It appears that the use of public lands for grazing is finally getting some respect in Washington. The Trump administration is much friendlier to those of us who utilize the public resources to earn a living. For most environmental activist groups, earning a dollar off the public domain is a sin.
But over the past few years wildfires have ravaged the Western states where most of the federal lands exist. So far this year just over 3 million acres have burned, and we’re only a couple days into August. Last year 3.5 million acres burned.
Congress has finally decided to fund the firefighting effort so that the BLM and United States Forest Service (USFS) doesn’t have to continue borrowing money from other budgets to pay for the firefighting efforts, a practice known as “fire borrowing.” This was a positive step in active management of our federal lands.
Many in Congress are also starting to realize that these lands that have been locked up for various environmental reasons are the most prone to out-of-control fires. Fuel loads in these places have grown over the years and require grazing and logging to keep things in check.
We all know that a good burn is a sound fire management tool but private property owners are held hostage to using it as a management tool by the government. The Hammond Family is a perfect example. They paid dearly for their management decisions to do a back burn to save their grass. They knew it was the right thing to do. But, it landed Dwight and Steven in federal prison. They understand the phrase, “Log it, graze it or watch it burn.” And President Donald Trump realized the government folly and gave the Hammonds clemency a couple weeks ago.
Conservation policies have been a huge contributor to wildfires. Slowly the government has reduced AUMs on every grazing allotment over the past 30 years. They have also locked up millions of acres of forest land for what we thought at the time were endangered species, like the spotted owl, and sage-grouse. As a matter of fact, some states are asking landowners to try and count sage-grouse deaths due to fire.
The Western Governors’ Association (WGA) has realized the problems in their backyards. They have focused on the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Matt Mead, Wyoming governor and chairman of the WGA, made the issue a priority. Now Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso is proposing legislation to make the failing law more practical and workable for local communities.
Many of these conservation policies the feds have bestowed on us—like ESA, NEPA, WOTUS—have all been problematic in making rapid land-management decisions. Power companies need to go through a permitting process to access their transmission lines causing maintenance problems; power lines have caused many wildfires.
The BLM and USFS seem to be coming around on the benefits of grazing and resource use, and perhaps the fact that cattlemen on the federal range are a good thing and a help to their budget shortfalls. Cattlemen and sheep producers see the land almost daily and are a real asset to the agency range cons.
For years the term “conservation” appeared to mean “no use” instead of “wise, practical use.” Mother Nature is the boss at the end of the day. Her management style is violent and uncontrolled. With the advent of the wild-urban interface, we have more and more homes and businesses out in the country and in the path of wildfires.
Then there are the wolves and the crazy idea that we need to get grizzly bears into the Northern Cascades. A gal was forced up a tree a couple weeks ago by wolves thinking she might make a good meal. Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife had to ponder sending a helicopter out for three hours to rescue her.
The cattle industry that utilizes federal grazing permits and timber companies currently have their best opportunity to modify our large portfolio of conservation policies with the current administration. You need to get involved in changing these laws.
The Public Lands Council has been defending your interests on the federal domain for 50 years. The current PLC staff led by Ethan Lane has developed the strongest PLC I’ve seen in my lifetime. There is a lot of energy and they have access to the federal agencies you need to work with. PLC is marking their 50th anniversary at their annual meeting, which will be held in Park City, UT, Sept. 27-29. If you’re ranching on the public lands, you need to attend this meeting and get involved. We have the opportunity to change policies and laws. — PETE CROW
