Grazing Takes a Hit With Protection of Public Lands

Climate change. Severe wildfires. Invasive species. A booming human population. The Bureau of Land Management identifies these as four key threats to Western public lands. Stick conventional and renewable energy development, endangered species protection, and recreation in the mix, and there’s less room each year for a past widespread use of public lands: livestock grazing. Since passage of the 1934 Taylor Grazing Act, the number of livestock grazing public lands each year has dropped—the BLM issued permits for 22 million animal unit months in 1941, but that was down to 12.5 million in 2009 (only 8.6 million of which were actually used)—though it’s unclear how much of the decline is due to economic factors versus increased regulation and competition on public lands. Either way, twice this month federal courts stymied ranchers seeking regulatory leeway for grazing...more