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http://www.omniture.com --> Email Story to a Friend June 30, 2006 Pilot Rock, which sits within a National Monument area southeast of Ashland, is one of many unique elements in the region. Legislation proposed by Sen. Gordon Smith would pave the way for the buyout of grazing rights on the monument land. (Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli) Smith fashions buyout to end monument grazing permits By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune After years of locking horns over cattle grazing inside the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, ranchers and environmentalists may soon be disentangled from the conflict. U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., plans to introduce legislation next month to allow a multi-million dollar buyout of grazing permits from ranchers who run their cattle in or near the 53,000-acre monument in the Cascade-Siskiyou mountains east of Ashland. The legislation, which would only affect willing ranchers, is the result of years of negotiations between ranchers, environmental activists and Smith's staff. "I think buyouts should be rare," Smith said Thursday in a prepared statement. "But these circumstances are unique and are putting the squeeze on our ranchers." "This legislation is needed to keep them in business and in the saddle," he added. "Instead of turning to the courts, two interested parties found common ground to solve this problem. That's the Oregon way and a great basis for legislation." In addition to the voluntary buyouts, the legislation would also create a 23,000-acre wilderness in the center of the monument known as the Soda Mountain Wilderness Study Area. The wilderness study area has already been determined by Congress to be suitable for wilderness designation. The legislation would allow Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to permanently retire the grazing allotments that are voluntarily given up by the ranchers. The federal government would compensate the permit holders, giving them the financial option to acquire other grazing land outside the monument. Although the total cost of the buyout would depend on how many ranchers participated, the legislation would provide $300 for each authorized animal unit month (AUM) — the amount of forage needed for one cow and calf for a month. There are currently 11 ranchers with grazing allotments on monument land, totaling 2,714 AUMs available, according the BLM. The cost of buying out the AUMs within the monument would be $814,200. However, since the potential grazing lease retirement zone is larger than the monument, given the fact grazing operations overlap and extend beyond the monument, the legislation could impact 17 ranchers on more than 100,000 acres, including the monument. Conservation groups have agreed to supplement the government buyout from their own funds, although the exact amount those organizations would kick in has not been determined. "Basically, this is a compromise — the best we could hammer out to get this issue resolved," said rancher Bob Miller of Hornbrook, Calif., one of the ranchers who has leasing rights on the monument. "I don't think either side is happy with it," said Miller, who has been working with environmentalists over the thorny issue. "Some ranchers may not even participate. But something has to be done. It's kind of like old age, you've got to figure out a way to live through it but you sure as hell don't have to be happy with the way it plays out." Miller, 66, whose family has been running cattle on what is now monument land for more than a century, is the public lands committee chairman for the Jackson County Stockman's Association. The one-time expenditure would be cheaper in the long run to taxpayers than continued litigation and a government grazing study that is expected to cost more than $1 million when finished, buyout supporters say. "With compensation," Miller said, "ranchers can get something out of their years of investment and either reconfigure their operations on private land or retire with a little something." Mike Dauenhauer, a fellow monument lessee and vice president of the stockman's association, agreed. "It's difficult enough grazing public lands without even more rules and regulations from the Bureau of Land Management," said Dauenhauer, whose family has ranched in the area for 45 years. "With the monument designation, which specifically targeted grazing, our futures are even more in doubt." The Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, created in 2000 by President Bill Clinton, called for the BLM to study the compatibility of grazing with the rich biological diversity found in the monument. The creation of the monument was good for that diversity but made livestock grazing problematic, said Dave Willis, chairman of the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, one of the activists working with the ranchers and Smith. "Society has changed the rules on these ranchers," he said. "This legislation lets government recognize that fact by compensating them for their inability to economically graze the area." Like the ranchers, Willis credited Smith for his efforts, and said he hopes it will receive the support of U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., whose 2nd Congressional District includes the monument. "He (Walden) knows how to get things done in the House," Willis said. "This is really a politician's dream: traditional adversaries on opposite sides of the barbed wire who together are asking our elected representatives for the same thing." The legislative grazing lease retirement concept has been endorsed by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, state Senator Alan Bates, D-Ashland, state Rep. Peter Buckley, D-Ashland, and the Oregon Cattlemen's Association. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] . Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations --> online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Entertainment Guide --> Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Casino Reviews