New Interactive Map Highlights Rangeland Health Across the U.S.
Explore the health of rangelands across the United States with a new interactive map developed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). This tool provides insights into the impact of livestock on public lands, offering a detailed view of rangeland conditions and management practices.
When the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) ordered the removal of cattle from public rangeland near Battle Mountain, Nevada, due to severe drought, locals protested federal overreach. This led to the 'Cowboy Express' ride from California to Washington, D.C., demanding the ousting of local District Manager Doug Furtado.
Disagreements like this are common in Western politics. However, a new tool to understand livestock impact on public lands has emerged. PEER released an interactive map that collates over 45,000 BLM records, diagnosing 20,000 allotments nationwide. This map is the result of Freedom of Information Act requests by PEER and the Western Watersheds Project.
According to the map, 29% of allotted land, or 16% of the number of allotments, has failed to meet BLM standards of rangeland health due to livestock impacts. These assessments are based on criteria such as watershed conditions, water quality, soil health, and habitat for at-risk species.
The map also provides satellite images of each allotment, allowing users to verify BLM reports. Soil and vegetation disturbances from mining, agriculture, livestock, or off-road vehicles are visible. For example, allotments in eastern Montana are categorized as healthy but are used for crops, raising questions about the criteria for meeting standards.
In some cases, the map shows unhealthy, red-tinted allotments next to healthy, green-tinted ones, suggesting different interpretations of rangeland health by adjacent district offices. In Argenta, where the Cowboy Express originated, the allotment in question is surrounded by red or un-assessed land, supporting Doug Furtado's call for reduced grazing.
The BLM responded to an initial PEER report from 2012, criticizing the methodology. They argued that some acres within unhealthy allotments are actually healthy, and PEER's grouping of all acres as unhealthy skewed the data. The BLM is developing its own mapping system to show rangeland health acre-by-acre.
The agency states it has taken action to correct grazing management on 86% of the 1,925 allotments where livestock grazing was the cause of not meeting land health standards.
Originally Posted By HCN