September 8, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Public Lands Council Hosts Annual Meeting in Boise, Idaho

BOISE, Idaho (Sept. 8, 2016) – Western ranchers are gathering this week in Boise, Idaho, for the 2016 Public Lands Council annual meeting. As the only organization in Washington D.C. solely dedicated to representing livestock ranchers who utilize public lands, PLC’s annual meeting will focus on legislative and regulatory updates. This year’s meeting will again feature top-notch speakers covering a wide range of topics.

“There’s never been a more important time for public lands ranchers to come together and shape the future policy for our livelihoods,” said Brenda Richards, PLC president. “Ranchers across the West have had some great wins over the past year, but there are still a number of critically important issues that we need to tackle. From the continued abuse of the Antiquities Act, locking off broad sweeps of public lands from multiple use, to environmental activists hampering endangered species conservation, it is vitally important that we set policy to preserve the future of our industry. This annual meeting is a great time to bring our strong membership base together to discuss these issues in the industry and develop our policy priorities.”

The sessions start today and cover a range of topics including the need for modernization of the Endangered Species Act, invasive species, wildfire management, water rights issues, sage grouse, and management of wild horses, and include speakers from the Western Resources Legal Center, the U.S. Forest Service and industry representatives. The meeting will wrap up on Saturday with a range tour of Charles Lyons’ Ranch.

“There are certainly no shortage of issues to discuss this year and it’s important for ranchers to engage in the conversation that shape national policy decisions,” added Richards. “With the backdrop of the Boise foothills, this is set to be a great meeting.”

For more information about the meeting and learn more about the organization, visit www.publiclandscouncil.org.
PLC has represented livestock ranchers who use public lands since 1968, preserving the natural resources and unique heritage of the West. Ranchers who utilize public lands own nearly 120 million acres of the most productive private land and manage vast areas of public land, accounting for critical wildlife habitat and the nation’s natural resources. PLC works to maintain a stable business environment in which livestock producers can conserve the West and feed the nation and world.
 
June 29, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Senate Holds Oversight Hearing on Sage Grouse Habitat Management  

Source: National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

WASHINGTON (June 28, 2016) – Today, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining held an oversight hearing on the Federal sage grouse plans and their impact to successful ongoing state management of the species. Brenda Richards, Owyhee County Idaho rancher and president of the Public Lands Council, testified on behalf of the PLC and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Richards said that any Federal management plan must first recognize the essential contribution of grazing to conservation.

“Ranchers across the west have a vested interest not just in the health of their livestock, but in the rangelands that support their herds and the wildlife that thrive alongside them,” said Richards. “The businesses they operate form the economic nucleus of many rural communities, providing jobs and opportunities where they wouldn’t exist otherwise. Additionally, ranchers often serve as first responders in emergency situations across vast, remote stretches of unoccupied federal lands. Simply put, public lands ranchers are an essential element of strong communities, healthy economies, and productive rangelands across the west.”

Across the west, roughly 22,000 ranchers steward approximately 250 million acres of federal land and 140 million acres of adjacent private land. With as much as 80 percent of productive sage grouse habitat on private lands adjacent to federal permit ground, this makes private partnership essential in increasing sage grouse numbers. However, concern remains that local stakeholder input is being ignored by the Bureau of Land Management.

“Items such as Focal Areas, mandatory stubble height requirements and withdrawals of permits impose radically severe and unnecessary management restrictions on this vast area in opposition to proven strategies,” said Richards. “Rather than embracing grazing as a resource and tool for conservation benefit, these plan amendments impose arbitrary restrictions to satisfy requirements for newly minted objectives such as Focal Areas and Net Conservation Benefit. Wildfire, invasive species and infrastructure are the major threats to sage grouse habitat and they are all most effectively managed through grazing.”

According to the latest data from the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ August 2015 report – Greater Sage Grouse Population Trends: An Analysis of Lek Count Databases 1965-2015, the number of male grouse counted on leks range-wide went from 43,397 in 2013 to 80,284 in 2015.  That’s a 63 percent increase in the past two years and contributes to a minimum breeding population of 424,645 birds, which does not include grouse populations on unknown leks.

“The results of these voluntary, local conservation efforts around the west are undeniable; habitat is being preserved and the sage grouse populations are responding,” said Richards. “Proper grazing specifically addresses the biggest threats to sage grouse habitat, while reduced grazing allows these threats to compound. To arbitrarily restrict grazing when it’s needed most is a recipe for failure. Local input and decades of successful, collaborative conservation efforts must be the starting point for future Federal involvement, not an afterthought as it is now being treated.”

Public lands ranchers encourage the BLM and Federal agencies to work with them to continue to conserve and protect sage grouse habitat.

A copy of Richards’ testimony submitted to the Subcommittee can be found HERE.

