Delayed Forest Service biological assessments are preventing some Grant County ranchers from turning out their cattle on public lands.
Grant County Commissioner Boyd Britton expressed frustration and dismay at the issue and said local grazing permit holders were seriously affected. Britton said turnout dates are typically May 15, June 1 and June 15. The biological assessments are consultations with the National Marine Fisheries for steelhead and United States Fish and Wildlife Service for bull trout.
Grant County Stock Growers Association President Alec Oliver estimated some ranchers missed out on roughly 20-30 percent of summer grazing on their alloted land. He said they had compensated by turning out onto fall pastures and feeding cattle hay typically used later in the season...
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This is in the Malheur National Forest...that kind of rings a bell...oh yeah, that's where up to 30,000 members of the Rainbow Family will be cavorting on July 4th...without a permit.
6 comments:
Sounds familiar to me too as the standard USFS protocol to limit grazing in the name of the ESA.
Near Bridgeport California the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and USFWS have declared that a single hoof print from a domestic sheep will jeopardize the continued existence of the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, Sierra Nevada Yellow Legged Frog, and Yosemite Toad or at least cause them so much anxiety they will need therapy. So livestock grazing is severely regulated by USFS in obedience to their bosses at the USFWS.
However, the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center is in the same area and all the marines who are there can march right up the same creeks and there has been no measurable effects on those supposedly sensitive and fragile species.
The federal officials select livestock producers to receive the brunt of their regulation here just like the article from Oregon describes. At best we can say that Forest Service officials are consistent from state to state.
Bring their cows to my ranch, which has a 30ft rock that looks like a middle finger, and it's pointed at BLM land across the road.
'fish and frogs will need therapy' - I doubt you were exaggerating there- it's like EPA's 'mini mountains', or PETA's 'ranchers cursing at sheep'.
They don't want the cattle to get all that grass grazed down before all the potheads come there and light up their left-handed cig's?
I've said this over and over - ungrazed public land combined with hikers is a catastrophic fire waiting to happen - especially in states where marijuana is legalized.
Livestock owners who possess grazing allotments are handed unnecessary delays but Hippies who possess nothing are welcomed!! Our Nation is in serious decay.
Hmm, In our society Hippies and Counter Culture folks don't need permits. Remember the Wall Street Occupiers and the Keystone Pipeline protestors. There is a double standard that is against people with grazing allotments.
There is a double standard against farmers and ranchers.
And the Malheur Forset FB page warns about using fireworks in the forest - but what about the other fire hazard of people all drunk and stoned and lighting up their joints?
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