BLM Allows Livestock Grazing Amid Drought in Nevada

RENO, Nevada— The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has agreed to let ranchers continue grazing cattle and sheep on more than 300 square miles of northern Nevada rangeland, provided that drought conditions do not worsen. This decision has sparked controversy among ranchers, who are voicing their concerns to Governor Brian Sandoval.

Last weekend,BLMofficials withdrew previous threats to removelivestockfrom the Argenta grazing allotment in Humboldt and Lander counties. Under a temporary agreement with the three largest permittees, grazing will continue at existing levels, with the condition thatlivestockmust be removed within a week if range conditions deteriorate to trigger a mandatory drought response.

Among other stipulations, the height of grass stubble in riparian areas must not fall below 4 inches. "The 2014 agreements avoid issuance of aBLMgrazing decision that would either temporarily close all or part of the allotment or require grazing permit terms to be temporarily modified to prevent drought-related resource damage," saidBLMspokeswoman Lesli Ellis-Wouters.

Mostlivestockaffected belong to Tomera Ranches, which holds 11,890 out of the more than 13,000 Animal Unit Months (AUM) permitted. An AUM is the amount of forage needed to sustain one cow and her calf, or one horse, or five sheep or goats for a month.

Pete Tomera of Battle Mountain, who was gathering signatures on horseback, expressed dissatisfaction with the agreement, stating, "The agreementBLMforced on us is not a good one. There are many unreasonable restrictions." He voiced concerns that theBLM's actions are heavy-handed and controlling.

Elko County Commissioner Grant Gerber organized the "Grass March," modeled after Gandhi's non-violent civil disobedience, to protest theBLM's actions. Riders collected signatures onpetitionsurging a halt to theBLM's removal of cattle and the firing ofBLMDistrict Manager Doug Furtado.

Eddyann Filipini, whose Badger and Chiarra Ranches have nearly 1,500 AUMs in the Argenta allotment, criticized theBLM's restrictions, stating they make no sense given the abundant forage and grass in the area. Filipini described theBLM's actions as "tyranny and blackmail."

For more details, visit theoriginal Associated Press article.