A49-97. Photo station 304 looking southeast. Agl, Tca, Adi, Hca, Afr, Bwr, Pve, cacti. Grasses in fair condition, though good many dead clumps.
PS 304. Azimuth 168. Jan. 8, 1988. RFB. Canon AE-1 35mm camera. 35mm WA lens. Robert F. Buttery.
PS 304. April 24, 2000, 2:15 p.m. Facing south. Azimuth 168. Pasture 21. ASA 135, Plus X film. 35mm lens focal length. Fencepost marked with 304; south side of road about 40'; near road to weather station. All mesquite alive. Eragrostis lehmanniana dominant. Muhlenbergia porteri under small mesquite in foreground. Scattered Haplopappus tenuisectus. Setaria macrostachya, Digitaria californica, Sporobolus, Muhlenbergia porteri under large mesquite. M. McClaran.
PS. 304. 28 March 2007. Facing south, Azimuth 168. Pasture 21. Elevation 1245 m. ISO 100, 35mm focal length, Canon 5D Digital Camera. Witness present, camera above. Mesquite alive, about 50% of burroweed dead. Prickly pear and barrel cacti present. Small Lehmann lovegrass dominant with cottontop, under mesquite find cottontop, Setaria, Sporobolus cryptandrus and bush muhly. Compared to 2000, less grass and burroweed, but more prickly pear now. M. McClaran photographer, A. Nafus assistant.
PS. 304. 12 March 2012, 2:05 PM. Facing south, Azimuth 168. Pasture 21. Elevation 1240 m. ISO 100, 35mm focal length, Canon 5D Mark II Digital Camera. Witness present, camera above. Mesquite alive, and some 2011 leaves still present. Many burroweed skeletons. Prickly pear and barrel cacti present. Lehmann lovegrass dominant with cottontop, under mesquite find cottontop, plains bristlegrass, sand dropseed, black grama, and bush muhly. Compared to 2007, more grass, more small mesquite, and more prickly pear now; but continued decline of burroweed; and erosion channel in left foregrounds has filled. M. McClaran photographer, A. Dalke and K. Hawkes assistants.
PS. 304. 05 March 2012, 1:10 PM. Facing south, Azimuth 168. Pasture 21. Elevation 1240 m. ISO 125, 35mm focal length, Canon 5D Mark II Digital Camera. Witness present, camera above. This area burned in April 2017 Sawmill fire (arson). Mesquite alive, and some 2017 leaves still present. Many burroweed skeletons. Prickly pear, cholla and barrel cacti present. Lehmann lovegrass dominant with threeawn and tanglehead, under mesquite find cottontop, plains bristlegrass, Boers lovegrass, and bush muhly. Compared to 2012, less grass cover following 2017 fire (note many dead plants with dark, burned base), but many new plants of Lehmann lovegrass; sand dropseed and black grama no longer present. M. McClaran photographer, K. Landreville assistant.
PS. 304. 07 March 2024, 1:40 PM. Facing south, Azimuth 168. Pasture 21. Elevation 1240 m. ISO 200, 35mm focal length, Canon 5D Mark II Digital Camera. Witness present, camera above. This area burned in April 2017 Sawmill fire (arson). Mesquite alive, but no 2023 leaves still present. Large mesquites present in the background in 1949 are still present, but there is no sign of the foreground mesquite in 1949. Prickly pear and cholla cacti present. One large burroweed plant in the distance. Lehmann lovegrass is dominant with threeawn and, under mesquite find cottontop, dropseed, plains bristlegrass, Boer’s lovegrass, and bush muhly. Compared to 2018, more grass cover and mass, a recovery after the 2017 fire and the extremely dry 2020-2021, Lehmann lovegrass continues as dominant grass; dropseed returned after absence in 2018 but black grama remains missing; barrel cactus no longer present; large patch of tanglehead present in right midground in 2018 is missing, but a new plant is present in the foreground left of the center mesquite; and one new prickly pear to the left behind the center mesquite. M. McClaran photographer, A. Gorlier assistant.
