Livestock Grazing: Opportunities for Change in the West
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VOLUME 22 NO 1 SPRING 2012 2012 TRIPS AND Livestock Grazing: EVENTS Opportunities for PAGE 6 Change in the West by Rose Chilcoat and Ronni Egan Livestock grazing on public lands has always been one of the primary interests for Great Old Broads for Wilderness. In the last issue of Broadsides, we discussed the impacts of this activity on both our landscapes and on our pocketbooks. Welcomed by environmentalists but An animal unit at Leavitt Creek, Sierra Nevada Tioyabe National angering ranching Forest, California. Have you ever camped in a cow-patt ied pasture advocates, President or woodland? Not very pleasant. Photo by George Wuerthner. SIDES Obama’s 2013 budget included language for a Accountability Offi ce (GAO) 3-year pilot project that would report found federal agencies allow the Bureau of Land in 2004 spent at least $144 Management to recover some million to administer grazing of the costs of issuing grazing programs but took in only $21 permits on its lands. BLM million in fee revenue, one would charge an additional fee would think that grazing fees of $1 per animal unit month would be a good candidate for In this issue: (forage for a cow/calf pair for reform in these budget-busting one month) to be collected times. The GAO found that the In a Broad Sense 2 along with current grazing BLM grazing fee decreased by fees. The fee would allow 40 percent from 1980 to 2004, Swampwalk 3 BLM to address the backlog while grazing fees charged of pending applications for by private ranchers increased Broads Beat 4 grazing permit renewals as by 78 percent for the same current grazing revenues period. In 2005, Great Old Calendar 6 cover a mere 15 percent of Broads joined with four other administrative costs. conservation organizations to Study A Broad 8 challenge these fees, but until The current $1.35 fee per now the Obama administration Broader animal unit month applies to Wilderness 10 has been unwilling to reform nearly 18,000 grazing permits grazing fees. So this budget and leases administered by Broadbands proposal is an encouraging BLM and is the same today in Action 12 step in the right direction. as it was in 1978 due to the powerful infl uence of the Interestingly, BLM ecological 2011 Auction Donors Thanks 15 Western livestock industry. assessment studies are Given that a 2005 Government THE NEWSLETTER OF GREAT OLD BROADS FOR WILDERNESS BROAD (continued on page 5) A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RONNI EGAN Occupy wilderness? Of course wild land. We must, at all not! It says, right there in The times, refute the specious Wilderness Act: “man is a claims spouted by industrial visitor who does not remain.” interests and their political But we must occupy our allies. Wilderness is for Great Old Broads for Wilderness PO Box 2924 remaining public wild lands in people, and the people need Durango, CO 81302 the fi gurative sense of rising up to speak out! 970-385-9577 to protect them from industrial [email protected] exploitation, att empts at The problem is - in 2010, the greatoldbroads.org privatization, de-funding Supreme Court ruled that corporations are citizens! Staff of land Veronica Egan, Executive Director management Hard to fathom but it’s Rose Chilcoat, Associate Director true. The highly regrett able Joyce Thomsen, Membership Maven agencies, and N A Anne Benson, Comm. Coord. I Citizens United vs. FEC despoilation Elsa Jagniecki, Broadband Coord. Laurie Parkinson, Admin. Assoc. from poorly Supreme Court decision has resulted in scads of managed Board of Directors grazing and BROAD undisclosed corporate cash Karen Cox, CA - Chair inundating our electoral Sue Gunkel, NM - Treasurer recreation. Saralaine Millet, AZ SENSE system. And money talks Karen Ryman, CO - Secretary Many past and louder than people. Lois Snedden, NV current legislators and Shelley Spalding, WA - Vice Chair Lee Verner, CO many who aspire to Occupy It comes as public offi ce maintain no surprise Advisory Board that huge Steve Allen, Joe Breddan, Sally that we can’t aff ord Wilderness? Ferguson, Katie Fite, Dave to manage our public corporations Foreman, Maggie Fox, Steve lands, that some should be sold to the are fl ooding the Gilbert, Fred Goodsell, Ginger campaigns of their chosen candidates Harmon, Margi Hoff mann, highest bidder or worse, that federal and Vicky Hoover, Fran Hunt, state governments (that’s all of us) should in both national and local elections Cecelia Hurwich, Dale Johnson, with huge sums of money. Many of Frandee Johnson, Linda Liscom, not even own land. Protected wilderness Chuck McAfee, MB McAfee, and roadless lands are some of America’s these corporations have designs on Liz McCoy, Sarah Michael, Erin Moore, Marcey Olajos, Tim best ideas, and they represent a concept the natural