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Last Updated on Monday, 25 February 2008 05:23

Written by Echo Renner

Greybull – On Jan. 2 the Bighorn National Forest (BNF) issued a letter to livestock grazing permittees announcing reduced permitted AUMs for 13 permittees, by 40 to 68 percent. The reductions affect six allotments in the Tongue, Medicine Wheel and Paintrock ranger districts from 2009 through 2011.
    At the BNF Livestock Grazing Permittee Meeting on Jan. 23 in Greybull, the reductions were a hot topic. Nearly 70 people attended the meeting the BNF and Guardians of the Range (Guardians) set up last fall to improve communication efforts between permittees and the BNF.
    The Guardians are a grazing advocacy group of about 100 ranchers who utilize federal lands in the Big Horn Basin for livestock grazing.  
    The BNF Briefing Paper – Tongue Allotment Management Plan (AMP) Decision Implementation issued on Jan. 4, 2008 gives some background on the process that lead to the reductions.  “The 1995 Rescission Bill (P.L. 104-19) required that federal livestock grazing allotment management plans be revised through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) decision-process.”  In the mid 1990s, BNF range personnel and livestock grazing permittees began discussing how to meet legal requirements and Forest Plan objectives for sustainable livestock grazing, and how to collect data on which to base those decisions.  
    “Some allotments in the Tongue District are stocked in the one- to two-acre-per-AUM range, which is a pretty high stocking rate. Most of the stocking rates haven’t been changed since the 1960s,” said Bernie Bornong, BNF Resources Staff Officer. A number of collaborators worked through the allotment planning process, including permittees, UW Extension, the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service.

    In 2005, the BNF issued the Record of Decision for the Tongue AMP. The decision included a three-year monitoring period in order to determine the number of permitted AUMs available for grazing on an annual basis in order to consistently meet the allowable use guidelines. The three-year monitoring period ran from 2005-2007 for the six allotments affected by the Jan. 2 decision. Actual use information (numbers and class of livestock, number of days in each pasture and the forage use monitoring data) from the 2005 to 2007 monitoring period was used to calculate the percentage of the permitted AUMs. According to the Briefing Paper, “this calculated percentage was then increased by at least 10 percent to factor in variables such as annual forage production, livestock distribution and forage availability.”
    At the root of the controversy is the Robel Pole method the BNF used to monitor forage on the Tongue allotments. “The Robel Pole method was used on the Tongue because what we were using wasn’t working,” said Bornong.  
    Guardians Executive Director Kathleen Jachowski added, “The University of Wyoming suggested Robel Pole because it would be cost effective, consistent and could be done quickly.”
    Sheridan area rancher Chas Kane calls the Robel Pole method “a flawed system,” saying it only measures the height of the grass. “We measure before and after we go in (to the allotment). The range looks good, but still does not meet Robel Pole requirements.”
    Kane’s daughter-in-law, Carol Kane, added, “Permittees are going to have huge cuts by 2011, and some of them could be completely put out of business because of Robel Pole. But we’re not overgrazing, and we’re not damaging the range.”  
    “Everyone involved understands that, and the decision wasn’t made lightly,” responded Bornong. “Everyone wants to keep grazing on the forest.”
    BNF Supervisor Bill Bass pointed out, “Grazing can be a wonderful tool to keep the health and vigor of a national forest. Grasslands are healthy because they get grazed.”  
    Lovell area rancher and Utah State range graduate Michael Bischoff said, “Robel Pole is not so good with mixed grass species. The Pole method would work well in a hay pasture, but not on fescue or mountain brome, or when the grass is rank. It’s a complicated system. It comes down to good management for the range. Is this a tool to help the range, or is this a tool to get us off the range?”
    Jachowski pointed out, “It’s a good methodology, but one of the big concerns with Robel Pole, and one contention the Guardians hold, is that it should be set to determine the capability on each particular allotment or pasture.  If we don’t get it right on allotments, we shouldn’t extrapolate it across the forest.  We’ll keep getting it wrong.  We need to get the bandwidth set for each pasture or allotment.”
    “The die was cast a while ago,” said Bornong. “There was a long planning process, and now the Tongue instance is boxed in. There’s further work to be done, and there’s potential mediation, but it is what it is. We were happy with the Pole, even though it’s not very satisfactory to some.”     
     Wyoming Stock Growers Association Executive Vice President Jim Magagna remarked after the meeting, “We are encouraging the permittees to file an appeal, and so is the Department of Ag, to help protect permittee rights, and to keep the doors open to discussion. An appeal is not necessarily a bad thing if something has been overlooked or missed, and it affords you opportunity for mediation.”
    Permittees who face reductions have until Feb. 19 to file an appeal. “If they don’t file an appeal, they face progressive cuts through 2011. It’s a done deal. The appeal allows time to explore options, and perhaps come to a resolution,” said Don Christianson, Senior Policy Analyst at the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. “There is a lot of controversy whether the cuts are actually warranted.”
    The other seven cattle and horse allotments will likely complete their three years of monitoring in the 2008 grazing season. “Permitted AUMs on those allotments will be changed up or down as the data indicates, around a year from now,” noted Bornong.
    For more information, contact Bernie Bornong at 307-674-2685 or Kathleen Jachowski at 587-3723. Echo Renner is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Comments on this article can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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Last Updated on Monday, 27 July 2009 10:14