November 2, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Public Lands Council Welcomes New Executive Director

PLC LogoWASHINGTON (November 2, 2015) – The Public Lands Council welcomes Ethan Lane to the association in his new role as executive director. Lane is originally from Arizona and joins PLC with over 18 years’ experience in natural resource and land use issues. In his new role, he will also serve as executive director of federal lands for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

Brenda Richards, PLC president and Idaho rancher, said, “We are pleased to welcome Ethan to the association. PLC is stronger than it ever has been before, and we are excited for the future of the industry. Under the Ethan’s leadership, we are confident that the organization will continue to grow, and we will continue to see wins in Washington D.C. that help public lands in the West.”

PLC is the only national organization dedicated solely to representing the ranchers who hold federal grazing permits and operate on federal lands. Public lands ranchers play an integral role in regional and national efforts to safeguard America’s open spaces, local industries, and rural heritage. Today, more than 22,000 public land ranchers maintain 250 million acres of U.S. public land.

Before coming to PLC and NCBA, Lane served as an advisor for a variety of private companies and industries operating on public lands throughout the West. He also spent ten years prior to moving to Washington D.C. helping to grow and manage a large real estate and ranch portfolio including more than 500,000 acres in Arizona alone – much of that made up of State, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Bureau of Land Management grazing permits.

“With his experience and knowledge of the issues, Ethan brings unique perspective on the challenges landowners and lessees face in operating successful businesses on public lands,” said Richards. “He has a great understanding of the complexity and multitude of issues public lands ranchers face in the West and will be able to hit the ground running.”

Lane starts with PLC and NCBA on November 2, 2015.

September 16, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

National Public Lands Council Meeting – Podcast with Vicki Olson

PodcastLast week, Montana Public Lands Council Directors attended the National Public Lands Council annual meeting, held in Cody, Wyoming. MPLC Chair, Vicki Olson of Malta, visited with us to review important topics that were discussed affecting Montana ranchers. These topics included Sage Grouse, PLC dues increase, emerging Animal Welfare law education, Bighorn and domestic sheep conflicts, and a change of leadership for national PLC.

Click here to listen to the podcast in a new window.

September 15, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Western Ranchers Discuss Policy Priorities during Annual Meeting in Cody

PLC LogoWASHINGTON – The Public Lands Council hosted its annual meeting in Cody, Wyo., last week to discuss issues critical to the western ranching industry. Session topics included the need for modernization of the Endangered Species Act, sage grouse, invasive species, wildfire management, water rights issues, and management of wild horses among others. These hot button items drew a wide attendance and speakers from national affiliate organizations, the Western Governors’ Association, Western Resources Legal Center as well as Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“The western ranching industry is unique in the fact that it faces an added layer of federal bureaucracy in dealing with lands managed by the government,” said Dustin Van Liew, PLC executive director. “Nearly 22,000 ranchers utilize grazing permits to graze on federal lands equating to nearly 40 percent of western cow herd and 50 percent of the nation’s sheep herd spending some time on federal lands. I’m pleased this year’s meeting brought great insight and discussion to the table.”

The potential listing of the Greater Sage Grouse under the Endangered Species Act was top of mind, as the habitat improves and even thrives, specifically in properly-managed ranching areas. James Ogsbury, executive director of the Western Governors’ Association stressed the importance of individual state involvement in land management decisions such as the potential listing of the Sage Grouse, which would not only harm the ranching industry, but potentially halt the successful conservation programs already underway by ranchers and the states.

Western Resources Legal Center Executive Director Caroline Lobdell gave an eye-opening presentation on emerging issues in animal law. One particular issue of concern being tried in the courts, she said, is attributing human rights and personhood onto animals and livestock.

The Public Lands Endowment Trust allocated nearly a half a million dollars to invest in the protection, enhancement, and preservation of the western ranching industry, including a continuation of the communications project that serves to educate policy influencers and the public on the beneficial uses of grazing on federal lands. Since inception four years ago, the Trust has distributed over $1.3 million to projects across the west.

“Grazing continues to represent a multiple use that is essential to the livestock industry, wildlife habitat, open space, and the rural economies of many western communities,” said Van Liew. “This meeting always fosters insightful conversation about the future of the industry, and we greatly appreciate those who sacrifice their time and energy to join the meeting to shape the direction of our industry.”

September 11, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Public Lands Council Hosts Annual Meeting in Cody

PLC LogoCODY, Wyo. – Western ranchers are gathering this week in Cody, Wyo., for the 2015 Public Lands Council annual meeting. As the only organization in Washington D.C. solely dedicated to representing livestock ranchers who utilize public lands, PLC’s annual meeting will focus on legislative and regulatory updates. This year’s meeting has a schedule full of top-notch speakers covering a wide range of topics.

