Ranchers go online

Photo: Contributed

Researchers from Urban Systems and Thompson Rivers University (TRU) are developing an online tool to help ranchers predict the risk of decline to ponds on their rangelands.

A previous study, funded by the Ranching Task Force of B.C., supports what B.C.’s ranchers have known for years – that B.C.’s grasslands closed-basin ponds are drying up due to changes in climate. That’s particularly bad news for local ranchers who graze livestock on grasslands, and rely on ponds to provide a much-needed sustainable water source for their animals.

The Climate Change Impact Risk Assessment Tool will be accessed through the internet and will be preloaded with a B.C. rangeland Global Information System (GIS) climate model.

Ranchers will provide the other information needed to assess individual ponds, such as the pond location, depth, seasonal fluctuations, surface runoff and surrounding vegetation.

The tool will then combine the GIS information with the rancher’s answers to several questions and provide an assessment of either high risk, moderate risk or low risk of decline for the individual pond.

“Once finalized, the tool will help ranchers anticipate how their ponds may react to projected changes in climate,” said Tom Pypker, assistant professor at TRU. “Our main goal in providing this information is to help equip ranchers to proactively plan for how to deal with future water shortages on their rangelands.”

To help refine the tool and make sure it is easy for ranchers to use, the research team is asking ranchers to test a prototype and get involved in focus groups.

The team will be seeking alternate funding in 2017 to bring the tool to general use and make it accessible to all B.C. ranchers.