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Re: [RC] Trails and cows - Barbara McCraryWe graze cattle on our ranch, and yes, they do create traverse trails across hillsides, but not many. I wonder if it might have been sheep that caused the many parallel trails that you are referring to, the ones I have seen in the hills NE of San Francisco while traveling I-80. Even then, the trails act as terraces that help prevent erosion. The only time I've seen large land-slips was during a winter that was so wet the soil could no longer hold on the rocky underlayment. That would have happened whether there had been grazing or not.I have recently noticed on our ranch one particular trail that our cows used for years. We used it on one of the rides we manage some years ago. I remember flagging it with short stakes with flagging tied to them. By the time the first rider came along, the flags were gone...eaten by the cows. Recently, I observed that the trail is no longer used and is covered with thick grass. The cows have changed routes and are now using a trail farther up the side of the hill. Cows are very habit-oriented and use one trail over and over, but my experience shows that they do change trails occasionally. An interesting study by a former university student in our county showed that grazed land is plentiful in wildflowers. This student was rabidly anti-grazing when he started at the university. Over the years he did lots of studies and discovered that on the university property, once a cattle ranch, now just left alone, wildflowers were disappearing. He was one of the students who had pushed for eliminating grazing on the university fields. Our pasture, continuously grazed for probably 200 years, has abundant wildflowers. On a neighboring pasture, not so consistently grazed and managed, often left to its natural devices, wildflowers were overtaken by brush. I know that grazing, if done prudently, is beneficial to grasses and wildflowers. No rancher, who uses and loves his own land is deliberately going to destroy it. That makes no sense at all, since it is his livelihood that is at stake, and a destroyed land will not support his cattle, year after year. I'm a great believer in the philosophy that a knowledgeable rancher is the best steward of his land. Barbara ----- Original Message ----- From: <Sheila_Larsen@xxxxxxx> To: "Ann Blankenship" <annie@xxxxxxxxxxxx>; <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 8:46 AM Subject: RE: [RC] Trails and cows Cows can and do cause damage and one can see it in places like the bay area I do want to get back to the cow issue though because I want to be clear that I believe that cows as grazers are a very useful tool in the management of open space, it just all depends on responsible grazing. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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