“Each year this meeting gets better, and this year will be no exception,” said Brenda Richards, PLC president. “Ranchers in the West have had some great wins over the past year, including the passage of key provisions of the Grazing Improvement Act, because of our strong membership base and the engagement of our organization. Annual meeting is an important event as we come together to discuss some of the hot-button issues going on in the industry and develop policy priorities.”

The sessions started Thursday and cover a range of topics including the need for modernization of the Endangered Species Act, invasive species, wildfire management, water rights issues, sage grouse, and management of wild horses, and include speakers from the Western Governors Association, Western Resources Legal Center, the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service as well as industry representatives.

“As has been the case in recent years, there continues to be no shortage of issues to discuss this year, and it’s important for ranchers to engage in the conversation that shape national policy decisions,” added Richards. “With many of the best and brightest minds in the public lands policy and management business here, it is set to be a beneficial and informative meeting.”

For more information about the meeting and learn more about the organization, visit www.publiclandscouncil.org.

September 10, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Livestock Groups Consider MOU for Brucellosis Management | Podcast

PodcastThe National Public Lands Council is hosting their annual meeting this week in Cody, Wyoming. Several Montana ranchers are taking advantage of the close proximity to attend the conference and meeting with public land users from across the country. Montana Stockgrowers and Montana Public Lands Council has several representatives at the meeting and we’ll be catching up later with Jay Bodner to learn more about the big topics of discussion coming out of the event.

Ranchers representing the Montana Public Lands Council in Cody this week include Vicki Olson of Malta and MPLC President, John and Joe Helle from Dillon, George Trischman from Sheridan and Johnny Schultz

Earlier, Montana Stockgrowers took part in a Tri-State Meeting prior to the PLC conference in Cody, to meet with representatives from our neighboring states of Idaho and Wyoming. MSGA Executive Vice President, Errol Rice, shares more about the topics discussed on the Stockgrowers podcast. As part of the meeting, the three states agreed to encourage state and federal agencies to create a working committee that will work toward better solutions for managing brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area.

Click here to listen to today’s podcast on a new page.

August 28, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

USDA Invests an Additional $211 Million for Sage Grouse Conservation Efforts

PLC LogoWASHINGTON – Yesterday, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the Natural Resources Conservation Service will continue its partnership with ranchers to invest in efforts for the conservation of Sage Grouse habitat. The four-year strategy will invest approximately $211 million in conservation efforts on public and private lands throughout the 11 Western states. The Public Lands Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association appreciate the NRCS’s commitment to a continued partnership with ranchers.

“Ranchers across the West appreciate the continued partnership with NRCS through the Sage Grouse Initiative,” said Brenda Richards, PLC president and rancher from southern Idaho. “As the original stewards of our Western lands, ranchers work day-in and day-out to maintain healthy rangelands and conserve our natural resources for the generations to come. The Sage Grouse Initiative has proven itself to be a win-win for livestock producers and the grouse, and the partnership through 2018 will support the continuation of the successful conservation efforts already underway.”

The sage grouse is found in eleven states across the western half of the United States, including California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming and encompasses 186 million acres of public and private land. In 2010, the Sage Grouse Initiative launched and has helped ranchers implement increased conservation efforts on their land, benefiting both the grouse habitat and rangeland for livestock ranchers.

The Sage Grouse, due to frivolous lawsuit and litigation, is currently at risk of being listed under the Endangered Species Act. However, the ESA has become one of the most economically damaging laws facing our nation’s livestock producers and is great need of modernization. When species are listed as “threatened” or “endangered” under the ESA, the resulting use-restrictions placed on land and water, the two resources upon which ranchers depend for their livelihoods, are crippling. The ESA has not been reauthorized since 1988 and NCBA and PLC believe the rather than listing the grouse under the ESA, efforts like the Sage Grouse Initiative will benefit the bird more and prove that listing is not the answer.

“The Endangered Species Act is outdated and has proven itself ineffective,” said Philip Ellis, who ranches in Wyoming. “Of the 1,500 domestic species listed since 1973, less than two percent have ever been deemed recovered. With this partnership, voluntary conservation efforts have increased, ranchers remain on the land, and wildlife habitat is thriving. In fact, Interior Secretary Jewell announced this year that through working with ranchers and other stakeholders in Nevada and California, the Bi-State Sage Grouse population was no longer at risk and was not listed under the ESA. This is prime example of how land management and conservation efforts should be made, in partnership with those that know the land the best.”

Learn more about the USDA NRCS Sage Grouse Initiative programs here.

August 18, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Catastrophic Wildfires Across the West Bring Attention to Need for Management

PLC LogoWASHINGTON – As massive wildfires blaze across the West this week, the need to address the increasing wildfire threat is even more apparent. According to the Agriculture and Interior Departments, there are currently 19,000 interagency personnel fighting wildfires across 13 states. The Soda Fire that burned across southern Idaho and eastern Oregon consumed roughly 300,000 acres of rangeland, threatening the homes and lives of residents, livestock and wildlife.

