Results of Assessment/Establishment of Cause
Achieving Standards For Rangeland Health Conforming with Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management Resource Area: Deschutes Geographic Area of Assessment: Southeast of LaPine, Oregon within Klamath County, adjacent to Antelope Meadows Subdivision, in the Deschutes River Watershed (See Map- Appendix B). Allotment Areas Assessed:
Morgart Allotment# 7554 Period Assessment Conducted: August 26, 2003 Assessment Determination: Not Meeting Standards Assessment Benchmark: Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management for Public Lands in Oregon and Washington. Approved August 12, 1997 by the Secretary of the Interior. Assessment Objectives: Per USDI/USDA Tech Reference 1734-6 of 2000: Provide preliminary assessment of soil/site stability, hydrologic function, biological integrity. Help land managers identify areas that are potentially at risk for degradation.
Provide early warnings of potential problems and opportunities. Provide capability to communicate fundamental
ecological concepts to a variety of audiences. Improve communications among interest groups. Provide capability
to select monitoring sites for future monitoring programs. Help understand and communicate rangeland health
issues.
Per BLM, Oregon State Office IB No. OR-98-315 of 7/24/98: Assess rangeland condition relative to Rangeland
Health Standards; determine cause in those cases where standards are not being met; and take action that will result
in progress toward standards attainment where these are not being met.
Assessment Preparers
JoAnne Armson, NRT
Rick Demmer, NRS
~~~~~~~~~~~_ __ __ _.Date:
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Assessment Approval
Robert Towne, Field Manager
Appendices:
A
B
C
D
E
Allotment Assessment Findings
Maps
Plant List
List of Lichens and Mosses
Wildlife
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Date/i',/~P ?
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Appendix A Allotment Assessment Findings Notes:
1. This information applies only to ELM-administered lands within the allotment.
2. Where Allotment Monitoring Sites are referenced, information from these sites will include photographs,
vegetation data, trend rating forms, cover worksheets, and/or Rangeland Health Evaluation Summary Worksheets
(all located in the respective allotment's monitoring files).
Morgart Allotment# 7554
Public Land Upland Acres: 80
Public Land Riparian/Wetland Acres: 10
Public Land Stream Miles: 0
I. Standard 1 (Watershed Function- Uplands)
A. Determination
0
D
D
D
Meeting the Standard
Not Meeting the Standard; Making Significant Progress Toward
Not Meeting the Standard; Not Making Significant Progress Toward Standard
Standard Does Not Apply
B. Establishment of Cause:
D
D
D
Livestock are significantly contributing to the failure to meet the standard
Livestock are not significant contributors to the failure to meet the standard
on-site
Failure to meet the standard is related to other uses or conditions:
off-site
C. Rationale/Evidence
Ground cover by vascular vegetation and biological soil crust ranges from 20 - 100% P000407 8 .JPG,
P0004055.JPG. There is evidence that grazing is heavy especially during the peak growing season and
through seed set P0004083.JPG, P0004084.JPG. Because of the pumice soils in this allotment there is little
sign of erosion even though the ground cover is sparse in most areas. There is evidence that some of the
allotment was cleared sometime in the past and that grass was seeded as a range improvement project (the
seeding was not successful).
Evidence: Photos and lists of vascular vegetation, lichens and mosses.
II. Standard 2 (Watershed Function- Riparian/Wetland Areas)
A. Determination
0
D
D
Meeting the Standard
Not Meeting the Standard; Making Significant Progress Toward
Not Meeting the Standard; Not Making Significant Progress Toward
B. Establishment of Cause:
D
D
D
Livestock are significantly contributing to the failure to meet the standard
Livestock are not significant contributors to the failure to meet the standard
Failure to meet the standard is related to other uses or conditions:
on-site;
off-site
C. Rationale/Evidence
There are no natural flows of continuous surface water within this allotment. However there are several
irrigation canals P0004062.JPG, P0004056.JPG, which traverse it and flow late spring through early fall
and the allotment is adjacent to Long Prairie which has surface water during snow melt in the spring.
