The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has decided to authorize livestock grazing in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area of southern Arizona, scoring a win for ranchers.
BLM’s recent decision authorizes the use of grazing on four allotments within the conservation area, finding that renewing the leases would not have a significant impact on the environment. The agency has determined the lessees on the allotments are in substantial compliance with the terms and conditions of the leases, and no environmental impact statements need to be prepared. The leases will be good for terms of up to 10 years.
Green resistance
Conservation groups petitioned the BLM in 2018 to exclude livestock grazing from the conservation area, claiming that if grazing was reauthorized, aquatic and riparian species would suffer. BLM moved forward with the authorization in 2019, and conservation groups sued in response. A settlement was reached, with BLM agreeing to revisit the impacts of livestock grazing in the conservation area.
BLM released their final grazing decisions in early April. Conservation groups called the decision a betrayal of public trust.
“Cows were supposed to be completely removed from this river,” said Robin Silver, cofounder of the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. “With all the other threats the San Pedro River faces—groundwater depletion, climate change, the border wall, you’d think the land manager responsible for protecting it would have done more for the river and not capitulated to the livestock industry.”
Conservation groups argue the BLM’s decision to allow livestock grazing violates the Endangered Species Act, and species such as the yellow-billed cuckoo, southwestern willow flycatcher and the northern Mexican gartersnake will suffer.
A survey released by the Center for Biological Diversity claims to document nearly 40 miles of “significantly cow-damaged” streamside habitat along rivers in the conservation area. The group alleges that cattle have trespassed on the San Pedro River more than 200 times over the past few years. In a September 2021 email to conservation groups, San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area Manager Scott Feldhausen said he had not gathered trespassing cattle due to “fear of violence by local ranchers.”
BLM’s grazing decision kicked off a 30-day appeal period, which will close in early May. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
