I hope everyone is getting their spring work done and that it is going smoothly.
This legislative session continues to be an interesting one with bills being changed and amendments occurring within hours of a hearing. It has kept our legislative team on their toes but they are staying abreast of what’s happening.
We are also monitoring the environmental policies that are being imposed by the current presidential administration. The 30 by 30 executive order is one in particular we are keeping a watchful eye on. It calls for the protection of 30 percent of land and water by 2030. What is meant by protection is what is extremely concerning.
A few weeks ago, a judge issued a petition for stay blocking an outcome based grazing program on the Winecup Gamble in the name of sage grouse. This project would have created flexibility, adaptability, and cutting-edge management systems with widespread range improvements. Many people ranging from agency personnel to private partners put a tremendous amount of time and effort into getting this project off the ground. It had the potential to have widespread benefits to rangeland health and grazing practices throughout the west. This ruling was very disappointing to say the least.
In a true illustration of leadership, State BLM Director Raby sent a letter out to his staff and others with a vested interest in the project. He acknowledged all the work that had been done and the disappointment associated with the ruling while inspiring those to keep doing what they do best.
His words were referring to this subject matter but as I read his letter, it occurred to me that so much of what he said could be applied to the many challenges and setbacks we face as ranchers. I’ll share with you a couple excerpts from his letter.
“Nevada is tough. Nevada is hard. It’s hard and that’s why we’re here. If we wanted things easy, we would be somewhere else. But that’s not our nature… We will learn from this, chart a path forward and be better for it in the long run.”
Thank you Director Raby.
By Tom Barnes, President, Nevada Cattlemen’s Association