Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings collection
Date of this Version
March 1967
Document Type
Article
Abstract
In recent years the Bureau of Land Management's range rehabilitation program in the high sagebrush areas of northeastern California has included control of sagebrush preceded by the seeding of drought resistant grasses such as crested wheatgrass. Jack rabbit browsing and uprooting of young seedling plants has in many instances severely retarded the establishment of these grasses. Because of this it has become apparent that rabbit reduction in many of these areas is essential if a grass stand is to become established. A comparison of Figures 6 and 7 illustrates the problems jack rabbits can cause to range rehabilitation projects where these animals become abundant. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the jack rabbit depredation problems experienced on the Bureau of Land Management's range rehabi1itation projects being conducted in the high sagebrush areas of Eastern California and along with this present the control techniques employed to reduce this depredation on one of these sites. The specific jack rabbit control program under discussion was conducted on the Boggs Crested Wheatgrass Seeding located fifteen miles north of Cedarville, California near the California-Nevada border. At this site a total of 6,000 acres were aerially treated with herbicide to eliminate the sagebrush. Preceding this approximately 1,000 acres of the total parcel was seeded to crested wheatgrass. The site is typical of the areas where range rehabilitation of this type will be conducted in the future; therefore, the jack rabbit control practices employed here should prove quite adaptive to similar sites.