While Washington bureaucrats call for more funds to suppress the growing fires, the Public Lands Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association sent a letter to the White House today stressing the importance of proper natural resource management in order to help prevent these catastrophic events in our nation’s forests and rangeland which are managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, wildfire suppression now costs the agency more than $1 billion annually and for the first time in its 110-year history, the agency is spending more than half of its budget on wildfire suppression. When the cost of suppression exceeds the budgeted amount, USFS is forced to reallocate funds from other programs to cover the cost of fire suppression, known as fire-borrowing. While PLC and NCBA believe that having fire suppression funds available to cover the cost of fighting fire and prevent fire-borrowing is important, the organizations firmly believe that proper forest and rangeland management is the key to reducing catastrophic wildfires in the first place.

PLC President Brenda Richards said the mismanagement of federally-owned forests and rangelands has created great economic hardship and danger for ranchers that depend upon the land.

“This year’s fire season has proven once again the federal mismanagement of our forests and rangeland,” said Richards, whose ranch has suffered damage in the current Idaho/Oregon fire. “The livestock industry and rural economies will spend decades attempting to recover from the millions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure damage and forage loss that have been the result of catastrophic wildfire in recent weeks and years, not to mention the loss of valuable wildlife habitat. Because of frivolous litigation and attempts to keep peace with extremists, our government agencies have hampered the most natural and cost-effective wildfire prevention techniques, and subsequently put the lives of ranching families like mine and others in rural communities at risk.”

As the letter stresses, natural forest fires were nature’s tool to burn the underbrush and smaller trees, creating less competition for resources and resulting in healthier forests. Due to population growth and urban sprawl, people now live in the natural path of fires and as a result humans must take over managing the resources. However, Philip Ellis, NCBA president from Chugwater, Wyo., said with 82 million acres of Forest Service land at an elevated risk of catastrophic wildfires, insect, or disease outbreak, it is clear the federal agencies tasked to manage our forests are failing to exercise their responsibility.

“We have seen more red tape and regulation than ever before, and our natural resources are paying the heavy price,” said Ellis. “This administration continues to push the best caretakers off the land, and now it’s up to Congress to rein the agencies in. As Congress continues discussions to address the lack of stewardship these agencies have shown to the land and natural resources, we encourage them to find a solution that will help prevent these wildfires, rather than simply throwing more money in the attempt to control them after the fact.”

PLC and NCBA strongly supported H.R. 2647 introduced by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) which passed the House on a bipartisan vote, and continues to support S. 1691 introduced by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) which saw a hearing in July. These bills would require the Forest Service to treat a minimum of 2 million acres with mechanical treatment or prescribed burns each year, with reduced NEPA requirements for these projects. Further, this legislation would discourage frivolous litigation by requiring litigants to post a bond equal to the estimated costs of court proceedings and would require an arbitration process to precede the lawsuit. The legislation would also prevent fire borrowing and stop the federal agencies from raiding accounts necessary for proper forest and range management. PLC and NCBA encourage the Senate to take up this legislation and pass it without delay and call for federal land management agencies to streamline regulations that will allow for active management of forests and rangelands and discontinue harmful closed-door settlements with litigious radical groups that seek to see non-management on all lands across the west – the very action which leads to catastrophic wildfire.

–Press Release, Public Lands Council

July 1, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Grazing Districts Hold Annual Meeting, Podcast with Public Lands Council

masgdThe Montana Association of State Grazing Districts (MASGD) held their annual meeting on June 17th at Fort Keogh in Miles City. The meeting started with a joint Board of Directors meeting with the MASGD and the PLC, followed by a Grazing District Secretary appreciation lunch.

During the lunch, the Board recognized the secretaries for their valuable service to the districts. The Board also had a special recognition to Jennifer Cole, who is now retired, but was instrumental in the formation of the Missouri River Basin Grazing District in Alzada.

For the general business meeting, there were over thirty-five members in attendance. Informational updates were provided by Dustin Van Liew, Executive Director for the National Public Lands Council; Mark Petersen, Research Leader for Fort Keogh; Lila Taylor, Board of Livestock; Fred Wacker for MSGA, Richard Stuker, MT Fish and Wildlife Commission and Floyd Thompson, and Todd Yeager from the Bureau of Land Management.

The Grazing District members also received congressional updates from Jesse Anderson with Senator Tester’s office and Alex Sterhan with Congressman Zinke. Larry Ahlgren of Winnett and Dan Kluck of Malta were elected for a second term on the Board of Directors.

The 2016 annual meeting is tentatively scheduled for June in Malta, MT.

After the Grazing Districts meeting, we had the opportunity to sit down with Dustin Van Liew to learn more about the work Public Lands Council does in Washington D.C. as well as here in Montana.