Keeping track

Posted by egable on July 19th, 2007 filed in Grazing

For the first time in its history, the San Juan Public Lands Center is analyzing the environmental consequences of the tens of thousands of cattle and sheep that graze on public lands, the Durango Telegraph reported today. None of the grazing permits on the San Juans have undergone any kind of environmental analysis until now, despite a 1995 law that ordered each national forest to monitor its allotments to ensure that grazing is not interfering with other values of the public lands. Forest Service officials said so far their studies have shown that most of the grazing land is up to par. The agency is currently accepting public comments on the impacts of grazing on the Missionary Ridge-Lakes Landscape Rangeland Allotment, a plot of 119,000 acres northwest of Durango.