Ranchers appeal grazing ban, invite judge to tour grass

Lander County ranchers filed an appeal Monday regarding grazing closures on nine of 20 areas on the Argenta Allotment. In a review done by the Department of the Interior’s Office of Hearings and Appeals, Administrative Law Judge James Heffernan ruled Aug. 18 that the Bureau of Land Management had the authority to issue closures due to drought. Representing affected ranching families, attorney Alan Schroeder filed an appeal, which included a petition for stay on the ruling and a motion inviting the judge to visit the allotment. Due to severe drought, the Bureau of Land Management told permittees that if triggers in specific monitoring spots were met, livestock had to be removed. In late July, the BLM informed permittees closures were necessary in nine areas. Drought triggers, Schroeder argued, were never included as terms of the grazing permits, and monitored locations were too small in size to be representative of the whole. “BLM’s claims are driven by utilization ‘triggers’ in certain, small, riparian zones within some of the nine Use Areas, making up less than 6-acres of the approximate 92,000 acres at issue within the nine Use Areas,” the appeal states...more