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RANCHERS BLAST BLM FOR ALLOWING 17% OF RANGELANDS PASS HEALTH STANDARDS                                              

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Nevada ranchers demand to graze more sheep and cattle on 17% of rangelands still deemed healthy.

RENO, NEVADA (Enviro Snowflake Brief)— Nevada ranchers were dumbfounded to learn, from a recent study by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) confirming the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) allowed 17% of the 40 million acres of public lands grazed to still be considered “above health standards.”

Most public lands ranchers are in disbelief.  

Jon Griggs, President of Nevada Cattlemen’s Association summed up the ranchers’ sentiment in a press statement, “Our butts are chapped knowing our ranchers could have gotten more cattle on another 17% of Nevada’s public lands grazing allotments before some snowflake ORG calls it an ecological disaster. If BLM would do more burro and wild horse roundups our ranchers could get more livestock on those pristine acres considered still healthy.”

PEER was surprised to learn in the study the BLM doesn’t factor in the impact livestock grazing is having on its lands. PEER focuses on the environmental impact in lands management versus the ranchers’ self-interest concerns, and their study concludes, “In Nevada, 83% of assessed allotments do not meet health standards.” Hence, the opposite view of ranchers seeing 17% healthy rangelands should have more cattle.

 Cattleman Griggs was encouraged by BLM ignoring livestock grazing impact on public lands, “Damn right livestock shouldn’t ever be mentioned by a federal agency as causing harm to lands! It’s all those burros and wild horses eating and drinking my cattlemen’s way of life. More cow, less wild horse we say around these parts,” passionately expressed the head cattleman.

BLM’s only response to the PEER study, after it first appeared in an article in High Country News, regarding questions on how it’s possible the agency did not even consider livestock grazing impact to the health of their managed public lands was to say, “Determination not complete.”

Rancher Cliven Bundy, the rancher who was at the center of a standoff with the BLM in 2014 (Bundy refuses to pay grazing fees) boasted, “The BLM works for us ranchers and I think they have learned to look the other way when it comes to silly environmental concerns on our rangelands.”

Based on the PEER study, Bundy may indeed be correct.  

(ESB-NOT REAL NEWS)

Michael Treehuggins

Michael Treehuggins created the Enviro Snowflake Brief to try and give laughter therapy to all his fellow frustrated conservationists in these challenging political times. Let’s laugh, cry, and vote.