Written by Jennifer Womack

Buffalo’s Lohse earns national recognition
Buffalo — Nikki Lohse, District Manager for the Lake DeSmet Conservation District, has been awarded the “Two Chiefs Partnership Award” for 2008 from the chiefs of the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Forest Service.
    “Nikki is a genuine grassroots representative of the landowners and the general public in the Lake DeSmet Conservation District area,” say Conservation District Chairman Dave Fraley and Supervisor John Pearson in their nomination of Lohse. The duo commend Lohse for her ability to bring leadership and volunteerism to area conservation programs.
    It seems fitting that Lohse would receive an award including the word “partnership” given her noteworthy ability to develop team-based approaches in her local community. Asked about her favorite aspect of working for the Lake DeSmet Conservation District Lohse says, “Working with producers and seeing conservation on the ground.”
    She’s been an instrumental part of a sage grouse habitat enhancement and restoration project including 24 landowners, 340,000 acres and a budget surpassing $3 million. “We’ve been spending 90 percent of our time on that,” says Lohse of an effort that has brought regional and national attention to Johnson County.
    “We’ve implemented best management practices,” says Lohse noting that the effort includes a grazing plan on each of the participant’s land. “It’s given them the tools necessary to make management decisions and we’ve been able to implement stockwater pipelines, water development and fencing so they can manage their livestock to benefit sage grouse.” Lohse says the project is proving beneficial for sage grouse, wildlife in general and the ranchers who are involved.
    “Nikki took the leadership to complete the Eva Knepper Park Habitat Nature Trail for the town of Buffalo,” say Fraley and Pearson. Following Clear Creek through the Buffalo community, the project has drawn numerous visitors.
    “This project serves as a ‘show and tell’ for how stream restoration as well as woody vegetation and fuels management can work,” say Mark Booth of the U.S. Forest Service and NRCS District Conservationist Phil Gonzales in a letter supporting Lohse’s nomination. The project includes fish habitat structures, bridges, fences, weed management, stream restoration and clean up, spanning nearly a mile.
    Nikki has been active in additional watershed efforts and is working with multiple partners to address fish passage. “When it comes to the rubber hitting the road and seeing a diverse conservation ethic we feel you can see the results of conservation being applied with Nickki Lohse’s leadership and commitment,” say Fraley and Pearson. Last year they say the district brought in three semi-loads of trees and hosted a very-well received Hazardous Waste Day.
    “It’s very humbling to be nominated,” says Lohse. “We couldn’t have achieved what we have without Phil Gonzales’ technical assistance. We have a board that is very progressive and has a vision for conservation in our area. Without the board’s support of the projects we bring them we couldn’t have reached this point.”
    Lohse says, “I think the conservation districts across the state do a good job working for our natural resources. The landowners who are proactive in our area have done wonderful conservation work. The partners that I work with in my area are super and step up to the plate to offer financial and technical assistance to get the job done.”
    Nebraska State Conservationist Steve Chick, Nebraska State Forester Scott Josiah and Greg Sundstrom of the Colorado State Forest Service were also recipients of the 2008 award.
    An Open House to celebrate Lohse’s award will be held from 3-5 p.m. on Feb. 17 at the Lake DeSmet Conservation District at 621 West Fetterman in Buffalo. Jennifer Womack is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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Last Updated on Thursday, 19 November 2009 02:14

