An analysis of western ranching politics.
WILDFIRE UPDATE
Number of new large fires: 4
Number of active large fires: 90
Acres in active fires: 1,149,547
New large fires contained: 3
Updated as of August 27, National Interagency Fire Report:
www.nifc.gov/nicc-files/sitreprt.pdf
IN THE NEWS
Wildfire: Concerns about post-fire risk of flooding; Spain shows grazing is key in wildfire prevention around the world; Colorado Senator urges USDA cooperation in fire recovery; USFS Chief outlines priorities.
Monsoonal rains are dousing western Colorado wildfires. They also come with serious flood concerns. Colorado Sun – Five major wildfires are burning on Colorado’s Western Slope, spanning nearly 200,000 acres in total. Most are partially or almost fully contained, except for the 5,345-acre Derby fire north of Dotsero in rural Eagle County. On Sunday, storms quickly dumped a half-inch of rain in the Four Corners area and in Pitkin County. Rio Blanco County, where the Lee Fire is, saw 0.71 inches of rain. The Lee fire topped 100,000 acres Aug. 9 and ranks as the fourth-largest wildfire in Colorado history. Within minutes of the rainfall Sunday, members of the public reported flash floods in Rio Blanco County, where mini-rivers of “classic black fire debris” were flowing through Shute Gulch, McCarthy Gulch and Half Moon Gulch, according to preliminary local storm reports. A general guideline is that half an inch of rainfall in less than an hour is sufficient to cause flash flooding in a burn area, depending on factors like the area’s terrain, the severity of the fire and precipitation amount according to the NWS.
The fire shepherds deploying goats and cows to fight wildfires. MSN – In Spain, traditional pastoralists may hold the key to fighting the growing problem of wildfires that are devastating southern Europe. This summer, Spain has been ravaged by forest fires. In August alone, more than 20 major wildfires blazed across the western regions of Extremadura, Castile and Leon and even farther north into Galicia, scorching an area of land about twice the size of London. Criticism of the government’s ability to combat such blazes has mounted. But one answer to the task of preventing fires from breaking out in the first place may lie in Spain’s north-east. Here, the teeth of cows, sheep and donkeys are being deployed to fight back against the forces of climate change by managing scrubland. In Catalonia, “fire shepherds” like Marc Arcarons lead their herds of cows, sheep or donkeys through the countryside, in practices that have varied little for centuries.
Bennet Urges Secretary Rollins to Work With Colorado on Summer Wildfire Recovery Effort. Press Release – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet urged U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins to deliver fast, coordinated assistance to Colorado’s livestock producers to help recover from this summer’s wildfires. Livestock production is Colorado’s largest agricultural commodity, with families raising livestock in every county of Colorado. Livestock and livestock products provide more than $6.3 billion in cash receipts annually and sustain rural economies across Colorado.
USFS chief Tom Schultz outlines vision for more logging, mining and grazing and less wildfire in America’s national forests. WyoFile – U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Shultz on Tuesday said America’s national forests need less wildfire and more logging, mining, grazing and recreational activity. Schultz was the keynote speaker at a conference organized by the Congressional Western Caucus and chaired by U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-California. The multi-day summit in the Flathead Valley has given U.S. senators and representatives an opportunity to talk policy with state officials, industry groups and prominent think tanks such as Americans for Prosperity. Schultz said his “back-to-basics” approach to “multiple-use management” will favor expedited review for natural resource development by overhauling agency guidance on federal laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. Schultz also said he intends to aggressively suppress all wildfires and make more U.S. Forest Service land accessible for recreational use by motorized users and others.
ESA: Court dismisses most claims in suit challenging NM grazing.
