Congress on Western Rangelands

 There’s hope if we can all get together…call it Agtivism, Western Legacy Alliance or just plain old common sense. I told you last week that the "Congress on Western Rangelands" was getting together in Boise in order to bring together groups interested in the most innovative strategies to manage western working landscapes in the midst of controversy. It was a hit and a lot of concerned people including lots of ranch owners and livestock producers showed up to find out how they can act together to implement conditions and policies that influence western rangeland conservation and management from a multitude of perspectives. Governor Otter gave an impassioned lunchtime speech about preserving our rights and heritage in Western States and one of my new heroes, Karen Budd-Falen, an attorney and cattle rancher spoke to the audience: “I am convinced that the true stewards of the land out there are not these environmental groups that are taking in huge tax dollars, putting it in attorneys’ pockets and not spending a dime on the ground. The true stewards are you guys who are out there working on the land, putting in your effort and energy into the land and trying to protect the land for food and fiber for this nation. Most of the court cases that you look at are actually based on process, not on substance.” 

And what that means is that so many of these so-called environmental law suits do nothing but make the government jump through hoops with no outcome. They stop land use without any suggestions for alternatives.