Squaw Valley -

Due to the need of range improvements and stocking rate assessment, current and accurate vegetation maps were needed. As on the White Lakes allotment, ORC utilized Landsat TM/ETM imagery and ocular, ranch wide training sites to create a GIS vegetation layer. This vegetation layer was utilized, in combination with on the ground assessment by land mangers, to identify areas that required rest or other treatments to return them to their proper functioning condition. In addition, stocking rates and de-watering issues were addressed using geospatial data sets generated by ORC.

ORC also participated in the acquisition of high-resolution, low-level, aerial imagery to assess riparian areas and the effects of new management practices on those areas. Using new technology generated by the USDA-ARS out of Cheyenne, Wyoming, the imagery was acquired at low cost and could be assessed, using a custom program, to determine the effects of management changes on stream/riparian areas and habitat. This data has become useful in the promotion of the endangered Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (LCT) in surrounding streams. It is anticipated that stream width will decrease, depth will deepen, and overall greenness will increase about riparian areas with improved management techniques. ORC will continue to monitor this data, and aid the BLM and Trout Unlimited in returning these fisheries to their proper health.