Much to the disappointment of conservation groups, livestock grazing will continue across thousands of acres of land across Idaho’s southwestern landscape.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released its record of decision for Idaho’s Four Rivers Field Office management plan. The approved resource management plan covers more than 780,000 surface acres and more than 1.17 million acres of mineral estate of BLM-managed land in southwest Idaho, just north of Boise.
“This plan will balance the tremendous demand to use public lands with the conservation of these lands and resources into the future,” said BLM Boise District Manager Tanya Thrift. “We appreciate the involvement of Tribal Nations, federal, state and local government partners, stakeholders, and the public in crafting the final plan.”
The decision designates a new, 120,000-acre Bennett Hills Backcountry Conservation Area, the first in the state, for the use of wildlife-dependent recreation activities. BLM claims the designation will create more than 700 jobs across the recreation, agriculture and energy industries.
The agency also updated the plan to separate management of oil and gas from geothermal resources. Areas with low or no oil and gas potential will be closed for oil and gas leasing to protect sensitive resources, according to the plan. High and moderate oil and gas potential areas remain open to leasing, and geothermal leasing opportunities will be unaffected.
Grazing details
The decision concludes a 13-year project evaluation, beginning in early 2010.
Under the plan, livestock grazing will be available across 783,160 acres of the overall Four Rivers Field Office planning area, which spans 8 million acres of public and private lands in 10 Idaho counties: Ada, Adams, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, Valley and Washington.
A total of 106,168 animal unit months (AUMs) will be available, with up to 9,635 additional AUMs to be activated in pastures dominated by invasive annual grasses or for fire prevention. BLM will work with permittees to implement post-fire management changes to meet resource objectives.
The plan also outlines reducing disease transmissions between domestic sheep and bighorn sheep, including changing livestock grazing use from sheep to cattle in areas where best management practices for reducing disease are not effective.
Conservation groups expressed their disappointment with livestock grazing authorizations continuing. They claimed the plan encompasses lands that have sensitive plant and animal species, and that livestock and domestic sheep harm the species.
“It’s disappointing that the Biden administration has had more than two years to improve this plan but merely tweaked around the edges rather than undertaking a more substantial review of its provisions,” said Greg LeDonne, Idaho director for Western Watersheds Project.
The group protested the proposed plan in 2020, objecting that it didn’t go far enough to protect wildlife and to limit grazing.
“The goals and objectives in the vegetation management section appear very strong, but without substantial changes in livestock use, ideals such as ‘limit spread and establishment of noxious weeds’ will remain out of reach,” LeDonne said. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
