by
The cowboy is a quintessential part of American heritage. Today, this
fixture of Western culture is under attack and, at the rate we’re
going, it won’t be long until he becomes just another chapter in history.
But
the disappearance of ranchers means much more than the loss of a
cultural icon. The erosion of grazing across the American West has a
profound and lasting impact on taxpayers, local economies, and perhaps
most importantly, the environment.
In a new study released by the
Coalition for Self-Government in the West, we found that from 1949 to
2014, the average number of grazing district Authorized Unit Months
(AUMs) — a measurement that takes into account both the number of
livestock and the amount of time they spend on public lands — approved
by the BLM in the 11 contiguous Western states plunged from 14,572,272
to 7,160,432.
Some states, such as Utah, have seen a drop-off of
more than 70 percent. During the same 65-year period, the number of
operators and permittees/leases allowed to graze plummeted from 21,081
to 10,187.
But what does this decline mean for the health and vitality of our
public lands? Like your lawn, which needs trimming and mowing,
rangelands need attention or they die. Harvesting the annually renewing
forage on our public lands maintains the health of these ecosystems by
reducing fuel loads that could otherwise lead to catastrophic wildfires.
Cattle, sheep and other grazing animals are constantly on the clock
helping prevent the devastating effects of out-of-control wildfires.
.
Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
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