Thursday, December 10, 2009

National Forest closes Horse Butte grazing

The Gallatin National Forest has shut down grazing on the Horse Butte Peninsula, saying the valuable habitat for grizzly bears, wolves and western toads would be hurt if cattle returned to the area. A U.S. Forest Service analysis of the area adjacent to Yellowstone National Park also gives a nod to bison that graze on Horse Butte during winter months, saying that closing the area to cattle would also eliminate potential conflicts between cattle and bison. Cows have not grazed the forest land for eight years, according to the Forest Service, but the allotment had been open for lease until mid-November. Mary Erickson, Gallatin supervisor, said in a Nov. 17 letter to colleagues that the allotment “is not viable given the inherently high wildlife values in this area” and leasing the land to cattle ranchers would require costly fences and water tanks to be built. Hebgen Lake District Ranger Lauren Turner found that Horse Butte is suitable habitat for at least five threatened, endangered and sensitive plants or animals: grizzly bears, gray wolves, bald eagles, western toads and purple monkey flowers...read more

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