New grazing agreements have been approved in Arizona and California, some of which will require ranchers to implement new infrastructure. Meanwhile, in Montana, a new lawsuit argues expanded cattle grazing will lead to more grizzly deaths.
A federal judge approved an agreement between conservationists and two federal agencies to monitor areas of cattle grazing in southeastern Arizona’s Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area. In California, the California Coastal Commission gave the go-ahead to regulate ranchers at the Point Reyes National Seashore.
The Arizona agreement in the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area is similar to others with the U.S. Forest Service in the Gila River and Verde River watersheds.
“Cattle grazing has devastated streamside habitats across the Southwest and pushed a lot of vulnerable plants and animals closer to extinction. This agreement will help give some of them a fighting chance,” claimed Chris Bugbee, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity.
The Aug. 11 agreement that was approved on Sept. 12 requires the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to monitor riparian areas, maintain and repair fencing, and remove trespassing cattle from the conservation area. The area covers six grazing allotments.
Members of the organization conducted “field surveys” along the streams that flow through the Gila Box and noted “widespread livestock damage,” including damaged designated critical habitat for yellow-billed cuckoos. The group alleges that 32 river miles were surveyed, and most of them had damage from cattle, which the group noted are not supposed to be in the area because of its federal protection.
For any branded livestock found in the excluded riparian area, BLM will contact the owner within two days and provide instructions for removal. If the owner cannot be identified, BLM will have to conduct their own efforts to remove the animals.
“In the desert Southwest, livestock grazing harms threatened and endangered wildlife and is the primary driver of riparian ecosystem degradation,” the Center for Biological Diversity said in a statement. “Removal of livestock from riparian areas is a critical component of adapting to climate change.”
California regulation
On Sept. 8, after hours of debate, the California Coastal Commission agreed to a strategy that regulates ranchers at the Point Reyes National Seashore in an attempt to reduce water pollution.
The seashore currently stocks 2,400 animal unit months (AUMs) of beef cattle and 2,425 AUMs of dairy cattle. The National Park Service (NPS) leases out about one-third of its land for cattle grazing.
In April 2021, the commission gave conditional approval to the NPS’ plan to extend 24 leases, but the commission rejected its new water quality strategy. Conservation groups submitted a letter and asked the commission to reconsider their conditional approval, claiming that ranchers have violated their leases by dumping, harming endangered species, and pumping sewage and having sewage leaks.
At the Sept. 8 meeting, the commission determined a new draft strategy that met water quality monitoring requirements by requiring ranchers to install compliant infrastructure and consent to regular inspections and annual reports.
“While the NPS is not currently pursuing issuance of long-term leases under the general management plan amendment due to ongoing litigation, the NPS has already taken a number of actions under the ranchers’ current permits specific to immediate and short-term requirements associated with the ranch operations in the park,” the strategy read.
Conservationists claim the new strategy does not offer enough transparency to penalize ranchers. The California Cattlemen’s Association said the strategy will create significant costs for ranchers to develop and manage new infrastructure, but Vice President of Government Affairs Kirk Wilbur said ranchers would be “more than willing” to put the work in.
The commission voted 6-5 to approve the strategy, and annual meetings will be held to discuss data and progress and any violations.
Grazing lawsuit
In related news, a coalition of conservation groups has filed suit against the U.S. Forest Service’s 2021 decision to authorize expanded livestock grazing on six allotments just north of Yellowstone National Park in Montana. The groups claim the allotments are within designated grizzly recovery zones, and expanded grazing puts the bears at risk for being killed in response to livestock conflicts.
“Expanded grazing in these allotments is irresponsible and will stymie connectivity between the grizzlies of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and those of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem. A better choice would be to keep livestock out of public lands grizzly habitat entirely,” said Jocelyn Leroux, Washington and Montana director with Western Watersheds Project.
The lawsuit asserts that by allowing expanded grazing, the Forest Service failed to take certain factors into account. In 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued an assessment that grizzly bear mortalities were largely a result of livestock conflicts and lack of connectivity. The suit claims the Forest Service decision disregards the latest information and instead uses a 1998 baseline that allows livestock grazing in grizzly bear recovery zones. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
