2. Buckhorn Canyon, Unnamed Spring
Land Manager: BLM, Burley Field Office
Legal Location: T 12S R 20E Section 34 Cassia County
Allotment: #4067 Buckhorn-Churchill
Dominant Plant Community Type: Shrub-Grass
Impacts: This spring has been altered through development; the original spring site has been dewatered and the flow now emerges from a pipe. A small exclosure protects some of the willows near this location, but a majority of the water resources are unprotected. Utilization impacts near the pipe outlet have altered the spring flow and disturbed the saturated soils.
Recommendations: It is recommended that livestock be withdrawn from the lower portion of this drainage until substantial riparian regeneration has occurred within impacted areas. Riparian shrubs and saplings need to achieve a height of 6 feet or more in order to withstand short duration grazing. Another option would be to expand the exclosure to include the spring site and majority of the water resources in the lower canyon, including a substantial amount of the adjacent upland habitat.
List of Figures:
1. Original spring site has been dewatered by development.
2. Spring flow from pipe; utilization impacts to
saturated soil and vegetation.
(Willows in background are protected by an exclosure
facility.)