resources contained in as yet undeveloped public lands, and if Peterson, Lynn Prebble, Marilyn that is unique in the world. Price-Reinbolt, Cindy Shogan, their chosen legislators and candidates Liz Thomas, Susan Tixier, Joro Sadly, a large proportion of our population prevail, we may see a roll-back of Walker, Melyssa Watson does not understand the benefi ts of current protections and even a “fi re Great Old Broads for Wilderness is protected wilderness. You know what I sale” of public lands. a national, non-profi t organization that uses the voices and activism mean: rich biodiversity, ecosystem services of elders to preserve and protect like clean water and air, opportunities for In Colorado, Republican Rep. Jerry wilderness and wild lands. Sonnenberg says he believes Colorado’s Conceived by older women who human recreation and renewal, and the love wilderness, Broads gives voice crucial lessons of interconnectedness and national forests would be in bett er hands to the millions of older Americans if they were managed by the state or who want to protect their public personal responsibility that wild places lands as Wilderness for this and have to teach us. It is the ones who do private individuals. The concept has future generations. We bring voice, been introduced in fi ve other Western knowledge, commitment, and not understand who are susceptible to humor to the movement to protect the rhetoric of privatization, believing states to date. our last wild places on earth. erroneously that protecting our natural Today, the Great Old Broads for This libertarian ideal was the rule in Wilderness has more than 4,500 heritage costs jobs or restricts individual the 19th century, and led to a free-for- members. You do not have to freedoms. be female, or old, or even great all of resource extraction ranging from for that matter! to join—but you must be “bold” for wilderness. Defenders of wilderness must help people the clear-cutt ing of forests to massive overgrazing to mining and petroleum Please join us on the adventure. understand the true benefi ts of healthy Wilderness needs your help! (continued on page 9) Please credit Broads for any reprinted articles. 2 SPRING 2012 GREATOLDBROADS.ORG FLORIDA BROADWALK ADVENTURES IN THE BIG CYPRESS SWAMP by Rose Chilcoat the 146,000 acres known as the A Swampwalk?! What on Earth “Addition Lands.” They recently is that? From Broads world completed a Management Plan headquarters in southwest for this area that has proven Colorado, going to an event to be controversial due to fi nal focusing on the Big Cypress recommendations for wilderness Swamp of Florida was akin to and ORV use. Emotions around going to the Moon! This was this have been running high defi nitely going expand our wild for decades as native Floridians lands experiences. JoAnn Valenti, strive to balance protecting the long-time Broad and our Florida remarkable lands they love with Broadband Leader exhorted us their desire to continue traditional to come to Florida to experience access and use. This is why the fi rsthand the many complex and Big Cypress is a “preserve” not a controversial environmental Yes, this is what we did in the Big Cypress Swamp! “park” even though the National issues that the Sunshine State’s Park Service administers it. dwindling wild lands and waters of the Everglades,” who has brought face. Fift een Broads from across att ention to the need to conserve this Aft er our introduction to the the country accepted the invitation remarkable landscape. Entering the place and issues, we dressed for and joined us for a memorable and narrow winding lane to our base camp our Swampwalk. Contrary to our magical weekend. we were embraced by the surreal, expectations, the footing was fi rm hauntingly beautiful bald cypress trees limestone rock not knee deep mud and Ronni and I found ourselves driving rising directly from the water. muck. The crystal clear water fl owed the Tamiami Trail across a landscape steadily in a constant sheet past plants that was unrelentingly fl at, grassy, and Hugs and laughter, greeting old friends fi rmly anchored to the ground below. liquid. Topographic relief was provided and making new ones. We sett led We were amazed by the experience by highway berms and borrow ditch into our rooms, cabins, and tents – hiking out into the swamp was canals. Birds of various shapes and and enjoyed the fi rst of our amazing something none of us would ever sizes draped themselves on the trees dinners, by the Camellia Street Grill have done alone. Our naturalists from and vegetation. Then without any in Everglades City, served al fresco Clyde’s Gallery were fabulous, sharing discernible change in topography, the under a “chikee” traditional shelter bits of natural history and oddities grass shift ed to a cypress forest. Small on a small patch of dry ground with a and patiently herding us along.