It is even more sensitive to fences and roads. Many of these barriers, not just cows, need to be removed to save the pronghorn. No one knows how to restore rangelands after they become dominated by alien species. Recovery does not occur, at least on a human time scale, when highly degraded areas are simply left alone. We need experiments in ecological restoration.
Cheatgrass greens up early in the spring before the native grasses.
Some experiments suggest that intensive grazing by cattle during this period of vulnerability, followed by removal of the cattle before the native grasses become palatable, can help control cheatgrass. It is too early to say for certain what will work, but for a problem this severe, all options for restoration must be left open. Those of us who love the American West should do more than call for an end to subsidized livestock grazing. We should demand full ecological recovery of these marvelous ecosystems. 2000 Sierra Club.