Deep Depression

Description

The Reference State is a dynamic state that encompasses the reference community, and the phases it may undergo in response to alterations in the environment.
It serves as the base state for the subsequent states depicted in the model.

In the absence of the historical primary intensive grazing bison and elk herds, and the disruption of the fire regime, land managers have intentionally engaged in practices to create and maintain a more disturbed phase within the reference state to achieve wildlife management goals.
The Reference State of the Deep Depression site harbors the Shallow Cattail Marsh Phase as the Reference Phase, the Degraded Phase, and the Managed Phase.

More severe disturbances, such as plowing, ditching or excavating can negatively impact the hydrological, soil and vegetative components of the system to the degree that they cross a threshold to a more degraded state.

Submodel

Description

This site has often been mechanically altered to either drain it to allow the land to be placed into production agriculture, or excavated to increase the water holding capacity of the basin as a re-use pit.
These actions disrupt the ecological balance of the site to a degree that forces the site across the state threshold to the mechanically altered state. The magnitude of disruption of the soil processes and the hydrological cycle make it unlikely that return to the reference state is possible.