Army Corps wants cattle off its land

Washington ranchers hope to continue using federal lands along the Snake River, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is cracking down on cattle encroachments. Ranchers along the river say that for 40 years they've been allowed to graze and feed cattle on a narrow strip of land along much of the 60-mile strip of Whitman County with a handshake agreement. But now they say they've been ordered to get their cattle and livestock equipment off the land and have been told they cannot use their adjacent range unless they construct a fence at their cost to keep their livestock off land managed by the Corps. Cattle feeding operations are inconsistent with the Corps' wildlife management mission, said Joe Saxon, a Corps spokesman. The Corps hopes to resolve the issue without impacting anyone's ability to make a living, he added...more