What are the benefits of a riparian area?
Riparian areas help reduce floods, stabilize streambanks, control and reduce the effects of nonpoint-source pollution, and provide food and shelter for wildlife. Nonpoint-source pollution can include pesticides, fertilizers, and sediment from the surrounding watershed. Fencing Riparian Areas The Kerr Center is developing several riparian area demonstrations on its Stewardship Ranch. Cattle have been fenced out of some riparian areas for eight years and others for one to three years. Several riparian areas will not be fenced. One controversy surrounding riparian area management is whether or not to exclude livestock. The Kerr Center Ranch practices rotational grazing as opposed to continuous grazing. By allowing access to some riparian areas and excluding livestock from others, visitors will have a chance to judge for themselves how fencing livestock out of the riparian area compares to riparian areas located in rotationally grazed pastures. Trees are being planted in fenced areas to en
