Watershed Chairman Leroy Brase addresses the crowd

 On September 11th BCCD and Springfield NRCS staff attended the Lower Arkansas Watershed Association annual meeting. NRCS District Conservationist Joel Moffett, BCCD Board Members Pat Esch and Steve McEndree, and District Manager Misty George made the trek to Rocky Ford for the evening. The event was held at the El Capitan restaurant.  It was the opportunity for conservation districts in the Lower Arkansas Watershed  to vote on resolutions that impact our local natural resource concerns. The approved resolutions get forwarded to the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts (CACD). They will be considered for inclusion in our state policy book by conservation district representatives from all over Colorado at the CACD Annual Meeting on November 18th.

Two dozen area cattlemen gathered on the McEndree ranch Tuesday, September 16^th to discuss making range improvements through grazing management. Baca County and Northeast Prowers Conservation Districts sponsored the event.

  On the first leg of the tour participants hiked through rangeland being managed by Storm Casper.  He described the improvements he has seen in the range over the past three years as a result of changing grazing systems.  The group discussion was facilitated by Tim Steffens (Springfield NRCS), Roy Roath (CSU Cooperative Extension), Floyd Reed and Scott Woodall (USFS).

  Roath and Reed have both traveled world wide teaching range

management.  They agreed that several factors determine range health, no matter whether you are in Brazil or Baca County:  the timing (season) the pasture is grazed, the intensity (or stocking rate) used, the duration (length of time), and the recovery (rest) period for a pasture.

  The group gathered back at Clyde and Carol Greer’s round top for a barbeque beef sandwich lunch and cookies provided by the Conservation Districts.  The final leg of the tour was led by Steve McEndree on his ranch.  He described his grazing management techniques in light of on-going drought conditions.

  Thank you to the other event sponsors:  Colorado Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative Committee and the Colorado Section of the Society for Range Management.