PS 304. April 24, 2000, 2:15 p.m. Facing southwest. Azimuth 210. Pasture 21. ASA 135, Plus X film. 35mm lens focal length. Fencepost marked with 304; south side of road about 40'; near road to weather station. Large trees in 1948 cut down, stumps present. IBP rain gauge present. All Eragrostis lehmanniana; few Haplopappus tenuisectus. All mesquite alive, beginning to leaf out. M. McClaran.
PS. 304. 28 March 2007. Facing southwest, Azimuth 210. Pasture 21. Elevation 1245 m. ISO 100, 35mm focal length, Canon 5D Digital Camera. Witness present, camera above. Mesquite alive, about 50% of burroweed dead. Prickly pear and barrel cacti present. Small Lehmann lovegrass dominant with cottontop and tanglehead, under mesquite find cottontop, Setaria and Sporobolus cryptandrus. At center midground there are stumps of 2 large mesquite that were present at top center of 1949 photo were probably cut in 1960s for D. Cable’s soil moisture study, and adjacent to those stumps find soil access tubes and increasing distance from stump. Compared to 2000, less grass and burroweed, but more small mesquite and prickly pear now. M. McClaran photographer, A. Nafus assistant.
PS. 304. 12 March 2012, 2:00 PM. Facing south, Azimuth 210. Pasture 21. Elevation 1240 m. ISO 100, 35mm focal length, Canon 5D Mark II Digital Camera. Witness present, camera above. Mesquite alive, and some 2011 leaves still present. Many burroweed skeletons. Prickly pear, cholla and barrel cacti present. Lehmann lovegrass dominant, with cottontop, black grama and tanglehead in open, and under mesquite find cottontop, plains bristlegrass and sand dropseed. At center midground there are stumps of 2 large mesquite that were present at top center of 1949 photo were probably cut in 1960s for D. Cable’s soil moisture study, and adjacent to those stumps find soil access tubes at increasing distance from stump. Compared to 2007, more grass and prickly pears, and increase in size of small mesquite; and continued decline of burroweed. M. McClaran photographer, A. Dalke and K. Hawkes assistants.
PS. 304. 05 March 2018, 1:10 PM. Facing south, Azimuth 210. Pasture 21. Elevation 1240 m. ISO 125, 35mm focal length, Canon 5D Mark II Digital Camera. Witness present, camera above. This area burned in April 2017 Sawmill fire (arson). Mesquite alive, and some 2017 leaves still present. Prickly pear and cholla present. Lehmann lovegrass dominant, with cottontop, black grama, threeawn and tanglehead in open, and under mesquite find cottontop, plains bristlegrass and sand dropseed. At center midground there are stumps of 2 large mesquite that were present at top center of 1949 photo were probably cut in 1960s for D. Cable’s soil moisture study, and adjacent to those stumps find soil access tubes at increasing distance from stump. Compared to 2012, less grass cover following 2017 fire (note many dead plants with dark, burned base), but many new plants of Lehmann lovegrass; prickly pear plants are larger. M. McClaran photographer, K. Landreville assistant.
PS. 304. 07 March 2024, 1:45 PM. Facing south, Azimuth 210. Pasture 21. Elevation 1240 m. ISO 200, 35mm focal length, Canon 5D Mark II Digital Camera. Witness present, camera above. This area burned in April 2017 Sawmill fire (arson). Mesquite alive, but no 2023 leaves still present. Prickly pear present. Lehmann lovegrass dominant, with cottontop, black grama, and tanglehead in open, and under mesquite find cottontop, bush muhly, and plains bristlegrass. At center midground there were stumps of 2 large mesquite that were present at top center of 1949 photo were probably cut in 1960s for D. Cable’s soil moisture study, and adjacent to those stumps find soil access tubes at increasing distance from stump. These stumps were present in 2000, but visible since. Compared to 2018, more grass cover and mass, a recovery after the 2017 fire and the extremely dry 2020-2021, mainly Lehmann lovegrass increase; tanglehead appeared but dropseed and threeawn disappeared; burroweed plants appeared; prickly pear plants have declined in size; and there has been a steady increase in the size of the small mesquites present since 2000 in spite of the 1994 and 2017 fires, and the recent dry and hot years. M. McClaran photographer, A. Gorlier assistant.
