End Cattle Grazing on Federal Lands!
19,245 signatures toward our 30,000 Goal
Sponsor: The Rainforest Site
Cattle grazing on federal lands is leading to the destruction of natural habitats and wildlife. This practice needs to end!
Cattle grazing has been a longstanding tradition in the Western United States, but the practice has become outdated and the preservation of land and wildlife needs to come first.
There are countless documented cases of animals being killed to make way for ranchers who leave an environmentally destructive path in their livestock's wake.
In 2016, almost an entire Washington State wolf pack was killed after cattle were attacked on federal grazing lands known to be the pack's territory. At the ranchers' request, the wolves were shot from a helicopter1.
Just 4 years later, Washington state wildlife managers killed off an entire pack of wolves that roamed near the Canadian border in the remote Colville National Forest, after ranchers claimed the wolves killed cattle grazing on both private and public land2.
From Washington down to Nevada, more than 100,000 coyotes, wolves, and bears are killed each year by Wildlife Services to protect livestock producers, as well as foxes, prairie dogs, and other native species. Wildlife should not suffer and be slaughtered in their natural habitat to make way for cattle and livestock3.
Meanwhile, ranchers save tons of money by using federal land for grazing instead of buying feed for their livestock4. This also puts precious water sources in danger. Plant life — which feeds and sustains the wildlife in the region — is consumed instead by close-grazing livestock which decimates the careful ecological balance of the prairies5.
With native wildlife, plant life, and water sources in danger and being destroyed, the use of federal land for livestock grazing needs to come to a stop immediately6. The BLM must also curb the practice of killing animals — some of whom are endangered — to protect those livestock invading the western range. Sign the petition and help us ask the Bureau of Land Management to end livestock grazing on federal land and protect the precious land and wildlife in the West!
- Ben Guarino, The Washington Post (25 August 2016), "Six cows are dead or hurt. Now Washington state will shoot 11 wolves and pups.."
- Karina Brown, Courthouse News (17 August 2020), "Siding With Ranchers, Washington State Kills Another Wolf Pack."
- Collette Adkins, The Center for Biological Diversity (4 June 2019), "Agriculture Department's 'Wildlife Services' Killed Nearly 1.5 Million Native Animals in 2018."
- Dipika Kadaba and John R. Platt, The Revelator (22 May 2019), "A Steal of a Deal: How Ranchers Take Advantage of Public Lands."
- Randi Spivak, The Center for Biological Diversity, "Grazing."
- Cowspiracy The Sustainability Secret (2014) "The Facts."
The Petition:
To the Director of the Bureau of Land Management:
The Bureau of Land Management exists in order "to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America's public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations." That, unfortunately, is not what is taking place in the western United States due to the ongoing practice of livestock grazing on federal lands.
Native species of animals are being killed by the tens of thousands every year in order to protect privately owned livestock on public lands, despite the known risks that come with livestock husbandry in the wild. In 2016, once-endangered wolves were killed in Washington state for attacking livestock that ranchers let graze on federal land that is known to be wolf territory. Other species of animals being killed in the interest of livestock production with the use of federal land include bears, foxes, coyotes, and prairie dogs. Wildlife should not suffer and be slaughtered in their natural habitat to make way for cattle and livestock.
Grazing on public lands is cheaper than purchasing feed or grazing on private land, which is why the practice continues to this day. While cattle grazing on the open range may have once been necessary a century ago, it is now a threat to the beautiful landscapes, the natural plant life, the precious water supplies, and the native — and sometimes endangered — wildlife. The native land and its wildlife must come first before the priorities of livestock profits.
There are inherent risks that come with any type of farming, especially husbandry, and ranchers must assume the risks that go with having cattle in or near wolf and bear territory. To kill off wolves because they attack cattle while in their own territory, on public land, goes against both reason and sound conservation. These animals which are on the endangered species list or have just recently come back from the brink of being endangered must not be slaughtered and brought to extinction.
A ban of livestock grazing on federal lands would preserve the land and protect its wildlife for our future generations to have, admire, and enjoy. The open range of the western United States is far too valuable to be destroyed at the cost of livestock production which could more properly be managed on private land. The Sierra Club and many other organizations have for some time now called for an end to livestock grazing on public land, and that time is now.
Director, you and the Bureau of Land Management can protect our beautiful western range and stop the killing of wildlife by banning the use of federal land for livestock grazing. Privately owned livestock should graze and be fed on private land, not public land. Please put an end to grazing permits and grazing rights on public land as a whole, thereby preserving the land and stop the killing of wolves and other animals in their own habitat.
Sincerely,
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