Summer is almost over, but the cattle on the Caribou National Forest south of town have been grazing since before summer even began--June1st to be exact. Most cows and calves will continue to munch into autumn--October 10th. In other words, this lasts the entire warm season, the time when residents like to bike and walk and take their kids picnicking in this most popular of Pocatello’s recreation areas. This year, we’ve been hearing a multitude of complaints about cows: too long of a grazing season and too long in the same place; too much damage to our fish, wildlife, birds. And talk about the recreation: the stink, the flies, the filth on boots and tires. To make matters worse, it isn’t just the areas near the roads either. Our Audubon members and others say the backcountry is often worse. Westside District Ranger Jeff Hammes, who many of us know and respect, a man who goes out of his way to be fair, will make a long-lasting decision this winter: whether or not to continue the status quo on cattle grazing for the three grazing allotments that are causing the controversy. Every ten years, the grazing management plans come up for review. This year is Ranger Hammes’ opportunity to make the needed changes. This year is also our chance to speak out, to let him and other public officials (city council, county commission) know that changes must be made. When the new grazing plan is released, there will be a short period for public comment. This period is called the “objections” period and is done for the public record. We, as many of us already know, these decisions are in large measure made well before the formalities. Ranger Hammes must listen to many groups. The Bannock County Commissioners, for example, have created a “consensus” group for the plan revision. It is highly dominated by ranchers and a few other folks. It is tasked to come up with “unofficial” proposals. Our conservation chair, Dr. Dave Delehanty, serves on this group as the lone conservation advocate. But the committee seems a troubling development since it is obviously biased. Do the commissioners think that three ranchers are the more important than all the recreational users in Pocatello and the surrounding area. Do they think they can throw their weight around and force a decision which is clearly only in the interests of a few? It is possible that they are unaware of our work. They might not recognize how debilitating the cattle are for bird habitat, for hiking, and the growing sport of mountain biking. Any citizen email them at any time giving their opinion about anything. Elections are next year. Commissioner Steve Hadley seems to be the most interested in this. Steve Hadley: [email protected] Howard Manwaring: [email protected] Karl E. Anderson: [email protected] We also have a mayor’s election in November. Candidates are going to be talking about our water supply and vowing to protect it. Do they know that fecal coliform testing we have done this summer shows violations at all streampoints tested except one? Do they know the South Fork of Mink Creek ran dry? Are they willing to advocate range management in the interest of Pocatello citizens, voters, and taxpayers rather than those few who graze almost for free? (The fee to graze a cow/calf pair is $1.35 per month.) With Audubon’s budget we could pay all their grazing fees for a year and tell them to send their cows home. This, however reasonable, is unfortunately illegal. There are two major candidates for mayor: incumbent Brian Blad and former mayor Roger Chase. There are also two newcomers: Idaho Lorax, and Paul Shepard. What would they do about the grazing? This really is the time to do something, not just moan about how awful things are, but actually do something. The following is a list of contacts: Ranger Jeff Hammes: fs.usda.gov/contactus/ctnf/about-forest/contactus Mayor Brian Blad: pocatello.us/mayor/ Roger Chase: mayorchase/ Idaho Lorax: idaholorax.newsvine/ Paul Shepard: https://facebook/ShepardForMayor
Posted on: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 19:13:32 +0000
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