Rancher Vandalism on the Dixie National Forest

[douglas9]

I recently spent a few days on the Dixie National Forest in southern Utah. One of the defining characteristics of the forest is that nearly all the acreage that is not a cliff or inaccessible canyon is used for cattle grazing. And without exception, almost all allotments are overgrazed and abused. Nearly all the allotments I visited were grazed down to golf course height or even bare dirt.

What I saw is essentially legalized vandalism. For example, if I were to tear down a Forest Service sign, I could be fined or perhaps even arrested, but you can easily replace a sign. This ecological damage is much more severe and long-lasting, yet the Forest Service does nothing to preclude it.


https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/11/08/rancher-vandalism-on-the-dixie-national-forest/

[2naSalit]

1. Full article at...

Originally published site:

https://www.thewildlifenews.com/2021/11/03/rancher-vandalism-on-the-dixie-national-forest-utah/

[mountain grammy]

2. K & R

[Jilly_in_VA]

3. The rangers

should be allowed to shoot the cattle on sight. This is the Bundys and their ilk.

[The Jungle 1]

4. Because the un-American ranchers shoot at the Forest Service.

Then then the justice system is unable to get convictions.
Study the Cliven Bundy case. He is nothing but a lawless puke. I bet the government would get a conviction if he was a Muslim.

[El Mimbreno]

5. Cattle "rights"

Lots of incongruity regarding cattle and their waste in particular. If I were to camp in an "open camping" area of a National Forest and needed to poop, I would have to dig a "cat hole" 200 ft (I think) from any body of water or watercourse. Meanwhile the cows are merrily pissing and pooping away in the stream.
Ever see a cattle truck rounding a curve with "soup" sloshing out of the bottom? Is that any different from an RV owner driving down the road with the black water valve open?
And then there are grazing leases. I see cattle on BLM land that can barely support a jackrabbit. Why? Wouldn't it make sense to raise cattle in a part of the country where there is actually grass?

OK, end of rant.

[Evolve Dammit]

9. A righteous rant it is. Good points all.

[spike jones]

6. Less than 5% of the nation's beef come from public land grazing.

Yet it destroys millions of acres. Save the West, kill a cow.

[Lonestarblue]

7. The US should close these federal lands to cattle grazing for at least five years to allow recovery.

That might be long enough to out these ranchers out of business or at least force them to reduce the size of their herds to one their own lands can support. I’m tired of people like this taking advantage of the rest of us who pay taxes to support our federal lands.

[IbogaProject]

8. It's another side effect of 2 senators per state

It's another side effect of 2 senators per state and a minimum of one congressman.