| Debate rages over grazing on Washington state's public wilderness |
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| Written by Greenwire | |
| Monday, 28 July 2008 | |
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Ranchers and officials with the Washington state Fish and Wildlife
Department say livestock grazing on public lands is bolstering the
local economy and helping to test a theory that grazing stimulates
growth of plants for elk and deer, but biologists, environmentalists
and excluded ranchers say the practice is an environmentally
destructive handout to the politically connected.
The ranchers say public lands are one of the few places they have left, as development converts pastures into subdivisions. The state has spent at least $142,819 on preserving growing land, and the current budget calls for at least $300,000 more. The environmental threats do not come from cattle, said Jeff Tayer, a manager for the state Fish and Wildlife Department, but from developers. The public ranges preserve open spaces. Environmentalists say the cattle foul waterways with their manure and displace wild ungulates. Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) backed the plan, which some say was an effort to win support in the state's more conservative eastern region (Lynda V. Mapes, Seattle Times, July 28). -- PR
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 28 July 2008 ) |
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