Abstract
The Cecil D. Andrus Wildlife Management Area (AWMA) is managed by Idaho Department of Fish and Game (Department). This approximately 24,000-acre area is managed to provide secure, high-quality habitat for wildlife, while also providing opportunities for constituents. Management also provides grazing opportunity for livestock as intended by the Department’s Commission, while maintaining compatibility with AWMA wildlife management goals. Previously, there had been no empirical estimate of grazing capacity or grazing guidelines for the Department to manage domestic livestock use when considering wildlife habitat goals on the AWMA. Here, a concerted effort is made to estimate forage production and forage available to cattle. Using remotely sensed forage (annual and perennial herbaceous biomass) production data averaged across 2004-2023, an estimate of total forage production per year was made. Coupling this estimate with visual estimation methods to determine cattle use patterns of slope and distance to water, total forage available to cattle was estimated. These results suggest 3,449 AUMs are available across the 22 AWMA pastures. Setting allowable use to a 35% harvest coefficient, the recommended initial stocking rate is 6.84 ac/AUM. This initial stocking rate coupled with a comprehensive, science-based grazing management plan can be implemented while maintaining wildlife habitat management objectives.