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The Muleshoe
Cooperative Management Area
Grant Drennen1 and Ed Brunson 2
BACKGROUND
The Muleshoe Cooperative Management Area (CMA) is located in the Galiuro Mountains in southeastern
Arizona within northern Cochise County and southern Graham County. The CMA is jointly managed by the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Forest SeNice (FS), and The Nature ConseNancy (TNC). The 57,500
acres comprise major portions of the Redfield, Hot Springs, and Cherry Springs watersheds. Included within
the CMA are the Redfield Canyon Wilderness and Hot Springs Watershed Area of Critical Environmental
Concern (ACEC), administered by the BLM, and a portion of the Galiuro Wilderness, administered by the FS.
In 1982, TNC purchased the Muleshoe Ranch and its grazing leases to protect and manage its riparian
areas and associated aquatic, plant, and animal communities. A land exchange in 1986 allowed the BLM to
acquire the state lands of the Muleshoe. The Muleshoe CMA was established through the signing of a
Cooperative Management Agreement by the BLM, FS and TNC in 1988. The FS Galiuro Wilderness was
originally designated by Congress in 1964 and was enlarged in 1984. The Redfield Canyon Wilderness was
designated by Congress in November 1990. The Hot Springs Watershed ACEC was designated through the
Safford Resource Management Plan in 1994 in order to provide special management for the significant
riparian resources in the Hot Springs watershed.
Historically, the ecological sites on the Muleshoe were producing near their natural potential. The aspect
of the rangeland was an open grassland dominated by perennial grasses such as plains lovegrass, cane
beardgrass, black grama, slender grama, sprucetop grama, bush muhly, curly mesquite, vine mesquite and
several threeawn species intermixed with leaf succulents including beargrass and amole (NRCS range site
guides). However, partial or extensive invasion of mesquite, juniper, whitethorn, Mormon tea, mimosa,
snakeweed, and burroweed has occurred over much of the area. Intense grazing pressure and wildfire
suppression over the past century have resulted in the transition of much of the area from grassland to a
desert shrub vegetative state. Continuous yearlong livestock grazing prior to The Nature ConseNancy's
acquisition of the ranch resulted in a reduction of some of the desirable perennial grasses (such as plains
lovegrass and cane beardgrass) and an increase of invasive shrubs (such as mesquite and whitethorn) and
succulents such as amole.
ECOSYSTEM PLANNING
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) brought together an interdisciplinary team of resources
specialists from the BLM, Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), FS, TNC, Soza Mesa Ranch, SaguaroJuniper Association, and Bayless and Bucketed Company to prepare a plan for the Muleshoe Ecosystem. The
team members owned or managed land or resources within or adjacent to the Muleshoe Ecosystem and
shared the common goal of restoring and enhancing the resources and ecological processes of the
Muleshoe Ecosystem through cooperative effort. A draft plan was released in October 1996.
1
2
Bureau of Land Management, Tucson Reid Office, Tucson AZ.
Aravaipa/Muleshoe Preserves, The Nature Conservancy, Arizona Chapter, Aravaipa AZ.
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The planning process included scoping for issues; analyzing resource information to develop specific,
measurable objectives; pre~cribing management actions to meet objectives and solve issues; designing
monitoring to measure success in achieving objectives; and evaluations which provide for the plan to be
updated and improved on as new data or issues are brought up.
The major goal of the Muleshoe Ecosystem Management Plan is to restore natural processes. There are
six primary objectives for upland vegetation, riparian vegetation, fish and wildlife, cultural resources,
wilderness management, and social environment. Prescribed fire and rest from grazing are the primary
actions to restore grasslands and riparian areas; Restoration of grasslands will benefit watershed condition
and function which will in turn benefit riparian condition and function and the fish and wildlife species that
live in these habitats.
PRESCRIBED FIRE PROGRAM
Inventories conducted by TNC and BLM showed that fire suppression and over-grazing had left the land
with undesirable vegetation conditions. The vegetation communities, including riparian, shrubland and
grassland were all below potential. Since 1990, TNC has conducted one or more prescribed burns each
year with the exception of 1994 and has been monitoring their effects; these burns ranged from 20 to 300
acres in size. Monitoring results indicate that fire has been effective in reducing shrubs and in promoting
new growth of grasses. In 1995, the first large scale burn was conducted on the Muleshoe in the watershed
for Wildcat Canyon. The 2300 acre burn was a cooperative effort with TNC and BLM. The Muleshoe
Ecosystem Management Plan proposes an expanded prescribed fire program. The plan designates 15 fire
units which would each be burned on a 5-10 year cycle until the desired ecological state is reached. Three
to six units on average would be burned annually. For the first five years, no more than 20% of the total
acreage within all burn blocks will be treated with prescribed fire. After desired ecological states are
achieved, the plan proposes to have less-frequent burns, preferably through prescribed natural fire, to
maintain the desired states. The ultimate goal of the prescribed fire program is to restore fire as a natural
process within the ecosystem.
CONCLUSION
A major purpose of acquisition and management of the Muleshoe is the protection and restoration of
native grasslands and riparian systems. The key to successes so far has been the help of dedicated people
who want to protect and restore the area. Focusing on commqn ground has helped to reduce conflicts and
keep plans and projects going. The Muleshoe Ecosystem Plan is a product of such a partnership approach.
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