Cooperative Agreement F26AC00084

THIS PROJECT WILL ENHANCE GRASSLANDS AND STRENGTHEN RESILIENCE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE SOUTH PUGET SOUND BY: (1) INCREASING THE VARIETY AND ABUNDANCE OF NATIVE PLANTS, POLLINATORS, AND GRASSLAND BIRDS ON PRIVATE LANDS, (2) SUPPORTING AND GUIDING SMALL RANCHER BUSINESSES WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONSERVATION GRAZING, AND (3) GENERATING CONSERVATION GRAZING PRESCRIPTIONS FOR ECOLOGICAL TARGETS ACROSS A RANGE OF CONDITIONS THROUGH MONITORING OF PRACTICES AND ECOLOGICAL OUTCOMES. THESE GOALS WILL BE MET BY FOLLOWING TWO STEPS: (1) ENROLLMENT, AND (2) IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING. THE ENROLLMENT STEP WILL INVOLVE IDENTIFYING ABANDONED GRASSLANDS THAT COULD SUPPORT WILDLIFE COMMUNITIES, ENGAGING RANCHERS THAT WANT TO BUILD THEIR BUSINESS WITH CONSERVATION GRAZING ON LEASED LANDS, AND LINKING THE RANCHING OPERATIONS AND GRAZING PRESCRIPTIONS TO THE ECOLOGICAL TARGETS ON EACH PROPERTY. ONCE THE PROPERTIES AND THEIR ECOLOGICAL TARGETS ARE IDENTIFIED AND GRAZING PRESCRIPTIONS DEVELOPED, IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING WILL BEGIN WITH SITES BEING PREPARED FOR CONSERVATION GRAZING. DEPENDING ON THE SITE CONDITIONS, THIS COULD ENTAIL MOWING, CONTROLLED BURNING, INVASIVE SPECIES REMOVAL AND LIKELY INSTALLATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDED FOR GRAZING. THIS PROCESS WILL BE OVERSEEN BY A SMALL TEAM OF GRAZING SPECIALISTS AND ECOLOGISTS TO ENSURE THAT TREATMENTS ARE APPLIED ACCORDING TO PLAN AND TO MONITOR ECOLOGICAL OUTCOMES. CONSERVATION GRAZING TYPICALLY INVOLVES ROTATING CATTLE THROUGH A SITE FAIRLY QUICKLY, NEVER ALLOWING THE STUBBLE TO GET BELOW 3? HIGH, AND ALLOWING THE PASTURE TO ?REST? WITHOUT CATTLE DURING THE NATIVE PLANT GROWING SEASON (APRIL-JUNE). IF POSSIBLE, NATIVE PLANTS ARE SEEDED INTO THIS ROTATION. THIS MAINTAINS A PRODUCTIVE GRASSLAND AND ALLOWS FOR NATIVE PLANT ESTABLISHMENT AND PERSISTENCE. THE MONITORING WILL INVOLVE ANNUALLY TRACKING PLANT, POLLINATOR AND AVIAN COMMUNITIES TO ALLOW FOR ADAPTIVE SHIFTS IN THE GRAZING OPERATIONS TO ENSURE BENEFICIAL RESULTS. ANNUAL TREATMENT OF NOXIOUS WEEDS WILL BE CONDUCTED ON ALL PROPERTIES TO LIMIT ANY RISK TO THE GRAZING ANIMALS AND THE NATIVE PLANT COMMUNITIES. AFTER INITIAL GRAZING TREATMENTS HAVE BEEN APPLIED AND WHEN SITES ARE PREPARED, A NATIVE SPECIES MIX WILL BE SEEDED INTO THE SITES TO PROMOTE RESOURCES FOR RARE POLLINATORS AND BIRDS.