Managed Cattle Grazing in N. California Helps Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard

Invasive grasses have wreaked havoc on the natural habitat of the blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila) in Northern California. The federally endangered lizard gets caught up in the tall grasses and become extremely vulnerable to predators. The solution? Federal officials have issued cattle grazing permits to ranchers in Tulare County's Pixley National Wildlife Refuge. The cows eat the invasive grasses and the lizard can again move about more swiftly. It is a relationship that seems to benefit both reptile and mammal. This managed grazing, whereby the cows are given access to specific areas to graze, is being used throughout the valley in an effort to help endangered animals such as the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, the Tipton kangaroo rat and the San Joaquin kit fox, as well as certain plants that have been choked off by the grasses. Bryan Cypher, a Bakersfield-based ecologist who works for the Endangered Species Recovery Program at California State University, Stanislaus said in an article that appeared in the Fresno Bee that certain plants and animals may still be around due to cattle grazing. He said that grazing is the best option when dealing with non-native grasses...more