THE HUMAN FOOTPRINT & OPEN SPACE

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Ranching in the New WestTODAY

“Western FamilyRanch”

Bioregionally Planned

Working Landscapes“New Ranch”

Fragmentation/Preservation

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Corporate Ranches

Demand for “open space”

“natural areas both in and surrounding localities that provide important community space, habitat for plants and animals, recreational opportunities, farm and ranch land, places of natural beauty and critical environmental areas.” - Smart Growth Network

http://www.smartgrowth.org/

Demand for “open space”

OUR MISSION...to conserve natural, cultural and agricultural resources and provide public uses that reflect sound resource management and community values. Boulder County Parks and Open Space

https://youtu.be/-gzdL1m9OhM

Multiple stakeholders = Multiple values• The more complex the community, the more complex the management challenge

Mill Creek Pkwy (Moab, UT, pop. 5,100)

Lagerman Reservoir (Boulder County, CO, pop. 293,000)

What is “Open Space” to you?

• Agricultural? • Cultural & Historic Resources? • Wildlife habitat? • Undeveloped Wildland?• Parks & Recreation Areas?• Wilderness? • Vacant lot?

Working landscapes?

To many of our neighbors, prairies seem foreign and unattractive, second cousin to the trash-filled vacant lot. The Midwest's sea of grass — a rich mosaic of prairies, oak woods, and marshes — was virtually eradicated within the span of a single human lifetime. Because there is so little left, it's not easy to know the prairie, and thus not easy to love it. – Debra Shore

The “Chicago Wilderness” controversy

Sources of conflict in open space management

• Agriculture – Which activities? Who benefits?• Restoration – Of what? For whom?• Recreation – Doing what? By whom?• Wildlife habitat – When do we get too much of a good thing?

What values must be integrated into management (based on project goals)?

• Agricultural legacy• Multi-functional landscape• Economic sustainability of tenants• Protection of cultural/historic artifacts• Wildlife habitat (structural attribute)• Movement corridors (functional attribute)• Improved vegetation and wetland health• Natural species (weed control and eradication)

• Recreation opportunities• Educational and interpretive opportunities

Do citizens value open space?

• Between 2004 and 2006, state and local voters nationwide approved 75% of 217 open space ballot initiatives.

• Since 1994 – when Great Outdoors Colorado awarded its first grants – through FY 2008, GOCO had committed approximately $650 million for more than 3,063 projects throughout the state.

Preserving Open Space - the case of Rural

Subdivision• Ecological Impacts of Subidivision

The amount of land affected by sprawl & development = 3% per year

Since 1978, Colorado ranchland has decreased by 90,000 ac/yr.

In the last 30 years, 16-23% of the land in the counties adjacent to Yellowstone-Tetons has been platted for or converted to ranchettes (20-40 ac parcels).

Intermountain West is only region US where rural counties are growing.

Is Subdivision Good or Bad?

• Fragmentation• Population Density• Roads• Fences• Predators• Exotic Species• Wildlife Generalists/Specialists

The New Ranch House?

Changes 1957 to 1994

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Intact Ranch # 1

Intact Ranch # 2

Subdivided Ranch #1

Subdivided Ranch #2

Rural SubdivisionRoad

Density (mi./sec.)

No. of Buildings(no./sec.)

No. of Rangeland

Patches1957 1994

1957 1994

1957 1994

Intact Ranch 0.84

1.08 0.8 0.5

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Sudivided Ranch 0.41

4.55 0.7 9.5

55 411

Mitchell, Knight & Camp. 2002.Landscape Attributes of Subdivided Ranches

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Ranchette Ranch Reserve

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Non-Native

Maestas, Knight, and Gilgert. 2002.Cows, Condos, or Neither?

Rural Subdivision - effect on weeds

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Plant Cover by Management Regime

Rural Subdivision - effect on wildlife

Some species Benefit

• Black-billed magpies• Brown-headed cowbird• European starlings• Dog & cats

Some species Harmed

• Black-headed grosebeaks

• Blue-gray gnatcatchers

• Orange-crowned warblers

• Coyotes & foxes

Photo: www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov

Photo: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Photo: http://fishandgame.idaho.govPhoto: www.fws.gov

Working Ranches as Open Space

• Jim Winders • “We feel that economic activities… must be subordinate to

the needs of a healthy ecosystem”• Ecosystem protection• Recognize public goals• Produce healthy foods

Author of the “New Ranch – Can Jim convince others that his ranch is of value as open space?