“Farmers and ranchers know the wildlife and the land they work better than anyone; it only makes sense that we would enlist them in conservation efforts,” said Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke.
Jamie Parfitt
GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES NEW ‘FLEXIBLE’ GRAZING PERMITS FOR OREGON RANCHERS
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two Oregon ranches will be among 11 in the country to be offered a new kind of process for livestock grazing on public lands, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced on Friday.
Known as outcome-based grazing authorizations (OBGAs), the new process offers an “unprecedented level of flexibility in the management of livestock,” according to the BLM.
Roaring Springs Ranch near Burns, Oregon and Fitzgerald Ranch near Lakeview, Oregon will be two of the 11 ‘demonstration projects.’ The other test cases are spread throughout the western United States—including Wyoming, Nevada, Montana, Idaho and Colorado.
According to a BLM statement, the OBGA initiative is designed to prove that permitted livestock grazing on public lands can successfully operate with fewer restrictions, while still reaching habitat and vegetation goals.
“The demonstration projects will play an important part in establishing outcome-based grazing authorizations as a standard practice,” said Brian Steed, Deputy Director of Programs and Policy. “We will consider the success of the demonstration projects as we develop guidance for future authorizations.”
The OBGA initiative emphasizes conservation performance, ecological outcomes, and cooperative management of public lands, according to the BLM. This is intended to produce ranching that is both economically and environmentally sustainable.
“Farmers and ranchers know the wildlife and the land they work better than anyone; it only makes sense that we would enlist them in conservation efforts,” said Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke.
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