A plan to allow cattle grazing along the Salt River in the Tonto National Forest of Arizona has drawn objections from conservation groups. The groups, Western Watersheds Project and Sierra Club, claim grazing in the Salt River Canyon Wilderness Area endangers critical habitat for several endangered and threatened species.
The Hicks-Pike’s Peak Allotment grazing authorization would allow the grazing of up to 1,900 cattle and add about 6 miles of fencing along the Salt River, about 8 miles north of Globe, AZ, in Gila County.
The U.S. Forest Service said livestock will be grazed using a flexible rotational system with a selective rest-rotation strategy. The proposed yearly maximum authorized use would vary between 650-800 adult cattle. In addition, 700-1,100 weaned calves up to 18 months old would be authorized to graze for up to 7 months at a time.
“We are concerned that commercial livestock use is being expanded in some of the wildest and most ecologically important places in Arizona, and the Forest Service is not telling the public just how bad the impacts from cattle grazing really are,” said Cyndi Tuell, the Arizona and New Mexico director at Western Watersheds Project. “It’s a major reason that many of Arizona’s wildlife are in danger of extinction, and we’re concerned that special interests are dictating how public lands are being used.”
The group claims livestock grazing would affect the critical habitat for the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher and razorback sucker, as well as the habitat for the threatened yellow-billed cuckoo and the narrow-headed gartersnake.
The Tonto National Forest proposed a similar grazing authorization in 2021, but it was pulled after parties objected. One of the parties was Rockin Four Ranch, which is owned in part by Arizona Game and Fish Commissioner Bill Brake, Western Watersheds Project said. The ranch objected again to the newest plan.
“Reconstruction, removal, maintenance, and repair of improvements should not require a new archeological clearance and new consult with (the State Historic Preservation Office, SHPO),” the ranch wrote in its objection. “This new practice would put an undue burden on the permittee by not allowing them to repair or provide maintenance to a fence line or water source, which would result in cattle moving to restricted areas or reducing water availability which would result in death of the animal.”
The ranch requested the requirement be reworded to reflect that access to repair an existing
improvement would not be delayed by a new requirement of an archeological clearance and SHPO consultation.
The ranch also objected to livestock removal if insufficient riparian vegetation is present and instead said the area should be fenced off. Finally, the ranch asked for use of the terms “viewshed” and “foreground” to be removed from the assessment, as the Salt River was never determined to be wild and scenic.
The plan was also objected to by a University of Arizona professor, who said the assessment was inaccurate and misleading when it detailed the scope of livestock grazing.
The U.S. Forest Service will respond to objections and then determine whether to sign and implement the decision. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
