Offroad Gate
Crossing into Gallinas Canyon,
Arrival at rustic gate
Fence line for cattle control.
The sign asks travellers, "Please! Close the Gate", because people seem to have issue leaving things the way they found them, even out here. The posts of juniper hardwood stand against time and weather, and while the fence decays, it still gets repaired.
Inherited grazing rights (historic land grants) still allow many cattle to graze in the Gila National Forest. These rights are hotly debated. Cattle easily overgraze the land, but in the Black Range low numbers and controls like this fence seem to help a lot. But the cattle do cause problems for the ecosystem balance, and this sometimes frustrates the Forest Service, because they cannot kill the animals or re-locate them for ownership rights (or afford the expense). So, the fences have to be maintained, yet they are an obstruction to the native species. As ranger Phil expressed in annoyance from his fire lookout assignment on nearby Hillsboro Peak, "Stupid cattle!"
Large parties of horse seem to have greater localized impact than the cattle. Six horses can really tear up a trail, and graze a meadow by their prodigious metabolisms, therefore fill it back up with large piles of fly bait.
Some of the cattle here are feral, so it is good to keep a look out for them as well as the other animals.
Black Range, New Mexico.
Offroad Gate
Crossing into Gallinas Canyon,
Arrival at rustic gate
Fence line for cattle control.
The sign asks travellers, "Please! Close the Gate", because people seem to have issue leaving things the way they found them, even out here. The posts of juniper hardwood stand against time and weather, and while the fence decays, it still gets repaired.
Inherited grazing rights (historic land grants) still allow many cattle to graze in the Gila National Forest. These rights are hotly debated. Cattle easily overgraze the land, but in the Black Range low numbers and controls like this fence seem to help a lot. But the cattle do cause problems for the ecosystem balance, and this sometimes frustrates the Forest Service, because they cannot kill the animals or re-locate them for ownership rights (or afford the expense). So, the fences have to be maintained, yet they are an obstruction to the native species. As ranger Phil expressed in annoyance from his fire lookout assignment on nearby Hillsboro Peak, "Stupid cattle!"
Large parties of horse seem to have greater localized impact than the cattle. Six horses can really tear up a trail, and graze a meadow by their prodigious metabolisms, therefore fill it back up with large piles of fly bait.
Some of the cattle here are feral, so it is good to keep a look out for them as well as the other animals.
Black Range, New Mexico.