The Carrizo Plain is one of the largest relatively intact portions of the San Joaquin Desert, and hosts high levels of endemic species threatened by habitat loss and other anthropogenic impacts. The giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens) is at the center of this ecosystem, but management for this and other endangered species is complicated by multiple use mandates. Previous research has presented sometimes conflicting results on the interactions between domestic cattle and giant kangaroo rats, so in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the Bureau of Land Management, the Carrizo Plain Ecosystem Project (CPEP) was established to better understand these interactions. Here we will present our findings after monitoring kangaroo rat populations on the Carrizo Plain for 18 years at 30 replicated study plots with or without grazing exclosures, with an emphasis on elucidating the long-term relationship between cattle grazing and giant kangaroo rat populations. Though the impacts of low-intensity grazing on Giant Kangaroo Rats may be small in magnitude, they are important to understand in the face of challenges such as limited habitat and increased climactic variation to inform future land management decisions.