Riparian or wetland vegetation is maintained in the north P0004066.JPG and northeastern sides of Morgart
Allotment. All water features show evidence of direct impacts by anthropogenic
disturbancesP0004067 .JPG.
III. Standard 3 (Ecological Processes)
A. Determination
0
0
0
0
Meeting the Standard Not Meeting the Standard; Making Significant Progress Toward Not Meeting the Standard; Not Making Significant Progress Toward Standard Does Not Apply B. Establishment of Cause:
0
0
0
Livestock are significantly contributing to the failure to meet the standard Livestock are not significant contributors to the failure to meet the standard Failure to meet the standard is related to other uses or conditions: _on-site;
off-site C. Rationale/Evidence
The 80 acres of public land which comprises the Morgart Allotment which as viewed in the attached photos
has two very different ecotypes. It is apparent that past disturbances are slow to heal. The allotment is being
grazed apparently for long periods of time, during early growing season, seed set and probably while
dormant. When shrubs are present they are often small and hedged P0004081.JPG. The Morgatt
Allotment is adjacent to the Antelope Subdivision so the reintroduction of fire is probably not an option and
would probably be counterproductive, given the lack of native perennial grasses P0004074.JPG, heavy
down fall P0004068.JPG, P0004070.JPG in some areas and the heavy stocking of young lodgepole pine in
other places P0004060.JPG, P0004073.JPG. The soils in this area do not appear to respond well to heavy
disturbance.
Evidence:
The allotment continues to be grazed yearly during most of the growing season. Rest rotation for this
allotment is recommended, perhaps late fall or winter grazing should be considered or even an extended
period of rest.
IV. Standard 4 (Water Quality)
A. Determination
0
0
0
0
Meeting the Standard Not Meeting the Standard; Making Significant Progress Toward Standard Not Meeting the Standard; Not Making Significant Progress Toward Standard Standard Does Not Apply B. Establishment of Cause (if applicable)
0
0
0
0
Livestock are significantly contributing to the failure to meet the standard Livestock are not significant contributors to the failure to meet the standard Failure to meet the standard is related to other uses or conditions: _on-site;
Not Applicable off-site V. Standard 5 (Habitat for Native, T&E and Locally Important Species)
A. Determination
0
D
D
D
Meeting the Standard
Not Meeting the Standard; Making Significant Progress Toward
Not Meeting the Standard; Not Making Significant Progress Toward
Standard Does Not Apply
B. Establishment of Cause:
D
D
D
Livestock are significantly contributing to the failure to meet the standard
Livestock are not significant contributors to the failure to meet the standard
Failure to meet the standard is related to other uses or conditions:
on-site;
off-site
C: Rationale/Evidence
Vegetation is sparse in many areas of this allotment P0004079 .JPG, season of use and rest rotation cycles
most likely attribute to this problem. Pumice grape-fern (Botrychium pumicola) is known to inhabit areas
in all directions from this allotment however no known plants are located in this particular area. Oregon
spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa), Western toads (Bufo boreas) and Pacific Tree Frogs (Hyla regilla) have been
tracked in the wetland/riparian areas of this allotment. A goshawk was located less than 2 miles from this
location during an earlier survey.
VI. Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management:
D
0
Conforms with Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management
Does Not conform with Guidelines for Livestock Grazing Management, Guideline No(s): 1. a., b,
f., g., h., j.; 6 and 7.
The soils are stable within the entire allotment, as well as the watershed function, however, the biotic
integrity is not meeting standards, because of the static or declining biotic integrity (meeting Standards 1, 2
and 5 but not Standard 3).
Appendix B
Map
MORGART ALLOTMENT # 7554
MASTEN BUTTE QUADRANGLE
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ALLOTMENT BOUNDAF
PUBLIC LANDS
1•1
PRIVATE LANDS
Appendix C
Plant List
Morgart Allotment# 7554
Field Date: August 26, 2003
Achillea millefolium Agoseris glauca Agrostis alba Antennaria geyeri Antennaria microphylla Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Aster sp. Linum perenne
Lotus corniculatus
Lupinus lepidus
Machaeranthera shastensis
Mentha arvensis
Mimulus nanus
Mimulus guttatus
Botrychium sp. Orthocarpus luteus
Calamagrostis neglecta Carex aquatilis Carex disperma Carex douglasii Carex nebrascensis Carex rossii Carex utriculata Castilleja linariaefolia Cerastium nutans Cinquefoil sp. Circium sp. Cirsium vulgare Cryptantha sp. Eleocharis sp. Elymus elymoides Epilobium sp. Equisetum laevigatum Penstemon sp.
