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No, it doesn't--and this kind of ignorant assumption is one reason why these kinds of discussions don't belong on this list.  But since some of you seem to insist on bringing stuff like this up over and over, ad nauseum.....

 

In much of the West, where there are distinct seasons, grasses grow up that are healthier if grazed, and that are a fire hazard if they are not grazed.  It really matters very little what species does the grazing--when the season is right for the grazing to be done.  But the rangelands are very severely damaged when ANY species is left out on it in excess numbers, and particularly when there are too many animals during the spring months when the ground is soft and the plants are first beginning to grow.

 

Unlike feral or wild species, cattle can be closely regulated.  Ranchers are only allowed to put cattle on the rangelands when the grass is sufficiently established in the spring, and are only allowed to leave them there during the peak times when there is grass to harvest.  That is simply good resource management.

 

Wild species such as elk and deer are regulated by hunting.  The numbers of permits are calculated to remove as many animals as need to be removed for both the land and the remaining animals to stay healthy.  They do have to be on the land all year around, and the numbers are maintained accordingly.

 

Feral horses are a whole different story.  They reproduce more effectively than many of the wild species.  Their dentition allows them to crop the grasses so close to the ground that in tough times, they can completely destroy a rangeland if left in sufficient numbers.  They are big enough that in tough times, they can out-browse even the elk, destroying even such plants as willows.  They are not a popular species to hunt--never mind that the same people screaming their heads off about the BLM managing their numbers would probably come unglued if hunting licenses were issued so that people could shoot them.  The BLM tries to round up enough to manage the numbers--but adoption does not keep up with the reproductive rates.  The BLM is stuck with these horses in holding facilities, and cannot continue to keep adding to the numbers there.

 

Sure, ranchers pay to run their cattle on the rangelands--that's just good fiscal management.  But they also provide a great management tool by grazing the land ONLY when it is the right time to graze it.  (And by the way, they own the land, too--just as much as you or I do.  But they still have to pay to use it, just as you or I pay to use it for recreation or for other purposes.)  But the ranchers also do much of the work to develop and maintain watering areas--which in turn makes it possible for other species such as the feral horses to utilize the same areas. 

 

Meanwhile, it is really sickening to see a hard-working segment of our population that does more to maintain the health of our public resources than perhaps any other group in the private sector bashed and bad-mouthed on a public list by folks who obviously don't have Clue One about rangeland but instead just want to promote an emotional political agenda on a free forum.  Shame on you.

 

Heidi

> Cattle create revenue, wild horses don't. Again . . . it all boils down to the mighty friggin' dollar.

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