04/26/06 Too many cooks

Too Many Cooks You've all hear the saying "too many cooks spoil the broth." I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be back with an example of that saying right after this. I recently read a small article in the Capital Press announcing a couple of one-day range management schools. These sessions are designed to reduce conflict between ranchers and agencies. Mike Borman, Oregon State University extension grazing specialist is organizing the schools that will be held in John Day and Lakeview, Oregon. OSU, the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are promoting the two events. The two main participants are the rancher grazing permit holders and personnel from the various agencies that set and examine grazing allotment requirements. I think these two "cooks" should and could come up with a pretty good recipe for grazing allotment recommendations. After all these people know the lands in question from a common sense and technical perspective. What this recipe doesn't need is the third "cook" throwing in a dash of this and that while stirring the pot. This "cook" is the radical environmental type. The main ingredient provided by this hash slinger is curtailing production of the land to the point of stopping it or slapping a lawsuit on the government agency they believe should be responsible for the perceived infraction. I'm convinced that this time two cooks are plenty to end up with a tasty entrée to serve to the range ecosystem. I'm Jeff Keane.