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CLEAR Temp: 90 °F Wind: NW at 10 mph Friday, August 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 10, 2003 BLM livestock plan draws fire Opponents say a plan to monitor cattle grazing in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument creates a ‘welfare cowboy’ system By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Hiring a livestock manager to round up errant cattle in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument would create a "welfare cowboy" system, say opponents of the proposal. Dave Willis, chairman of the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, said cattle ranchers are currently getting virtually a free ride in the monument with low fees that raise no more than $5,067 annually. "They are already subsidized to the point of absurdity, and now they want to push it out to the solar system," he said. A Medford advisory committee to the Bureau of Land Management will consider a request Monday to pay $22,770 in fiscal year 2004 for a livestock manager selected by the Dead Indian Stockman’s Association. Advertisement The meeting takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Medford BLM office, 3040 Biddle Road. The federal money would be available until 2006, providing a total grant of $68,310 to monitor cattle grazing on 59,637 acres of wilderness during a four-month period. Fences, camp equipment and corrals also would be included in the plan. "This is clearly a welfare cowboy situation," said Willis. "We have to ask why the public has to subsidize something that seemingly only degrades public lands." While Willis couldn’t point to any particular instance of land degradation caused by the cattle, he said a three- year grazing study will determine what the impacts have been. "Now the grazing impact study comes along and they’re saying, ‘Uh, oh. Let’s get our cows out of the creek,’" he said. "And, ‘Hey let’s get the public to pay for it.’ " Ranchers pay $1.35 a month to allow a cow and a calf to graze over the monument. One reason the BLM’s fee is so low is because the ranchers provide many of their own facilities, such as fences and water sources, according to Howard Hunter, the monument's assistant manager. However, under the agreement, ranchers must monitor where the cattle are grazing in the monument. "The lease these guys have with us requires the distribution of livestock in the pastures so use is even to protect streams and creeks," he said. Even though ranchers are already required to monitor their cattle, Hunter said the livestock manager could ensure "they do a better job." County Commissioner Sue Kupillas, a member of the Medford District Resource Advisory Committee for the BLM, supports having a manager who will make sure cattle are being evenly distributed throughout the monument. "Over the years one or two ranchers have caused problems, not with overgrazing, but with not having a handle on where the cattle are," she said. Reacting to the notion that this amounts to the creation of a "welfare cowboy," Kupillas said, "The whole monument is subsidized by the federal government." On federal lands, the government oversees ranching, mining and timber production, so it would be no different to monitor the cattle, she said. Kupillas said she doesn’t find anything wrong with having a manger keep an eye on the cattle to ensure they are being appropriately distributed on public lands. "We want to make sure the management is done correctly," she said. "We don’t want one rancher who isn’t keeping an eye on things to skew the whole thing." So far, Kupillas, a former cattle rancher, doesn’t see any evidence that the cows have caused problems. "I’ve been all over the area several times and I have yet to see areas that are damaged," she said. To the contrary, Kupillas has found the grazing a benefit, not a detriment. "When the cows mow the grass, it comes back more lush and green," she said. A member of the Dead Indian Stockman’s Association declined to be interviewed Friday. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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