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Ranchers get on board BLM’s mutual-monitoring program |
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Wednesday, 14 May 2008 |
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By Ken Koerner
Register Staff 5-13-2008
Following the lead of the owners of the Lone Tree Cattle Company, more ranchers have now signed cooperative rangeland monitoring agreements with the Bureau of Land Management.
As a result of the agency’s ongoing effort to expand the number of Eastern Sierra ranchers participating in these cooperative agreements, BLM Bishop Field Manager Bill Dunkelberger has announced two new participants in its mutual-monitoring program with grazing allottees.
On May 1, Steve Fulstone of F.M. Fulstone, Inc. and Ernie Paine of the Flying M Ranch signed memorandums of understanding with BLM, establishing a framework and specific plans to cooperatively monitor the agency’s rangelands associated with Fulstone’s and Flying M’s grazing allotments in the Bodie Hills, near Bridgeport.
“We greatly appreciate these permittees’ interest in strengthening our partnership to sustain the health and diversity of the public lands,” Dunkelberger said. “Cooperative rangeland monitoring is an important tool that increases our capacity to better manage livestock grazing and maintain desired range conditions on public lands.”
As previously reported when the initial BLM cooperative agreement was signed with Ken Zimmerman and Tom Peek, owners of the Lone Tree Cattle Company, from the rancher’s perspective the agreement helps ensure current rangeland conditions are incorporated whenever data is being reviewed.
“The BLM has some current data to work with, but that’s not always the case,” Zimmerman said in the wake of signing the MOU. “In the past, I’ve seen database information about our allotments that were really out of date. With this agreement, it should be possible for everyone to have a truer sense of rangeland conditions.”
As with Lone Tree, BLM discussions about measurement protocols held with Fulstone and Paine ahead of signing an MOU provides the agency with the confidence that what Fulstone and Flying M ranchers are reporting will utilize the same criteria that BLM would find in doing the work itself.
The impact of grazing on soil, water and vegetation are regularly evaluated by the BLM on all of the land it leases to permittees. In most cases, Dunkelberger explained, the BLM is conducting independent surveys on permitted land, which at times has led to disagreement related to those findings.
“Key to why we (BLM) think so highly about the cooperative monitoring program is that it really creates a much better dialogue with the permittee,” said Dunkelberger. “We get a better understanding of their needs and the information that we’re sharing is clearer to both sides. We learn from each other and it certainly improves the relationships with the ranchers.”
According to Dunkelberger, BLM’s contemporary permittees are increasingly informed about the latest approaches to effectively monitor and manage rangelands.
“Ranchers today have more tools at their disposal to make the best judgments about grazing,” Zimmerman said. “In the old days they’d just look to see where they thought the best forage was and move the cattle right on over; but with our increased awareness of rangeland management, today’s rancher can better decide if that really is the best choice.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 25 June 2008 )
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