Download 1 Ranching In The Mojave

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Ranching In The Mojave
Noah Amme
Professor Raymond E. Arvidson
Pathfinder 202; March 2014
Mojave Desert and Boundaries:
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Mojave desert occupies much of southeastern California, northwestern
Arizona, southern Nevada and southwest Utah (we will focus on
Californian portion; Mojave National Preserve)
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Elevation varies widely from below sea level to upwards of 5,000 feet in
elevation (high desert areas)
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Despite an obvious lack of precipitation, the Mojave desert is home to
almost 2,000 plant species
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Generally the indicator of “Mojave Desert” is the Joshua Tree Species
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Grazing Management
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM, est. 1946) manages the public
lands of the Mojave Desert as part of the “crown jewels of the American
West” National Landscape Conservation System
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Multiple land use management...
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Ranching History
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Before mid-19th century, limited non-organized ranching
-Spanish missionaries
-Mexican settlers with livestock
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Later on whites came via the Mojave Road linking Colorado River to western settlements
Red lines mark
routes on the
Mojave Road
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Ranching History
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Grazing of non-native livestock has occurred in the Mojave for over 150
years
In the 19th century dating as far back as the gold rush herds of hundreds
of sheep and cattle were driven back and forth
To California or east to resupply station at Fort Mojave on the Colorado
River ---Fresh ranges in Arizona and New Mexico
--Fort Mojave
Ranching History
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1875 George Briggs and LeRoy Blackburn (Blackburn and Briggs, 1894
merged to form Rock Springs Land and Cattle Company)
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Briggs and Blackburn were entrepreneurs who wisely saw a beef market in
the form of hungry miners and later railroad workers
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Other ranchers including Sydney Yates (Valley Wells) and John Domingo
tried their luck on smaller scales...open range conflict with homesteaders
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Cutthroat trading and buying of water rights, homesteaders denied access
to land and water
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Ranching Methods
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Old-fashioned methods worked best on tough ranges
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Mainly “cow and calf” operations (except for Valley View Ranch in the mid
1900s)
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Grazing typically occurred in the high desert in the winter and along the
river or wash bottoms in the summer
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There was never enough moisture to stay in one place too long (especially
during the early grazing days)
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Rock Springs Land and Cattle Co.
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Founded on principles of entrepreneurialism and free grazing
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Demand: beef and leather; Buyers: Miners, railroad workers, soldiers, and
later the whole country!
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Tens of thousands of head of cattle - most ever on the Mojave in one
consolidated ranch
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Unsustainable...
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Climate Changes Ranching
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By 1928, prolonged drought wiped out most livestock in the Mojave and
dissolved the Rock Springs Cattle Company
Huge free grazing operations are fragile, they leave land to grow back after
use (unless overgrazed)…
However Rock Springs stretched too thin and did not have proportional
water improvements and boundaries (fencing and corrals)
Regulation Induces More Change
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Taylor Grazing Act in 1934 limited large open range operations
Ranchers were required to clearly delineate the extent of their ranges and
pay fees to the government based on how much their livestock consumed.
Big ranches split apart, homesteaders began to stake claims to start
operations for themselves
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Taylor Grazing Act Effects:
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Most importantly the Taylor Grazing Act required multiple sources of water
Evolved into the ranching we know today with separated pastures and
various improvements
Tried to stop the overgrazing that occurred during the Rock Springs era
OX Cattle Company
Water Improvements
20th Century Ranching
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Large Yates operation dissolved in 1937
Family owned ranches passed down from the ‘40’s until 1994 California Desert Protection Act
Kessler Springs Ranch, OX Ranch, & Valley View Ranch became the dominating names of the
Mojave by buying out competitors
Many corrals, fences and pipelines were constructed
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Where Taylor Act Failed
As you can see above, rapid commercial expansion of ranching was still
allowed to continue because Taylor Grazing Act…
● Made it very inexpensive to buy grazing rights
● Ranchers could easily buy land and graze it to their own desires
● Little enforcement
As a result…
● Overgrazing continued
● Desertification and soil damage of once semi-arid lands occurred
● Habitat destruction
● Threats to Mojave ecosystem continued throughout most of the 20th
century
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Did It Get Better?
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT ESTABLISHED 1946 (General Land
Office combined with Grazing Office)
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Still not strict enough on grazing policy and enforcement until the 1970’s…
1970’s: Public interest in the environment increased
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EPA formed; Endangered Species Act
Thus court began to enforce grazing restrictions in some cases
BUT FINALLY IN 1994...
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California Desert Protection Act: 1994
National Park Service takes control:
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The Mojave National Preserve is Formed
BLM pushed out:
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National Park Service Takes Control:
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About 1,600,000 acres of land - including a lot that had been grazed in the
past
Grazing only legal on incorporated lands
MOST GRAZING TODAY IS RELEGATED TO BLM LAND:
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Conflict still exists between grazers and environmentalists
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The Conflict:
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BLM will kick grazers off their allotments when the federal government
recognizes a certain area may have an endangered species that needs to
be protected
Example:
September 7th, 2001...2 month full closure of 427,000 acres for desert tortoise:
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A financial and resource burden on ranchers
Cattle reduce shrub cover so young tortoises can be easily preyed upon
--Young, vulnerable tortoises
Environmental Controversy Over Continued Ranching:
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Cattle = carbon footprint
Cattle (and other livestock) are nonnative and ecosystem is not adapted to
support them (eating around 25 pounds of forage every day)
Livestock depletes already limited water resources
Overgrazing:
-Reduction in natural fires needed by some species
-desertification
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Cattle can pollute natural water supply with manure
Overall - Environmentalists argue large scale ranching is unsustainable in the Mojave
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Positive Ranching Effects On Land?
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Key to ranching in the Mojave Desert is water
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Many successful commercial ranches developed extensive water systems
that are utilized by wildlife
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Positive Ranching Effects On Land?
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Though no definitive data exists
-Native and nonnative plant species may have been enhanced
-Longterm availability of water sources
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Bibliography (Text)
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"Mojave: Administrative History." National Park Service. United States Government, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.nps.
gov/history/history/online_books/moja/adhi8a.htm>.
"Mojave Desert." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Desert>.
"Ranching History in the Mojave Preserve." Digital Desert. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://digital-desert.com/mojavepreserve/ranching-history.html>.
Weiser, Matt. "Cattle Make Way For Tortoises in the Mojave." High Country News. N.p., 2001. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. <https://www.
hcn.org/issues/214/10827/print_view>.
Bibliography (Images)
http://www.motorcyclejazz.com/images/mojave_road_2010_map.jpg
http://www.biologicaldiversity.
org/programs/public_lands/deserts/sonoran_desert/SDNM_slideshow/SDNM-DeadCow2-DRPMar06_t.jpg
http://deathvalleyjim.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/IMG_4715.jpg
http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/911/PreviewComp/SuperStock_911-118705.jpg
http://www.digital-desert.com
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib//blm/ca/images/images/cdd_images.Par.620c3487.Image.
331.238.jpg
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THE END
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