Written by Courtesy Article

New Mexico — An Oct. 1 ruling by United States District Court Judge James O. Browning dismissing a challenge to U.S. Forest Service (USFS) grazing permit renewal from the WildEarth Guardians is welcome news for New Mexico ranchers and will help ranchers across the west.
    “Livestock producers across the West are breathing a sigh of relief today,” said Alisa Ogden, New Mexico Cattle Growers Association (NMCGA) President. “The claims made by the WildEarth Guardians in this case regarding grazing, the livestock industry and the Forest Service were totally without merit, and Judge Browning reinforced that fact with his ruling. This is a huge victory.”
    In 2007, the WildEarth Guardians, then known as the Forest Guardians, challenged the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) use of categorical exclusions (CE) to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for grazing permit renewal in Federal District Court. The case focused on 26 grazing allotments in the Gila National Forest. The NMCGA, the New Mexico Federal Lands Council and the Arizona/New Mexico Coalition of Counties intervened in the case on behalf of the 26 named allotment owners.
    “This case was just one more attempt by a radical activist group to eliminate livestock grazing,” Ogden said. “Had it been successful, it would have devastated the livelihoods of the named allotment owners, and the economy of rural Southwestern New Mexico. We are so pleased that the Court saw through the claims made by the WildEarth Guardians and ruled on the side of common sense and the will of Congress. NEPA analysis is typically required for major federal actions, but due to policy decisions by the USFS and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is now required for the renewal of 10-year USFS grazing permits, Ogden explained. Now, the agency has a tremendous backlog of analysis and paperwork, because they simply are not equipped to conduct such detailed review on every grazing permit that comes up for renewal. Additionally, the WildEarth Guardians and other such groups tie up the agencies with appeals and lawsuits.”
    “This has created a lot of uncertainty for ranchers who depend on grazing allotments as part of their operations, and for the institutions, like banks, that they work with on a daily basis,” Ogden noted. “Fortunately, we have had strong Congressional support on this issue.”
    Starting in 1995, and most recently in March of 2009, language was included in several appropriations bills by former Senator Pete Domenici directing the USFS to use categorical exclusions to keep the current terms and conditions of grazing permits in effect until the agency is able to complete the environmental analysis required for renewal. “Through no fault of their own, these ranchers were placed in jeopardy, and we appreciate the Court’s ruling. The ironic thing is, every lawsuit filed against the agency by groups like the WildEarth Guardians takes more and more time and resources away from environmental analysis and on-the-ground resource management – making the situation even worse,” said Ogden.
    Although this ruling pertained to these 26 allotments in New Mexico, it will also have a direct influence on the court challenge that Western Watershed Project has mounted to the remaining 138 Forest Service grazing permit renewal decisions on 386 allotments across the remainder of the Western states. That case is now pending in the Northern District Court of California and includes some Wyoming allotments.
    “We are extremely pleased that the USFS chose to defend itself and the ranchers on these allotments in the face of this frivolous litigation. We are also extremely proud of the representation that Karen Budd-Falen and the Budd-Falen Law Office, L.L.C., Cheyenne, Wyoming, protected the industry through participation in the case on behalf of the livestock industry,” she concluded.

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Last Updated on Friday, 08 April 2011 14:28

