Show Continual from Page 5 nances remain on the books The battle over grazing rights is becoming more and more emotional Radical environmentalists have been blamed for burning bams at a feedlot in Nevada Ranch reservoirs have been emptied In Utah someone (ranchers suspect environmentalists) killed 21 head of cattle with a rifle Ranchers also are angry In southern Idaho one rancher told a New York Times reporter that he would kill a ranger there who insisted on counting cattle and possibly forcing a reduction in the number of cattle that ranchers could keep The threat — one of many says the ranger — prompted him to deputize and arm other Forest Service agents for cattle counts Western ranchers may vent their spleens at local forest rangers but the movement against ranching has deeper roots “There’s been a change in society’s values” says Michael “Ranchers are fearful They say ‘if i' m so had how could I have survived for five generations?’ ” 0 p? Gardiner a district ranger for the Reserve District of the Gila Forest a sentiment echoed by many on both sides of the issue boots in state legislatures in "There’s still a lot of pointy-toe- d the West” says Dave Foreman founder of the environmental Sierra Club members group Earth First “but there are more than ranchers” Is there a solution? Where environmentalists have been most successful is in their attack on what they call “welfare ranching” — the economics of cattle grazing They’ve targeted the fee that ranchers pay to graze cattle on federal lands — S 1 9 1 to graze a cow or less of and a calf for one month The rate is one-four- th what ranchers who lease private land must pay Ranchers claim they’re entitled to the low fees because they have to build fences and dig stock ponds on federal land On private land which leases for $8 to §12 or more the owner usually handles such things But environmentalists say “improvements” such as stock ponds and fences destroy the land needed for wildlife And the fees don’t even come close to paying the cost of managing the land In 1989 the Forest Service spent nearly $35 million to manage the range but collected only $ 1 1 million or so in grazing fees Last year US Rep Michael Synar a Democrat from Oklahoma and a private land rancher introduced a bill to raise the federal fee to $870 The bill passed the House but not the Senate and was tossed out It since has been Ranchers predict widespread doom for an already troubled industry if substantial changes are made in grazing on public lands “Ranchers are fearful” says Karen Budd a rancher and lawyer in Cheyenne Wyo who represents ranchers with grazing permits “They say ‘If I’m so bad how could I have survived for five generations?’ ” “Some people would go out of business” agrees Dave who works on range issues for the National Wildlife Federation “But you’d have others coming in who could basis pay this fee It’s time to put livestock on a The taxpayers have been subsidizing the whole show” But change is in the wind: A few yean ago the Forest Service began a “Change on the Range” program a move away from the production of timber and grass in the national forests to focus on ecological values An increasing number of people come to Catron County to hunt elk to backpack or to camp and swing in a hammock outside their summer cabins They don’t want cows in the campground or “cowpies” along the river They want to see elk deer and antelope Since cows and wildlife are competitors more cows means less wildlife People want fragile natural systems protected Hunting and tourism are growing as economic forces not just here but go throughout the West “Home Improvement” All this week 7 am We've got renovation ideas that'll help you make your shack chic— without costing you a small fortune So redesign! Landscape! Knock down a wall or two! If you've got rooms for improvement (and don't we all?) then pull up a chair And a hammer And some wallpaper irjiiiiunnvu'H AMERICA Meanwhile ranchers aren’t resigned to becoming ghost riders yet They still represent a powerful political force on the national and state levels and are fighting range cuts A solution to the conflict will be tough to rein in One suggestion is to turn much of the Western plains into a “Buffalo Commons” a massive wildlife sanctuary Forget ranching and farming Give the plains back to bison antelope deer and elk People will come to visit this Serengeti of North America and residents can survive on a tourist economy Ranger Michael Gardiner says the move to some kind of economy is in the offing for Catron County and much of the West But Gardiner sums up the feelings of many when he says such a change wouldn’t be pleasant “Ranchers don’t want us retraining them to sell hot dogs to tourists They’ve been doing this for 100 years Their dads did it and their grandpas did it They want to continue “And I can understand” |