Public Land Grazing
Monitoring public land grazing allotments throughout the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains
Public land grazing is impacting the watersheds, wildlands, and ecosystems of the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains. Historic grazing has badly damaged habitats across the region and contemporary public land grazing practices are compounding those historic impacts.
Federal land managers almost exclusively utilize “passive, season long livestock grazing” in the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains. This form of grazing allows cattle to congregate and move throughout the landscape, largely unmanaged by the “permittees” on federal grazing allotments or by federal range management officials. Preferred grazing areas, often in wetlands, meadows, seeps, springs and riparian areas are often denuded of palatable vegetation, over-utilized, badly trampled and contaminated with fecal matter.
…public land grazing has decreased water quantity, reduced water quality, increased soil erosion, impacted native plant communities, spread noxious weeds, denuded hillsides, degraded spectacular mountain meadows, and diminished native bunchgrasses….
The historic and contemporary impact of public land grazing has decreased water quantity, reduced water quality, increased soil erosion, impacted native plant communities, spread noxious weeds, denuded hillsides, degraded spectacular mountain meadows, and diminished native bunchgrasses throughout the Klamath-Siskiyou and across the West. These impacts degrade important wildlife and aquatic habitats, while cattle compete with local wildlife for forage and other resources.
Klamath Forest Alliance is currently monitoring grazing allotments in the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains, where federal grazing allotments are currently impacting designated Botanical Areas, intact plant communities, rare plant populations, riparian areas, beautiful high mountain meadows, roadless areas and the world famous Pacific Crest Trail.
