Rangeland Stewardship
International Center for the Advancement of Pastoral Systems
Because Wallowa County’s heritage is deeply rooted in family ranches that go back as much as five generations, Wallowa Resources has become involved in several activities that promote and work with rangeland issues in Wallowa County. Wallowa Resources assisted in the formation of the International Center for the Advancement of Pastoral Systems (ICAPS) and serves on its board of directors. ICAPS links pastoral families in Canada, Mongolia, China, the Tibetan plateau, and in the western United States to preserve ranching as a way of life and enhance rangeland health. ICAPS is an important partner and works closely with Wallowa Resources on many rangeland stewardship projects.
Upper Joseph Watershed Assessment
WR also facilitated the rangeland assessment portion of the Upper Joseph watershed assessment. The entire watershed was evaluated with many private landowners participating in the effort. Survey crews worked to identify rangeland types and conditions. Satellite imagery and analysis was also used to map these areas forming a baseline of data that could begin to look at the rangeland condition of the whole watershed.
Wallowa County Weed Free Forage Program
Wallowa Resources has been involved with this program to promote the availability of certified weed-free forage. The program’s goals are to:
• Establish and promote Wallowa County as a premier hay growing region
• Find and establish new markets
• Determine market needs (bale size, quality, weed-free, transportation,....)
Hells Canyon Sustainable Rangelands Project
The Hells Canyon Sustainable Rangelands Project (HCSRP) is a community-based research and adaptive management planning initiative to review the interactions between large herbivore grazing, habitat conservation and recreation needs, and to promote and implement credible science as the basis for improved decision making in natural resource management in Wallowa County.
The HCSRP seeks to maintain productive rangelands systems within canyon/prairie ecosystems that:
• Sustain ecological function at large spatial scale with appropriate herbivory.
• Maintain economic viability/value of grasslands versus development pressure and associated fragmentation of larger spatial units.
Wallowa Resources will work with all interested stakeholders to improve the management, monitoring and decision-making in the grasslands of Hells Canyon. The HCSRP will involve the study of both public and private grasslands.