Suit Over Forest Service’s New Mexico Grazing Plan Mostly Tossed. Bloomberg Law – Environmental groups suing over livestock grazing management in the Santa Fe National Forest failed to properly indicate to the US Forest Service exactly which Endangered Species Act violations they were alleging, a federal judge said. Magistrate Judge Laura Fishing of the US District Court for the District of New Mexico largely dismissed the suit from WildEarth Guardians, Western Watersheds Project, and Caldera Action, stating their 60-day notice of intent to sue wrongly represented the action and the complaint included time-barred claims.
Sage grouse: WY rancher challenges wind farm due to bird impacts.
Rancher Challenges Wyoming Wind Project Over Wildlife, Lease Rules. Cowboy State Daily – Converse County rancher Mike Stephens has long worried about what massive wind turbines might do to the wildlife on state land near his family’s multi-generational ranch. But it wasn’t until this month that his attorneys spelled out those concerns in detail in Converse County District Court. In particular, Stephens is troubled by what the spinning shadows wind turbines might do to sage grouse — or as he calls them, “sage chickens” — that rely on the area for critical winter habitat. “The damaging part is to sage chickens, that shadow,” Stephens told Cowboy State Daily. “I don’t know if you’ve ever seen chickens, like domestic chickens or any bird. If they see a shadow, they are hightailing it because they know a bird of prey is going to get them.”
Screwworm: Human case of screwworm detected in Maryland.
U.S. Confirms Nation’s First Travel-Associated Human Screwworm Case Connected to Central American Outbreak. Reuters – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday reported the first human case in the United States of travel-associated New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, from an outbreak-affected country. The case, investigated by the Maryland Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was confirmed by the CDC as New World screwworm on August 4, and involved a patient who returned from travel to El Salvador, HHS spokesman Andrew G. Nixon said in an email to Reuters.
Multiple Use: Corner Crossing continues to generate discussion.
The case against corner crossing: One of the most contentious land access issues headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Beef Magazine -Today, public access to those intermingled sections of federally-managed lands is creating angst between the landowner/lessees and a cadre of activists seeking unfettered use of those federal lands. It’s also stirring up a larger issue swirling around private property rights doctrine.
Anyone familiar with the game of checkers can visualize this corner-crossing problem: to move diagonally across the board, a piece must momentarily occupy the space on and above the opponent’s squares. The question is whether a private landowner can prevent a person from stepping across those adjoining corners of federal public land to access private land.
Animal Health: First anthrax case of the year for ND cattlemen.
ND warns farmers after anthrax found in cattle herd. KX Net – North Dakota’s first case of anthrax this year has been confirmed in a beef cattle herd in Stark County, prompting state officials to urge livestock producers to take precautions. “This is the first case we have had in Stark County but have had cases in nearby counties in the past,” State Veterinarian Dr. Ethan Andress said in a press release obtained by KX News. He advised producers in historically affected areas to consult with veterinarians about risk factors and vaccination needs. Effective vaccines are available, but immunity takes more than a week to develop and requires annual boosters. Producers are encouraged to monitor herds for unexplained deaths and submit samples to diagnostic labs.
Sheep Industry: Domestic production poised to grow.
Sheep and Goat Meat Market to Experience Moderate Growth; IndexBox – Driven by increasing demand for sheep and goat meat in No. America, the market is expected to continue an upward trend over the next decade. Market performance is forecast to decelerate, expanding with an anticipated CAGR of +1.1% from 2024 to 2035, which is projected to bring the market volume to 318K tons by the end of 2035. In value terms, the market is forecast to increase with an anticipated CAGR of +1.4% for the period from 2024 to 2035, which is projected to bring the market value to $2.1B (in nominal wholesale prices) by the end of 2035. In 2024, the amount of meat consumed in No. America skyrocketed to 280K tons, increasing by 19% against the previous year. Total volume increased at an average annual rate of +3.1% from 2013 to 2024; however, the trend pattern indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. As a result, consumption attained the peak volume and is likely to continue growth in the immediate term. The value of the sheep and goat meat market in Northern America skyrocketed to $1.8B in 2024, growing by 22% against the previous year.