Exclosure on Whitehorse Creek
| Much of Big Whitehorse Canyon has been excluded from cattle grazing since 1989. Riparian vegetation has rebounded dramatically. Willows and alders cover the banks. Wild roses, some nearly 10 feet high, provide beauty and a rich source of nutrients for wildlife. Beavers have moved in and spread up and down the creeks. Their dams flood new areas and create valuable wetlands that trap silt and help restore streams and wetlands. This canyon area now provides a critical refuge for the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout. | Big Whitehorse Canyon and other exclosures provide benchmarks from which to measure the health or condition of nearby grazed areas. Comparisons can be made not only of plant growth, but also of plant species diversity and abundance, water quality, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and fish abundance. Exclosures can define desired future conditions and landscape capabilities for entire watersheds. Such findings may guide long-term restoration strategies as well as needed short-term changes in seasonal grazing caused by annual variation in temperature and precipitation. |
Viewing Instructions
| After the movie downloads, you simply click the mouse down on the picture (starting in the center works best) or use the arrow keys to scroll around. | You can use the "control" and "shift" keys to zoom in and out on the panorama. Set your monitor to view "Thousands of Colors", if possible. |
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