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Show EE SffiQGfl gei rastjsKi Igss tfei IX of fiE'e A total of 160,000 acres of rangeland will be affected affect-ed by MX. This total represents rep-resents only three tenths of one percent of the 56 million rangeland acres In and around the MX deployment area. Cattle and sheep ranches are generally located on private pri-vate land and ae grazed on Federal lands by permit from the BLM. Typically, large cattle or sheep operations opera-tions will hold grazing per mits In a number of different Federal land planning units. Grazing permits are allotted allot-ted by Animal Unit Month. An AUM is the fodder required re-quired to support one mature cow or five sheep for one month of grazing. The amount and types of forage, the amounts of water and soil conditions establish the acres of land which will pro vide livestock support. It Is estimated thatMX will result In a total loss of 7,200 AUM if deployed in Nevada and Utah. This is less than one percent of the 1,802,155 AUMs planned by BLM for the same areas. These estimates include land impacted im-pacted by the MX shelters, shelter construction, fac ility ili-ty and roads as well as the land impact resulting from the operating bases construction. con-struction. In 1978, there were 344,000 cows and 113,000 sheep for a total of 457,000 animals in the areas proposed pro-posed for MX deployment. MX deployment would represent rep-resent a three tenths of one percent regional loss of animals per year. The Air Force has been wo.-king closely with the ranching industry ofNevada and Utah to lessen the Impact o-: MX deployment. The bas.' : Air Forca policy is; Avoii produ'ive areas, cropland Compensate for lost AUMs through improved vege -tadon.. temporary forage or payment |