocontrol program or to sign up to receive insects next year please contact MVRG Weed Coordinator, Melissa Griffiths, at 6823731 or mgriffi[email protected]. 7 A MESSAGE FROM MVRG PRESIDENT, JOHN CRUMLEY The winds of change are blowing in the Madison Valley. Here it is September and we are coming out of the hottest summer of record; water flows are at all time lows in our rivers; areas of our valley and watershed are very parched and grasses have had very little (if any) growth this year. Other areas had great May and early June rains and then nothing, leaving grasses tinder dry. I am sure the fire departments of our valley have had more fires than ever, and yet the Madison Watershed has more wildlife than it has ever had. Meanwhile, land managers have had to deal with conditions that at best were poor, and water managers have had to face situations they have never seen. All the while, there are more people than ever looking to our valley to recreate in and make a living from these limited resources. Depending on what the winter will bring we are setting up for a chance of large numbers of wildlife to die off like we have never seen. Is this a Doomsday message? No, I don’t think so, but as we live and manage the lands and resources we need to know that this happens every time that conditions are out of balance. Just because we don’t like to see this type of thing happen doesn’t mean that we can do anything about it. In fact, it is our own intervention that probably has set up part of the problem. Fingers will be pointed at all and judgments will be made on who is the cause. Our society has gotten so far from the realities of nature that when nature makes a correction of its own we in our human condition have to place blame. The Madison is a great place and will continue to exist after all this corrects itself. Patience and calm understanding will be needed to help the humans coexist with each other. ECHO – An Update As you read this newsletter there is a program underway that is making available exclusive homesites on living and working ranches to allow the owners to preserve the lifestyle, open space and wildlife habitat. But, this is expensive, so if you know of anyone who would like to join ranchers and have the opportunity to help preserve this valley for future generations, give us a call. We will help get you together with ranchers who would join in this program. Living with Wildlife, continued from pg 2 diverse species and habitats in the valley, people broke up into small groups to attend smaller work stations focused on living with bears, wolves and ungulates. The speakers shared tools for safe backcountry recreation in bear country, wildlife friendly fencing to facilitate elk and antelope migration, practices for residential areas that prevent conflicts with bears, and ways to prevent conflicts with wolves. In late August, Linda Page hosted about 40 residents in the northern end of the valley for the first Living with Wildlife workshop in that neighborhood. This workshop covered the same techniques as the SunWest workshop and added a station addressing ways to reduce the wildfire hazard around residential properties – an appropriate topic given the dry summer we’ve just experienced. Many thanks to Dave Germann who provided the tasty grass fed burgers to both workshop finales: A BBQ hosted by the wildlife committee. Will you join us in our efforts? The Madison Valley Ranchlands Group works to protect the ranching way of life and the biologically healthy open spaces on which ranching depends. Yes! I want to help the Madison Valley Ranchlands Group. Please accept my tax deductible contribution of : ____ $25 - $100 ____ $125 - $250 _____ $275 - $500 ____ $1,000 ____ $5,000 _____ $10,000 _____ $25,000 _____ other *annual membership dues are $25 NAME _____________________________________________ ADDRESS __________________________________________ CITY ___________________STATE ______ ZIP ___________ PHONE_________________EMAIL _____________________ PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: MADISON VALLEY RANCHLANDS GROUP P.O. BOX 330 - ENNIS, MT 59729 (406) 682 - 3259 [email protected] The Madison Valley Ranchlands Group is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization and deeply appreciates your financial support!