5. Chalk Spring
Land Manager: Sawtooth National Forest
Legal Location: T 15S R 20E Section 24 Cassia County
Forest Division: Cassia
Dominant Plant Community Type: Shrub-Grass/Juniper
Impacts: Cumulative impacts from livestock utilization have severely altered the habitat at this location. Utilization has completely removed the riparian structure from this spring site and heavily impacted the riparian structure in the small drainage to the west. Utilization has been to the point of ground cover removal, loss of cryptogamic soil crusts, and exposure of bare mineral soils. The original spring site has been dewatered and used to fill nearby troughs. Wildlife values of this spring and adjacent uplands have been severely impacted.
Recommendations: Livestock should be permanently removed from this location. Substantial riparian recovery of this spring site will require more than the minimum of 3-6 years. Regenerative capabilities are severely limited and would benefit from mitigation efforts such as restoring the spring flow to the site and planting appropriate riparian species.
List of Figures:
1. Spring site; loss of channel and flow, severe impacts to adjacent habitat
2. Severe vegetation removal, loss of cryptogamic soil crusts, loss of water flow.
