Response of Small Mammals to Livestock Grazing in Southcentral Idaho

Abstract

The effects of livestock grazing on populations of wildlife have been addressed in two recent studies on the INEL Site. However, studies were performed by measuring indices of abundance among areas where different practices had occurred prior to initiation of study. There is no proof that differences detected among the areas actually resulted from the land use practices. Studies should be conducted with replication and strict controls before correlated data can be accepted as indicators of cause and effect relationships. The large variation in the occurrence and densities of small mammals among areas with the same or similar uses suggests the need for further studies to resolve conflicting conclusions.