Stock growers file protest against sage-grouse land use amendments

The Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) has filed a formal protest to the “Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse Proposed Land Use Amendments”, an Environmental Impact Statement, recently finished by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Unites States Forest Service (USFS).

According to the WSGA press release, these land use plan amendments have been applied to the six BLM field offices and three National Forests. The Rawlins BLM field office and the Medicine Bow National Forest are included within the amendments.

The amendments, according to the BLM website, are for the Resource Management Plan (RMP) and the Land Resource Management Plan (LRMP) within the project region. These amendments are made in attempt to strengthen regulations to pursue conservation efforts for sage-grouse.

The BLM web page on the amendments states, “The overall objective of the Wyoming Greater Sage-Grouse RMP/LRMP Amendments planning effort is to provide a collaborative planning process for amending the management decisions of the existing six RMPs and three LRMPs.”

In addition, the BLM goes on to explain the goal for these amendments.

“The final Approved RMP/LRMP Amendments will identify desired outcomes, identify future conditions to be maintained or achieved and specify uses or resource allocations that are allowable, restricted, or prohibited, including any restrictions needed to meet desired outcomes.”

The WSGA’s main objections, based on the press release, is that within the plan there is too broad of a definition for “disruptive activity”; which may have the ability to impact livestock management activities.

They protest against language that suggests retirement of grazing allotments when permits are voluntarily relinquished is within the federal government’s authority. “WSGA maintains that this provision is clearly outside the scope of the authorities granted by statute and regulation to the two land agencies regarding the process for considering closure of areas to grazing for other than resource-related conditions.”

The WSGA objected to the fact that the plan amendments did not include input from Governor Matt Mead’s Executive Order 2013-3 that, according to the WSGA press release, “recognized proper livestock grazing is not a threat to sage-grouse and establishes a clear process for addressing incidents of demonstrating improper grazing.”