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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 8, 2005 Public included in grazing plans Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument sends updated livestock study to interested neighbors By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune In an effort to keep transparent its ongoing livestock grazing impacts study on the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Uncle Sam is mailing out an updated version this week. The 95-page plan expands on a much smaller study released in 2001 shortly after the 52,940-acre monument was created on the Bureau of Land Management’s Medford District. However, no decisions have yet been made on future grazing on the monument, said Howard Hunter, the study’s project leader. "We want to get everybody up to speed," he said, noting that copies of the updated study are being sent to those who have participated in the process over the years. One of the recommendations made by the Southwest Oregon Provincial Advisory Committee was that the process be translucent and available to the public, Hunter said. Advertisement "Updating this plan is part of that," he said. "We really want to now say this is what we’ve done with the comments we’ve gotten so far. We’ve had numerous scientific peer reviews." Because of the advisory committee recommendations, comments by a panel of Oregon State University scientists reviewing the process and public comments, the continuing study has been expanded, he said. Wildlife, fish and aquatic insect monitoring projects have been added, he said. In addition, the agency has increased stream surveys and improved analytical methods, he said. About $1 million has been spent on the study so far, he said. The continuing study is being closely watched by ranchers who have run cattle in the area for more than a century as well as those with concerns about the impacts of grazing on the land. Dominick DellaSala, forest ecologist for the World Wildlife Fund, was one of the scientists who gave the study a peer review. "Given that the monument’s proclamation mandates the BLM to protect the monument for rare wildlife and not exotic cows, ecological studies are the best way to assess whether or not cows are compatible with the monument’s natural systems and rare species," he said. "I’m glad that OSU scientists are tracking it," he added. "It ensures scientific credibility." Dave Willis, chairman of the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, which is pushing for a wilderness within the monument, called the study an example of a "budgetary black hole" in its public lands grazing program. "The BLM — at best — gets a dime back for every public dollar they spend managing private cows on public lands," he said. "How much more public money is the BLM going to spend for how long to justify subsidized degradation of monument lands by private cattle through so-called ‘scientific management’?" Many of the ranchers with grazing allotments on the monument are willing to permanently retire their grazing leases, he said. Longtime rancher Bob Miller of Hornbrook, Calif., chairman of the Jackson County Stockmen’s Association’s public lands committee, agreed the ranchers would settle for fair and equitable compensation in exchange for their historic grazing leases. His family has been grazing cattle on what is now the monument land for generations. But he is concerned that the study, which he hasn’t yet received, will be skewed against grazing. "I won’t know until I see it but it seems to me they are scrambling hard to find something that creates a problem with grazing," he said. In any case, he believes the grazing issue is likely to end up in court. "It’s going to be a long expensive litigation for both sides and the government because of the way they are conducting those damned studies," he said. "If we can get a buyout, that would be the cheapest for taxpayers," he added. Ranchers will continue working with environmental activists to come up with an acceptable buyout package, he said. Created in June 2000, the monument is in the mountains east of Ashland with Soda Mountain as its centerpiece. The monument proclamation called for the BLM to study the impacts of grazing. If grazing practices were found incompatible with the monument’s mission, the proclamation instructed the BLM to consider modifying grazing leases to achieve compatibility or retiring grazing allotments. Livestock grazing during late spring and summer is expected to continue during the study period. There are 11 ranchers with grazing allotments on monument land, totaling 2,714 animal unit months available. Each unit represents a cow and a calf grazing for a month. However, two of those allotments are not being used. The grazing study isn’t expected to be completed until 2007 at the earliest, according to the BLM. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at Public included in grazing plans ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s