A judge has ruled that 800,000 of public lands southwest
of Twin Falls is now off limits to cattle grazing.
And those ranchers
could soon be scrambling for a way to feed their herds.
A judge has
determined nearly a million acres of public land in Idaho is no longer open to
grazing, all in the name of protecting native wildlife.
"This decision
provides BLM an opportunity to take a look at what's going on out there, a hard
look," said Katie Fite, Western Watersheds Project.
Conservationists
are pleased with the ruling handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Lynn
Winmill.
They say cattle grazing on some BLM land is a threat to native
wildlife, like the sage grouse. But ranchers say now they are left with few
options for feeding their herds.
"Obviously they are very disappointed
by the decision, very frustrated by the decision," said Lloyd Knight, Idaho
Cattle Association.
Western Watersheds Project, an environmental group
based in Hailey, recently won a lawsuit against the BLM. They asked the court
to intervene in BLM's management of 800,000 acres of public rangeland southwest
of Twin Falls.
"We aren't putting ma and pa rancher out of business
here. It’s in the long term interest of everybody that the lands in the
Jarbidge have healthy sage brush and wildlife on them," said Fite.
According to the judge's decision, increased use of the land for
grazing has put native sage grouse in danger. The grouse need tall grass for
successful nesting, which can be destroyed by cattle.
But Knight calls
the lawsuit just another attempt by activists to try and manage a resource from
the judge's bench, without fully understanding the situation. "Before the
lawsuit was filed, we felt BLM did a good job of really looking at the
resource, at the carrying capacity of the resource," said Knight. BLM must now
go through the process of putting together a comprehensive environment impact
statement before the court will consider allowing grazing to continue.
"What we're hoping BLM will do is not business as usual, but actually
adopt a true restoration approach to the landscape," said Fite.
The
bureau can still appeal the judge’s decision.
Idaho’s BLM
director issued a statement saying he is concerned about the effects of this
court order, and what it could mean to the livelihood of these ranchers.
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