Vegetative Response
A standard barbed-wire fence was built in the winter and spring of 2003 and 2004. Making the fence elk-proof was considered but rejected. Damage by elk that pass through the area does not impact the vegetation enough to justify the much higher cost of an elk-proof fence.
The vegetative response due to the exclusion of cattle was tremendously successful. In only one full growing season, the response was significant enough to withstand a sudden, heavy water flow in the spring of 2005. Previously, this flow would have caused erosion. This time it actually improved the site by increasing a mat of dense vegetation. In particular, the sedges captured and held large amounts of sediment that help stabilize the area.
The Fence-Out project and the log structures complement each other well, each increasing the impact of the other.
The vegetative response due to the exclusion of cattle was tremendously successful. In only one full growing season, the response was significant enough to withstand a sudden, heavy water flow in the spring of 2005. Previously, this flow would have caused erosion. This time it actually improved the site by increasing a mat of dense vegetation. In particular, the sedges captured and held large amounts of sediment that help stabilize the area.
The Fence-Out project and the log structures complement each other well, each increasing the impact of the other.