Mountain Meadows of the Sierra Nevada: An integrated means of determining ecological condition in mountain meadows

Although Sierra mountain meadows are disproportionately valuable for habitat and ecological services, they have generally received less attention than wetlands at lower elevations. They have withstood a long history of degradation (change to a state that is less productive and supports fewer species and individuals of native animals and plants) from timber harvest, dams and diversions, mining, livestock grazing, and invasions of alien species (Ratliff 1985). In spite of their importance, there is surprisingly little comprehensive information available regarding their status or the status of the streams they contain on which to base planning, restoration, and conservation priorities. Despite considerable and widespread impacts from grazing and other activities, a fairly high proportion of Sierran meadows appear to have not crossed the threshold into irreversible, long‐term ecological impairment.  Meadows are comparatively resilient systems that can return to an apparent high state of ecological function once degrading influences, such as grazing or roads, are eliminated or reduced (Ratliff 1984, US Bureau of Land Management 1995). This resiliency is presumably the result of a combination of ample water, a large seedbank, and low gradients, but can be lost once a certain degradation threshold has been passed and the system cannot recover on its own.   The single biggest factor that reduces meadow resiliency and hence promotes degradation in the Sierra Nevada is grazing, particularly in the way it can change meadow hydrology.