Public Grazing Lands

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The grazing of public lands has become a very controversial issue over the last couple of decades. This is due to the fact that there are some people who believe that grazing the land is beneficial to the wildlife and the different plant species there. Then there are other people who have the belief that the grazing of livestock on public lands is detrimental to wildlife and plant health. Therefore, they believe that it is actually doing more harm than good.

What are Public Grazing Lands?

Public lands are properties that are not owned by private land owners, but instead are owned by the federal government. Ranchers are given permits or leases to graze their livestock on these government owned lands. The government agency that has been charged with the care and maintenance of these public lands is The Bureau of Land Management (BLM). According to the BLM’s website their mission statement is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. According to the BLM’s fact sheet, presented on their website, the BLM’s objective is to ensure the long-term health and productivity of these lands, and to create multiple environmental benefits that result from healthy watersheds.

The BLM also says that the public lands, and the private ranches next to them, maintain open spaces in the fast growing West, provide habitat for wildlife, offer many recreational activities provided on public lands, and helps preserve the character of the rural West. There is also a Federal Grazing Fee which applies to the 16 western states on public grazing lands that are managed by the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service. This fee is adjusted annually and is calculated by using a fo...

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...nize, Perri. "Winning the War for the West." The Atlantic July 1999: 54. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2011.

Mapes, Lynda V. “Grazing on public land: helpful to ranchers, but harmful to habitat?.” Seattle Times 28 July 2008: N. pag. Date Accessed (5 Apr. 2011) .

National Public Lands Grazing Campaign. n.d. 5 Apr. 2011 .

Reece, Myers. “Lawsuit Puts Federal Livestock Grazing in Doubt.” Flathead Beacon 21 Oct. 2010: N. pag. Date Accessed (7 Apr. 2011) .

Stimpert, Marc. "Counterpoint: opportunities lost and opportunities gained: separating truth from myth in the western ranching debate." Environmental Law 36.2 (2006): 481+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 6 Apr. 2011.

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