Phacelia sp.
Phleum pratense
Picea engelmannii
Pinus contorta
Pinus ponderosa
Plantago major
Poa pratensis
Polygonum majus
Potentilla anserina
Prunella vulgaris
Pterospora andromedea
Purshia tridentata
F estuca idahoensis Fragaria virginiana Ranunculus occidentalis
Salix sp.
Scutellaria nana
Spiraea uniflora
Spiranthes romanzoffzana
Stipa occidentalis
Geum macrophyllum var. perincisum Horkelia sp. Taraxacum offzcinale
Trifolium sp.
Iris missouriensis Veronica scutellata
Veronica sp.
Viola purpurea
Juncus balticus Appendix D List of Lichens LICHENS
COMMON NAME
SUBSTRATE Crustose
Buellia sp
Candelaria concolor
Lecanora hagenii
Button lichen
Candleflame lichen
Hagen's rim-lichen
Wood (twig) Wood (twig) Tree and shrub twigs Foliose
Peltigera rufescens
Peltigera didactyla
Physciella melanchra
Xanthoria fa !lax
Field dog-lichen
Alternating dog-lichen
Rosette lichen
Hooded sunburst lichen
Moss and soil Moss and soil Juniper bark Rock Witch's hair
Spiny witch's hair
Tree-hair lichen
Split-peg lichen
Mealy pixie-cup
Trumpet lichen
Powderhorn lichen
Smooth-footed powderhorn
Lodgepole pine Lodgepole pine Lodgepole pine Soil Soil and moss Soil and moss Rotting wood Litter Rotting wood Lodgepole pine Lodgepole pine Lodgepole pine Lodgepole pine Fruiticose
Alectoria sarmentosa
Alectoria imshaugii
Bryoria fremontii
Cladonia cariosa
Cladonia chlorophaea
Cladonia fimbriata
Cladonia norvegica
Cladonia ochrochlora
Cladonia transcendens
Kaernefeltia merrillii
Letharia columbiana
Letharia vulpina
Vulpicida canadensis
Gelatinous
Leptogium lichenoides
Flattened thornbush lichen
Brown-eyed wolf lichen
Wolf lichen
Brown-eyed sunshine lichen
Tattered Jellyskin
On soil, moss and dead vegetation
Appendix E Wildlife This is only a partial list of species that would be expected in this allotment.
Mammals
Badger
Coyote
Vole
Chipmunk
Red squinel
Mountain cottontail rabbit
Northern pocket gopher
Elk
Mule deer
Bird species seen in the vicinity around the time of the evaluation (not necessarily breeding in the area)
Red-tailed hawk
Goshawk
American kestrel
Turkey vulture
Mourning dove
Williamson's sapsucker
Northern flicker
Dusky flycatcher
Slate-colored junco
Mountain bluebird
American robin
Townsend's solitaire
Common raven
Red-breasted nuthatch
White-breasted nuthatch
Mountain chickadee
Western meadowlark
Red crossbill
Chipping spanow
Oregon Breeding Bird Atlas Species List of known breeding the kind of habitat found in the Morgart area To
see more information on habitats in the area control/click on the hyperlink, click on Oregon Breeding bird folder,
then click on Atlas, then on Hex. Click on a hexagon in the NE comer of Crook county and find your way to the
map hexagon 26429 ..\..\OR Breeding Birds. Its easier than it sounds. If your computer is slow it might be better to
access this program directly through the S: drive folder OR breeding birds
Reptiles(* Not observed but probably present within the Morgart Allotment.)
Gopher snake* Racer* Common gartersnake Fence lizard Short-homed lizard* Amphibians (* Not observed but probably present within the Morgart Allotment.)
Pacific tree frog Western toad Oregon spotted frog* Long-toed salamander*