Written by Christy Martinez

Although for some time the common belief was that Wyoming was too high and too dry for a substantial cheatgrass problem, it’s since been established that downy brome, or cheatgrass, is a problem in the state.
“We used to think cheatgrass was confined to low elevations, but have now found dense stands well over 9,000 feet, so we know it’s moving upward,” says UW Extension Weed Specialist Brian Mealor.
This is significant, he notes, because planning a grazing system with cheatgrass as a major part of the forage base is very unpredictable.
Cheatgrass is readily identifiable and is known as downy brome because of the fine hairs on the plant. That, and the purple color and nodding seed heads tend to stand out.
“When entire landscapes turn purple it’s hard to miss,” says Mealor. “One thing we often see are firm, dense stands of seedlings, and they can have a second flush of germination in the spring, which makes it a challenge to control. It also doesn’t take much moisture in the fall to increase the amount of cheatgrass.”
Mealor says the grass is incredibly competitive, reducing the growth of crested wheatgrass and bluebunch wheatgrass, and its entire life is about producing seeds – from 13,000 to 20,000 seeds per square meter.
“Plant densities range from 10,000 to 13,000 plants per square meter, and that doesn’t allow much room for anything else,” he says, adding that, while the problem is most seen in the Great Basin, Wyoming does see large monocultures of cheatgrass.
Although published literature suggests cheatgrass seed is viable for around five years in the soil, most will germinate within one year if conditions are right. Mealor says the difficulty with the data is that it’s hard to pin down accurate seed longevity times, and that recent work suggests a small portion of the seed might be viable for up to nine years or more.
“That persistent seed bank is a problem we have with reinvasion after control,” says Mealor.
He adds that the rule of thumb for rangeland managers is that they should begin to be concerned and to implement treatment when native grasses number less than three plants per square meter.
“At what point in time do we decide to implement cheatgrass control on rangeland?” asks Mealor. “As soon as we see it? I don’t know that there’s enough money in the Federal Reserve to start doing that across the state, and one thing we’re trying to move forward is identifying some of those thresholds.”
He says that cheatgrass at minimal densities will allow for establishment of native seeds, and that it doesn’t have to be completely eradicated.
One of the biggest ecological impacts is the ability of cheatgrass to change fire frequencies.
“Big sagebrush subspecies don’t respond well to fire, as they don’t re-sprout and have to re-grow from seed,” says Mealor. “Some places in the Great Basin have changed from a historic fire frequency of 100 to 150 years between fires to burning every three to five years, and if you get a fire return that quick the odds of reestablishing sagebrush are very low.”
The buildup of litter from cheatgrass creates fine fuels even early in summer, and all it takes is one lightning strike to initiate a fire cycle.
“I don’t think we’ve reached that point in a lot of the state. We have a good perennial component, and a lot of shrubs, so that gives us the opportunity to go to some high-priority areas to prevent the cheatgrass wildfire cycle,” explains Mealor.
Control efforts aim to increase species diversity, improve the predictability and longevity of the forage base, protect the perennial plant community by reducing the probability of an altered fire regime and to reduce the susceptibility to secondary invaders.
Mealor says the herbicide Plateau is the most widely used for cheatgrass in rangeland.
“We’ve seen the best results with pre-emergent application in the fall. Plateau can maintain residual desirable plants, and there are no grazing restrictions. We can also reseed following applications, and I’ve heard some really good reports,” he states, adding that the chemical does need to reach the soil surface, and can be intercepted by litter, which causes less and unpredictable control. However, sagebrush is resistant at label rates.
Matrix is another chemical option that has a rangeland restoration label for fall application.
“I work with it as a pre-emergent, and my thought is that if we have soil residual and can get it on pre-emergent, our window of efficacy will be good,” says Mealor.
Matrix is applied at low rates – the label recommends two to three ounces per acre, though some reports show good control down to one ounce. Mealor says it is expensive, at $17 per ounce, because it was originally developed for crop markets and still carries that cost with it.
Regarding Roundup herbicide, Mealor says at low rates in early spring it can suppress cheatgrass populations.
“You want to apply it when the desirable vegetation is dormant, or not 100 percent actively growing, and it can be used in reseeding projects,” he notes. “Apply it at around 14 ounces per acre, and if you can wait for the population to be at half seed set you’ll catch the entire group. It’s a low-cost option for chemical control.”
Mealor says Journey is another low-cost option that can be applied both pre- and post-emergent, and that fall is a good time for application.
Following treatment, Mealor says reseeding may have to be an option in cases where productive rangeland has been dominated by cheatgrass, with no desirable species left.
“Herbicides are probably the most effective control tool we have, from a cost and efficacy standpoint,” says Mealor of the solution to encroaching cheatgrass.
Christy Martinez is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .