H. Destabilization of Fire Regimes
In much of the West, fire was the major recycling agent and an important
factor in structuring ecological communities.  By repeatedly removing
the fine litter on grasslands and in forested communities, livestock
have substantially changed the role of fire in many ecosystems with
disastrous consequences for natural communities.  Examples:

1. Permanent invasion of North American grasslands by woody plants:
"Field observations and experiments indicate that mesquite trees
initiate these invasions, as individual trees appear in the grassland
and become foci for clusters of other shrubs that develop in their
vicinity.  Livestock apparently play a dual role in mesquite invasion.
First, they eat mesquite beans and disperse the seeds in their dung.
Second, they graze away grass cover that otherwise can (1) outcompete
mesquite seedlings and (2) carry fires that kill the young woody
plants."  (Bock & Bock 1995:200)

2. Alteration of dynamics of upland forests of the interior West: By
reducing the abundance of fine fuels which formerly carried frequent,
low-intensity fires through forests, livestock contribute to the
formation of shade-tolerant, but fire-sensitive dense stands highly
susceptible to damage by insects and pathogens.  This further
contributes to the likelihood of stand-replacing fires.  An example of
the difference in forest density that can result from livestock grazing
was provided Rummell (1951).  Two areas, distinguished only by the
grazing of livestock, differed markedly in the density of small-diameter
trees: 85 per acre in the ungrazed region compared to 3,291 per acre in
the grazed.  (Belsky & Blumenthal 1997)

I. Disease Transmission
Many native wildlife species are vulnerable to diseases transferred to
them from domestic livestock.  Whether that is bighorn sheep which
suffer from diseases they contract from domestic sheep or a disease like
brucellosis that is causing bison to be shot in Yellowstone to please
the livestock industry, the presence of domestic livestock often poses a
real threat to native wildlife populations.  Examples:

1. "Blue tongue is probably the most serious disease of pronghorn, and
cattle are a primary reservoir for this disease.  Cattle do not develop
clinical or acute symptoms, but are chronic carriers (Thorne et al.
1983)."  (Yoakum et al. 1996:219)

2. "Bever (1957) reported 30-40% losses of pronghorn fawn crops on
rangelands heavily grazed by domestic sheep in South Dakota.  Bever
(1957) also reported that pronghorn had higher parasite loads on
rangelands grazed by domestic sheep than rangelands grazed by cattle.
In Wyoming, illness and deaths of pronghorn fawns have been attributed
to parasitic infections that were prevalent on rangelands grazed heavily
by sheep."  (Yoakum et al. 1996:221)

3. "Co-use of ranges by domestic and bighorn sheep has been consistently
linked with declines, die offs, and extinctions of bighorn populations
from historical to recent times."  (Goodson 1982)

J. Forage, Water and Space Competition
If we are devoting the majority or even a significant minority of our
public lands forage, water, and space to privately owned livestock this
only comes at the expense of native species.  There is only so much
forage.  A blade of grass going into a cow is that much less grass for
grasshoppers or voles to eat.  Fewer grasshoppers or voles means less
food for foxes, hawks and trout.  Water developments for livestock often
results in less water for streams and springs--and less water for native
species from trout to otter.  Even the mere presence of cows can
effectively displace native species.  While wolves and grizzlies may not
avoid cattle, landscape dominated by cattle are effectively off-limits
to these predators.  And the reason bison haven't been restored to much
of the public lands that are suitable for them is the political
opposition from ranchers and use of public lands by their domestic
livestock.


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