Tag Archives: livestock grazing

Colorado: Hermosa Creek conservation bill gets a bipartisan introduction in Congress

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Summit County Voice 4/27/2013
Excerpt:     “FRISCO — Colorado lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are reaching across party lines to try and protect more than 100,000 acres of the Hermosa Creek watershed north of Durango.

U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Rep. Scott Tipton(R-CO) are introducing companion bills that would establish management for the Hermosa Creek Watershed based on recommendations from the Hermosa Creek River Protection Workgroup. The panel includes local water officials, conservationists, sportsmen, mountain bikers, off-road-vehicle users, outfitters, property owners, grazing permit holders and other interested citizens.  …”
Read entire article at http://summitcountyvoice.com/2013/04/27/colorado-hermosa-creek-conservation-bill-gets-a-bipartisan-introduction-in-congress/

Burden for Forest Service mistake falls on ranchers

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Bismarck Tribune Editorial 4/11/2013
Excerpt:     “A fire ripping across grasslands burns more than grass. It consumes hard work, expectations and dreams.

The Pautre Fire last week burned 14,000 acres of federal and private grasslands southwest of Lemmon, S.D. It burned pasture for spring calving, feed stocks and fences. It torched hopes for carrying cattle through the summer and, maybe, into the fall, for profit.   ….”
Read entire editorial at http://bismarcktribune.com/news/opinion/editorial/burden-for-forest-service-mistake-falls-on-ranchers/article_223eac5a-a1e0-11e2-a5fd-001a4bcf887a.html

Congressman Wants To ‘Streamline’ Projects

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Payson Roundup 4/2/2013
Excerpt:       “Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Prescott) has once again introduced a bill designed to “streamline” environmental and administrative reviews when it comes to reviewing grazing leases and thinning projects to reduce wildfire risk.

Gosar, who represents northern Gila County, said the bill would reduce administrative delays for grazing and thinning permits that would reduce fuel loads. An identical bill died last year, but this year he has enlisted as a co-sponsor newly re-elected Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Flagstaff), who represents southern Gila County.  …”
Read entire article at http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2013/apr/02/congressman-wants-streamline-projects/

Idaho House Panel Agrees to Study Federal Land Transfer

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Magic Valley Times News 3/20/2013
Excerpt:         “BOISE • State lawmakers officially began their efforts Tuesday to wrest control from the federal government millions of acres of public forest, backcountry and rangelands across the state.

The House State Affairs Committee voted along party lines in support of a resolution that demands the federal government transfer ownership of about 35 million acres now overseen by the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies.   ….”
Read entire article at http://magicvalley.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/idaho-house-panel-agrees-to-study-federal-land-transfer/article_2e7da01e-4977-5377-adc9-435a166788f4.html

Dust settles on legislative session but Utah land war continues

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Deseret news 3/17/2013
Excerpt:      “SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s conservative lawmakers this session continued to engineer their own version of a coup d’etat against the federal government over its land management policies, passing a flurry of resolutions and new laws that assert and reiterate dominion over the state’s destiny.

They urged the federal government to butt out of Utah prairie dog management in Iron County and leave it to the locals, and told them to drop San Juan County populations of the Gunnison sage grouse from consideration of being named to the Endangered Species list.  …”
Read entire article at http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865576052/Dust-settles-on-legislative-session-but-Utah-land-war-continues.html?pg=all

Thinning will save millions

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Arizona Daily Sun 3/1/2013
Excerpt:         “Massive forest restoration efforts expected to start this year on the Coconino and Kaibab national forests are projected to save $100 million in thinning costs plus at least $11.6 million annually in the long run.

The latter is how much the local Forest Service now spends fighting wildfires each year, on average.   In addition, the decade-long thinning project is expected to support 1,674 jobs and $77.6 million in labor-related income annually.     …..”
Read entire article at http://azdailysun.com/news/local/1da77afa-0220-5f9b-8519-0935e1e22c6a.html

Government denies claims concerning sage grouse

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Montana Standard 3/1/2013
Excerpt:      “Attorneys for the U.S. Forest Service and regional forester Supervisor Faye Krueger filed court papers in U.S. District Court in Missoula this week, denying the allegations of two local environmental groups.  The groups are suing the Forest Service and Krueger in an attempt to stop a 3,400-acre thinning project in the east Pioneer Mountains north of Dillon near Wise River.

The Alliance for the Wild Rockies and the Native Ecosystems Council contend that the Forest Service’s Trapper Creek Vegetation Management plan needlessly cuts conifers and burns sagebrush.   The groups contend the plan is illegal and shortsighted, especially, the groups say, since it harms the sage grouse, which is on target to be on the endangered species list in 2015.     …..”
Read entire article at http://mtstandard.com/news/state-and-regional/government-denies-claims-concerning-sage-grouse/article_443e4156-8225-11e2-b085-0019bb2963f4.html

Feds oppose environmental group’s request for $1.4 million in legal fees

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Capital Press 2/26/2013
Excerpt:      “The federal government is opposing an environmental group’s request for nearly $1.4 million in attorney fees stemming from a lawsuit over grazing in eastern Oregon.  The request is “prodigious” and “excessive” because the environmentalists have exaggerated their victories and inflated the amount of time they spent on the lawsuit, according to the government.

The Oregon Natural Desert Association challenged cattle grazing in the Malheur National Forest, claiming the practice was harming threatened steelhead.  …”
Read entire article at http://www.capitalpress.com/content/mp-grazing-attorney-fees-022613

Bill would move New Mexico’s federal lands into state custody

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El Paso Times 2/8/2013
Excerpt:      “Legislation that would move ownership and management of the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management lands in New Mexico has been sent to the House Agriculture and Water Resource Committee for study.

House Bill 292 – The New Mexico Transfer of Public Lands – was introduced by Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-Alamogordo, and Sen. Richard C. Martinez, D-Espanola, and calls on the U.S. government to extinguish title to public lands and transfers title to the state of New Mexico on or before Dec. 31, 2015. The legislation would exclude national parks and monuments, national historic parks, wilderness areas and tribal lands.  ……”

Read netire article at http://www.elpasotimes.com/newmexico/ci_22539422/bill-would-move-new-mexicos-federal-lands-into

Judge: Ranchers can pursue First Amendment case against Forest Service

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The New Mexican; 1/30/2013
Excerpt:       “A federal judge has ruled that a Forest Service district supervisor may have retaliated against a group of Northern New Mexico ranchers for speaking out against her, and the group can seek to overturn her decision to reduce their grazing permits.

More than a dozen ranchers from Rio Arriba County, two grazing associations and the County Commission filed a lawsuit last year against El Rito District Ranger Diana Trujillo, claiming she violated their First Amendment rights.   ….”

Read entire article at http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/013113ranchers#.UQpqXWfK_pc