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Two More Conservation Orgs Back Grazing Buy-out
Two more national conservation groups, the Sierra Club and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, have endorsed federal legislation that would compensate public lands ranchers who voluntarily relinquish their federal grazing permits.
The Voluntary Grazing Permit Buyout Act (H.R. 3324, "Shays-Grijalva"), a bill introduced by Reps. Christopher Shays (R-Connecticut) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Arizona), would allow federal public lands ranchers to waive their interest in grazing permits in exchange for compensation in the amount of $175 per animal unit month (or AUM, the amount of forage to sustain one cow and calf for one month).
The Arizona Voluntary Grazing Permit Buyout Act (H.R. 3337,
"Grijalva-Shays") is a similar bill that applies specifically to Arizona. The Sierra Club and GYC have also endorsed that bill.
"We are pleased to join nearly 200 ranchers [in Arizona alone] and numerous other conservation organizations in supporting this legislation," said Don Steuter, conservation chair of the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon chapter. "These bills will help restore public lands that have been impacted heavily by drought and livestock grazing."
The Sierra Club endorsed the buyout concept in February 2003. The buyout bills were introduced in Congress in October.
"GYC is happy to be supporting [the legislation], and hopes it results in reduction of negative impacts to public land in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem," said Dick Dolan, the group's program director.
The buyout program is endorsed by more than 200 conservation groups across the country.
"Buying out federal grazing permits is good for western states and the entire nation," said Shays. "It benefits our nation's environment and budget, while providing a lucrative offer to ranchers who want to sell their
permits."
"This legislation will go a long way toward resolving the ongoing and contentious debate on public lands grazing in the West," said Grijalva. "Congressman Shays and I have introduced a bill that will give much-needed relief to ranching families suffering the results of drought and other
economic factors. At the same time, the bill will allow for the restoration of public lands that are no longer suitable for grazing."
The buyout initiative was conceived by the National Public Lands Grazing Campaign to protect 257 million acres of federal public lands from livestock grazing, which produces less than 3 percent of the nation's beef supply. The
plan is also designed to provide a financial alternative for cash-strapped public lands ranchers with investments stranded in grazing permits.
The public lands grazing program costs American taxpayers about $500 million annually.
"Species, ecosystems and watersheds are failing even faster than public lands ranching," said NPLGC director Andy Kerr. "Public lands ranchers and all other Americans deserve better. Our society and government have a duty
to leave no American behind as the economy grows and changes."
Under the terms of the buyout, public lands permittees would be paid about four times the average market value to yield their grazing permits. A permittee with 300 cow/calf pairs that graze on federal public lands for five months of the year would receive $262,000.
"This is a simple step which allows struggling ranchers a chance to get out of public lands grazing without serious economic consequences," said Wayne Hoskisson, chair of the Sierra Club's national grazing committee. "At the same time, natural processes can be restored on some of the nation's most marginally productive rangelands."
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest and one of the most influential grassroots conservation organizations in the United States. The group boasts more than 700,000 members.
Founded in 1983, the GYC is dedicated to ecosystem management of the Greater Yellowstone region, an area that includes two national parks (Yellowstone and Grand Teton), seven national forests, three states and 20 counties.
"Voluntary retirement of federal grazing permits is a great opportunity for ranchers and conservationists to work together," said Jennifer Ferenstein, former president and current board member of the Sierra Club. "This plan
helps ranchers, saves taxpayer money and diminishes decades of environmental degradation wrought by livestock grazing on America's public lands."
For more information about the voluntary buyout program, visit www.permitbuyout.net.
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