Dirt Rich Episode 48: Grazing Cattle to Restore Oak Savanna
Using livestock to restore landscapes may seem like a contradiction, but oak savannas thrive with disturbance. Grazier Doug Voss and PhD candidate Austin Yantes are involved in a project at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, studying the results of carefully managed cattle grazing, tree thinning, and burning in striving to meet Sherburne’s ecological goals. The Sherburne…
Read MorePaddock Move at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
The Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge in Zimmerman, MN spans 30,700 acres on the Anoka Sandplain, and is largely oak savanna. The refuge is home to a wealth of wildlife diversity, including the sandhill crane, Blanding’s turtles, and wild turkeys. And, since 2013, sometimes cattle. For nearly three years, University of Minnesota researcher Austin Yantes, seasoned…
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