The Public Lands Council (PLC) was formed 50 years ago on Aug. 6, 1958. And although the organization has claimed wins for ranchers using public lands, challenges remain. In fact many of those challenges are the same as when the organization was formed.
In providing background about the organization, PLC said two men—Gene Etchart from Montana and Floyd Lee of New Mexico—were pivotal in sparking the movement to establish the Public Lands Council. They discussed the issues at hand, including a push to remove or reduce public lands grazing, and realized the need for a voice to represent the Western cattle and sheep producers on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Additional conversations were sparked among Western stakeholders, leading to the formation of the Public Lands Council. Its purpose then—and now—was to connect education and promotion emphasis on representing the collective interests of public land-dependent livestock operations specifically in the Western states.
In searching for leaders to serve on the first executive committee, key sheep and cattle leaders were called on including: Harry Lee of New Mexico; Karl Weikel of Nevada; Walter Little of Idaho; A.D. Findlay of Utah; Denny Jones of Oregon; and alternates John Weber of California; Jim Coughlin of Arizona; and Carl Jorgensen of Wyoming. The first meeting was held in Denver, CO.
PLC Executive Director Ethan Lane told WLJ it is exciting to be involved with the group as it celebrates its 50-year anniversary. But he also talked about challenges facing the organization saying, “The challenges of the last 50 years of the Public Lands Council is also the period of time where we have seen massive radical change in the way our federal lands are managed; and if you look back to the key issues that we’ve been fighting for decades.” He said that some of issues like the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that came about in the 1970s have dominated a lot of the PLC’s existence, adding, “I think it is a real credit to PLC’s efforts that here we sit stronger than ever 50 years in, despite a lot of federal regulation and laws and initiatives.”
WLJ also spoke with current PLC President Dave Eliason and past President Jim Magagna about some of the organization’s history. They, like Lane, spoke of PLC’s work to keep grazing fees from raising exponentially as a major accomplishment.
Eliason spoke of challenges within different presidential administrations, “But all through the years PLC’s presence in there has been really strong. One of the things, going back several years is the grazing fee formula has been a good thing and has saved us a lot of money—PLC helped devise it.”
Magagna said through the years many of the same issues have been on the battle front and noted, “We sometimes ask, ‘Well, what have we accomplished?’ But I think if you look at many of those issues, they wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for the Public Lands Council, and unfortunately that would be because we wouldn’t be in the public lands grazing business today. I think the organization has more than proven its worth over time.”
In talking about the need for a group like PLC, Eliason said, “PLC is really the only organization that is fulltime dealing with public lands issues. We’re in line with the wool growers and the cattle associations so it really helps.”
The longevity of the organization speaks to its need and credibility among ranchers and legislators who look to PLC for guidance on a variety of issues. Lane explained, “People are starting to recognize that no matter what your interest is in federal lands, you can’t really accomplish it in the Western United States without the help of ranchers.”
Magagna said strong support from members and advocating for a wide range of issues has led to PLC’s longevity. “It’s not that it hasn’t its struggles, but I think there have been people in the industry who have seen the value of it and they didn’t just create an organization to deal with one or two issues and say, ‘Ok, we’ve kind of taken care of those we don’t need it anymore.’ These are long-term struggles, they are long-term commitments and success doesn’t come quickly, so I certainly see no reason not to believe that PLC will be around in another 50 years—and that public land livestock grazing will be around in another 50 years, in part as a result of the work of PLC.”
Looking ahead, Lane said, “We think we have opportunities right now that we haven’t seen in a generation to make this landscape better and more productive for federal grazing permit holders around the West and we want to seize on those opportunities and we’re excited to see what the next 50 years looks like for grazing in the West.”
The organization will formally celebrate its 50th anniversary at its annual convention Sept. 26-29 in Park City, UT. — Rae Price, WLJ editor
