Winslow Grassland projects
By Tice Supplee
I met Wade Zarlingo, the Landowner Relations Specialist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, in
Winslow, not far from that now famous statue “standing on the corner….” We drove north through the grasslands and were rewarded when we spotted a herd of pronghorn and two Ferruginous Hawks (I had
to mention the grassland birds!) The first stop was the Ohaco Ranch project that was jointly funded by Arizona Antelope Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Arizona Elk Society. I
hear concerns about Arizona Antelope Foundation partnering with projects that also benefit elk, so I was very curious to see what this project looked like.
 We were completely in luck, the machines were at
work! The contractor for this job had recently purchases a very large CAT with a shearing saw that really looked like it meant business. I joked that this
machine could be part of the plot in the next Tony Hillerman murder mystery; it really makes kindling of juniper trees in a big hurry! If you really want to get a
sense of the work it does, go to the Arizona Antelope Foundation web site and click on the movie clips. Within seconds this saw cut down and crushed a good sized juniper.
Once the junipers are crunched up a second machine
is used to pulverize the stump and the debris. When all is done there is no hulking carcass to obstruct the view
of pronghorn, yet the remains are there to catch and hold moisture and be shade and protection for new grass
and half-shrub seedlings to get a start. This ranch has invested in extensive water distribution systems and the
quality of the grasslands in this area was excellent. The purpose of building more waters was to distribute not
only the cattle but the elk, it seems to be working. Wildlife Manager Kenny Clay is doing a really good job of
managing the elk population with a good hunt management strategy, so elk numbers in the unit are reasonable.
Another concern I have heard about these projects is
that pinyon trees and older age junipers are removed, adversely impacting birds, bats and other wildlife species dependent on older trees and particularly
pinyon pine. What I observed about this treatment area was that there were very few to no pinyon pine trees. The site is historic grasslands and junipers are
the first to invade these sites. Also, the majority of the junipers were smaller diameter trees. Recognizing the value of larger trees for thermal cover and wildlife
habitat, the contractor has instructions to not exceed a certain diameter, so larger trees are being left. Also rocky sites and deep and narrow draws are not being
treated, creating a mosaic of habitat types across the larger landscape. Junipers are being selectively removed
from a few of the rocky sites that have browse species to “release” the browse, benefiting mule deer and other wildlife.
Our afternoon stop was a short trip north and west to look at the project area on Chevelon Butte Ranch, also
owned and managed by the Ohaco family. The project is being funded in part by the Arizona Elk Society,
and hopefully they will be successful in securing a Wildlife Conservation Fund national grant. I was very
pleased to see that the acres proposed for treatment were all grasslands with recent encroachment by juniper and Algerita, also called Barberry (Berberis spp). Jimmy Ohaco joined us for a while and gave a little history
about this site. His Dad had chained this country and seeded it with native grasses back in the 1960’s. Almost
all of the juniper trees are of small diameter, a reflection of the relatively young age of these plants. The ranch
plans to adopt a fire management plan after this treatment and use natural fire in the future to keep the
grasslands from once again becoming shrub and juniper invaded. The same contractor will be doing this
project, which will yield great benefits for pronghorn antelope, although being paid for with “elk” money.
We finished the day on top of Chevelon Butte, so we could get a good view of both projects. Wade has
established photo points from this vantage for long term monitoring of the projects. We noticed that many of the pinyon pine (Pinus edulis and Pinus Monophylla) that were at this higher elevation had died. It was
encouraging to see some young trees that looked healthy. We are right to be concerned about pinyon pines.
These diminutive pine trees have been hit hard by the drought and beetle kill. The “nuts’, apart from being
great in pesto sauce, are an important winter food for wildlife, including band tailed pigeons, turkeys, and pinyon jays.
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