Projected Completion Date: Ongoing

Projected funding: None of the societies money has been spent on the Nimitz Ranch RME’s but some is available for people in the society that would like to establish their own.

A keystone to achieving and maintaining ecological balance on our ranch is the identification and establishment of Ranch Maxi- ecosites (RMEs). While these RMEs have been with us for a long time; it was only in 2005 - 06 when we were working on our Environmental Farm Plan that we decided to attach an official name to them; and, at the same time concentrate more on managing them individually.

Currently we have over 30 of these RME sites and are encouraging others in the society to establish some on their own properties with guidance and some funding from us.

The RME terminology was chosen because it identifies an area that requires maximum management be applied to it. Usually these are small in size. A majority of our RMEs have to do with offsite water supply for domestic livestock and are fenced with high tensile electric fence. Many are asymmetrically fenced thus adding a little more surface land area for wildlife habitat. Small mammals, amphibians, song birds as well as water fowl and the occasional large mammal, appreciate these natural, relatively undisturbed areas adjacent to our domestic livestock water source. Usually these are fenced with electric polytwine initially and then converted to high tensile electric in a few years.

In the past years the RME idea has helped us a great deal with our riparian management in the river valley and we expect this trend to continue into the future.

Before Proper Protection	After 1 Year of Protection
After 3 Years of Proper Protection	After 5+ Years of Protection
Natural Spring after 1 Year of Protection	After 3 Years of Proper Protection