POLICY
It is the policy of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance that private sector livestock grazing is an inappropriate use of public lands on the Monterey Ranger District of the Los Padres National Forest, except where used as an appropriate tool to preserve rare native plant populations. Appropriate use for the preservation of rare plant populations must be based on a management plan incorporating the best available science in an approved Environmental Analysis or Environmental Impact Statement and not include the use of imported feed or grazing in riparian areas. The solution to this problem is to establish a voluntary grazing permit buyout program consistent with the objectives of the National Public Lands Grazing Campaign.
The VWA does not oppose livestock grazing on private land, in compliance with appropriate land use practices and environmental safeguards, for the production and harvest of meat, hides and other animal products.
BACKGROUND
Public lands livestock grazing devalues the public’s recreational use of their local National Forest lands. Very few hikers enjoy hiking through Forest Service grazing allotments while cattle are congregated on or near trail corridors. The accumulations of cattle manure, and the swarms of manure flies it attracts, are offensive and the cattle themselves are intimidating to many recreational users of our public lands. These conditions significantly detract from the natural experience the public is seeking. On the MRD, a far greater portion of its budget and management emphasis is devoted to managing grazing allotments for the benefit of about a dozen private ranchers, than is devoted to benefit the tens of thousands of citizens who use and enjoy their local National Forest lands for hiking, nature study, wildlife photography, birding, riding horses, experiencing solitude, backpacking, or having a picnic with their children.
Common problems associated with Forest Service grazing management include:
- Severe impacts to oak tree regeneration due to trampling and grazing of oak seedlings
- Increased sediment loads in down-stream habitat of federally endangered steelhead trout resulting from overgrazing of uplands
- Degradation of riparian areas due to trampling of stream banks and the resulting loss of protective streamside vegetation
- Introduction of exotic invasive plant species
- Destruction of Native American shell middens and other sensitive archeological sites
Forest Service grazing fees are set by Congress based on political objectives that have no relationship to the actual cost to administer the program. An economic study conducted by the US Government Accountability Office in 2005 proved that the cost to manage federal public lands livestock grazing exceeds program revenue by over $100 million each year. As a direct result of this public subsidy to a favored group of ranchers, other public land programs are under funded. Maintenance of public trails and camps, eradication of exotic invasive species, and restoration of damaged habitats are just three of many programs that serve much larger segments of the public than the privileged group of ranchers who are allowed to graze our local public lands.
For more information see:National Public Lands Grazing Campaign at: http://www.publiclandsranching.org/
Sierra Club Federal Public Lands Grazing Policy at: http://www.sierraclub.org/policy/conservation/grazing.asp
Waste of the West: Public Lands Ranching at: http://www.wasteofthewest.com/
Welfare Ranching: The Subsidized Destruction of the American West at:
http://www.publiclandsranching.org/book.htm
Adopted: January 25, 2008
