Cows Removed from Four Allotments in Rich County, Utah
Because of Idaho Watersheds Project's involvement as an interested
public on all BLM grazing allotments in Rich County, Utah, located east
of Salt Lake City and adjacent to Wyoming in the Bear River watershed,
the Salt Lake District of the BLM in a letter signed by Area Manager,
Sam Montgomery, has ordered all permittees to remove their livestock
immediately from four allotments (New Canyon, Big Creek, Cutoff Canyon,
and Woodruff Pastures) because of the BLM's illegal authorization of an
extension of grazing use in those allotments this month. The BLM had
permitted "extensions" of grazing use without any involvement of
interested publics and without issuing a proposed and/or final decision
authorizing temporary non-renewable grazing use as required by law. IWP
is impressed with the BLM's quick response when the matter was brought
to their attention. IWP hopes this action by the BLM represents a start
on a new way of doing business on our public lands in the Salt Lake
District.
IWP notes that 90% of the grazing permits in Rich County are
expiring
in the next 12 months and that the BLM will be obliged by law to
consult on each permit with interested publics. A currently proposed
rider to the Interior Appropriations BIll in Congress at this time
would waive BLM's responsibility to carry out NEPA analysis on these
permits and would require them to be reissued without any public
involvement. Readers might call their Congressional Representatives and
ask that this and all other stealth anti-environmental riders be
removed from this bill.