Judge Criticizes BLM for Underreporting Grazing Impacts

A recent ruling by an administrative law judge has brought to light significant underreporting by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regarding the impacts of grazing leases on the Duck Creek allotment in Rich County. This decision could have far-reaching implications for how the BLM manages grazing across the arid West.

The 140-page opinion by Judge James Heffernan criticized the BLM for ignoring critical data and alternative viewpoints in its environmental assessment of the Duck Creek project. This project was intended to be a model for public-lands grazing. The ruling suggests that BLM's practices may violate its own range-health standards and endanger sage grouse habitats.

Jim Catlin of the Wild Utah Project commented on the potential impact of the ruling, stating, "Sound ranching is part of what we need to have local food and sustainable communities. Degraded habitat places at risk your agricultural community as well as your wildlife community."

Utah BLM officials, however, defend their 2009 decision, which Judge Heffernan reversed. This decision included a four-pasture rotation system, exclosures, upland water troughs, and extensive monitoring, which are not typically required. Kevin Oliver, BLM’s West Desert district manager, stated, "We went above and beyond the regulations to provide a thoughtful grazing management system."

The Duck Creek allotment, located southeast of Bear Lake, combines federal, private, and state land. Catlin and John Carter of the Western Watersheds Project conducted a study revealing that grazing had a more significant impact than reported by BLM's range scientists. Their findings showed that grazing left a deeper footprint, with more than 50% of grasses and forbs consumed, contrary to BLM's reports.

Heffernan found Catlin and Carter’s data, gathered from 2005 to 2008, to be convincing. Their "paired-plot" methodology involved clipping and weighing forage plants in both upland and riparian test plots, providing a more accurate assessment of grazing impacts.

Catlin criticized BLM's monitoring methods, stating they provide no information about the relative amounts of various grass and forb species consumed. He emphasized that grazing pressure exceeding 50% of forage consumption degrades plant root structures, leading to a decline in range health.

Originally Posted By The Salt Lake Tribune