*Special Alert! Oppose the “Grazing Improvement Act”
The “Grazing Improvement Act,” S. 258, is a nightmare for wild buffalo. As many of you already know, one of the primary reasons wild buffalo aren’t allowed to migrate beyond Yellowstone’s borders is that much of the National Forest land is leased to private ranchers to graze cattle. The ranchers simply don’t want competition for the grass on our federal public lands. Wild buffalo have a natural right to migrate and graze, but the welfare ranchers stand in the way. Now, with the so-called “Grazing Improvement Act” they want to keep the public from even being involved in the decisions about how our public lands are managed and to exempt those decisions from environmental review as currently required under the National Environmental Policy Act. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the bill would also extend grazing permits from 10 years to 20 years!
TAKE ACTION: CALL SENATOR WYDEN TODAY! The Committee will hold a business meeting to consider this legislation first thing Thursday morning. Please take the time right now to contact the Committee Chair, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, and tell him not to support this destructive bill. Public lands ranchers already have a sweetheart deal. They certainly don’t need more special treatment. WITHIN OREGON: Call Senator Wyden at (202) 224-5244 in Washington, DC, or (503) 326-7525 in Portland Oregon. Phone calls are going to have more of an impact, but Oregon residents may also choose to use this email form. OUTSIDE of OREGON: Call Senator Wyden at (202) 224-5244 in Washington, DC, or (503) 326-7525 in Portland Oregon. And if your Senator is on the Committee, please also let him/her know that the public has a right to be involved in how our public lands are managed.
More Helpful Points to Raise: The “Grazing Improvement Act” is a huge giveaway to the livestock industry coming at a time when many of our western public lands are in dire condition. With the impacts of climate change becoming more apparent every year, the situation is only going to worsen at the expense of native wildlife, clean water, and healthy ecosystems. The last thing we need is to further entrench one of the most destructive activities taking place on our public lands.
Edited to add links:
http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2013/11/18/special-alert-oppose-the-grazing-improvement-act/
http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ymXTrUFZS1T%2F2vdbIfUUdD4E%2BDfkMVuo
I think that eliminating the public's input is now the trend and it's a bad one...
= new reply since forum marked as read
I kind of spaced it out while putting the OP together. I did add the link to the story I quoted and the actual originator of the alert.
The issues are getting dire for the Northern Rockies and other wild places on the continent. The area where the bison are, generally Yellowstone NP, is where the majority of the water in the center of the continent originate, within a small area known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The Missouri River starts here, the Snake River starts here... seriously, within 50 miles of each other. this is an majorly important area and the issues regarding policy and management of its wildness are critical to the majority of the western states.
I hope that people will take action about this because it's about clean air, water and whether you have wild places to experience when you want to go visit what belongs to all we citizens whether it's camping, hiking, wildlife watching, skiing, cycling... this place matters to everyone.
Thanks again,
2na
this is something that's vital for all of us... even if it happens to be going on in my front yard, because my front yard belongs to all citizens since it's a National Forest.
Recently it was the gov. of MI throwing out pblic comments on the wolf killing spree, now the Sens. from Idaho and Wyoming are pushing this shit again. That drunkard, Crapo (R-Idaho) is on top of this shitpile legislation, he's been pushing this for a few years now and he's got his old buddy, the former Senator Wide-stance who is now a lobbyist helping him with all his connections.
Foul indeed!!
Tweeted this too.
I hope it gets a lot of attention, something that will pass under the radar otherwise.
