Cattle grazing and misplaced priorities (v2.0)
-- Illegal Grazing Impacts --
I have indicated the areas the cows have moved in and damaged
the delicate soil structure. Methods of damage include:
1)Simple trampling--cow hooves exert considerable pressure,
especially on soft, boggy, organic soil;
2)Grazing damage--the cattle ate native plant material, sometimes
yanking entire plants from the ground;
3)Wallowing--the cattle bedded down in some locations, adding to the
damage from trampling;
4)Excretia deposition--big piles of cow crap add nutrients to the local
habitat, a very abnormal addition to these low-nutrient conditions.
Furthermore, the cattle are likely to be introducing non-native seeds
in the cow crap. This Cobra Lily site is unusual for its low incidence
of non-native species;
5)Trail creation--the cows made big trails, and this may change the
local micro-hydrology of the site.
