Natural Resource Education

Natural Resource Extension Agent: Fara Currim

Contemporary natural resource "management" applies science to assist in improving the world in which we live and work. Here at Warm Springs, the study and application of natural resources information includes such subjects as environmental science, genetic engineering, dietetics, nutrition, food science, and landscape architecture--as well as more traditional disciplines of the agricultural sciences.

The Warm Springs office is committed to helping shape the future of our community by building human capital through research, outreach and instruction to meet student and citizen needs. Warm Springs aspires to meet these issues and concerns through undergraduate and graduate education, research, cooperative extension, distance learning and community service in the areas of landscape uses of plants, environmental quality and protection, soils as natural resources, watershed ecology, landscape architecture and land use/land management.

Tribal Integrated Resource Management

With the passage of Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Resolution 9723, the Warm Springs Integrated Resource Management Plan for the rural areas of the reservation was approved by Tribal Council on June 15, 1999. This is a comprehensive plan that addresses interrelationships between specific natural resources and provides direction for their management and sustainability.

IRMP II "charts a course toward the harmonious co-existence of a healthy environment and a prosperous society. A growing population and increasing demands on natural resources require a farsighted and comprehensive approach to decision-making. Today's actions will inevitably alter the range of tomorrow's options. By promoting long-term health and productivity for an ecologically diverse environment, decision makers can create an atmosphere of lasting security that extends well into the foreseeable future."

Contemporary natural resource "management" applies science to assist in improving the world in which we live and work. At Warm Springs, the study and application of agriculture and natural resources information includes such existing subjects as environmental science, genetic engineering, dietetics, nutrition, and food science, as well as more traditional disciplines of the agricultural sciences.

Riparian Zones and Livestock

Riparian areas are the “green zones” which lie betweenchannels of flowing water and the uplands. Keeping the riparian zone healthy is important not only for fish,but for the ability of adjacent lands to sustain livestock and wildlife numbers.

Many riparian zones have a mixture of herbaceous (grassy) and deciduous (woody) vegetation. The herbaceous component - grasses, sedges and rushes - is important for trapping sediments, and for holding the soil together with their extensive fibrous root systems during flood events. Grazing management should promote herbaceous plant vigor. It must allow for sufficient above-ground plant growth and cover to trap sediments and protect the soil surface during peak flows.

Maintaining or improving the woody vegetation - alder, willow, and hawthorn - is appropriate to the site. Cows must not overrun the area, or harm will be done to these species. Cattle prefer green herbaceous vegetation to woody browse, but will turn to shrubs when grasses have diminished. It is therefore in your best interest to use riparian zones sparingly. In an effort to preserve riparian zones, most cattlemen at Warm Springs take advantage of tribally developed water systems to deliver livestock water into upper reaches of about 10 separate watersheds. The tribe also furnishes calf hood vaccines made available through a fifty-cent per head brand inspection fee. At present, there is no grazing fee on tribal lands.

However, as funding everywhere becomes tighter, it may become an option to examine in the future. Meanwhile, the tribal Range & Ag department does its best to see that fences are maintained, summer water troughs are filled, and that riparian zones are properly functioning.

Current Natural Resource Projects

• Huckleberry Education Project
  
• A Snapshot of Salmon in Oregon
  
• Juniper Encroachment
  
• Grazing Cultural Plants
  
• Grazing in Riparian Zones

Natural Resources Links:

• OSU Dept. of Rangeland Resources
  
• OSU Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
  
• OSU Central Oregon Ag Research Center, Madras
  
• OSU Eastern Oregon Ag Research Center, Burns
  
• US Natural Resource Conservation Service
  
• US Bureau of Land Management
  
• Society for Range Management
  
• Oregon Climate Service