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March 2010

Nevada Cattlemen Sit Down with
US Senatorial Candidate Sue Lowden

by Meghan Brown

On January 29th Boyd and Audrey Spratling, Tom Barnes, Jon Griggs, and JJ Goicoechea sat down with Ms. Sue Lowden, candidate for the US Senate, to discuss issues important to the livestock industry. There was a lot of discussion about wild horses and the current management of those horses. NCA leadership spoke to her regarding the importance not only of rangeland health but over health of the wild horse herds in Nevada. Without the use of gathers horse numbers would increase to levels that both the resource and herd could not sustain. The association maintained that wild horses needed to be managed at AML and that sanctuaries in Nevada were not the answer.

Another issue that was touched upon was the Equal Access to Justice Act. There has been some recent media attention brought EAJA abuse by environmental groups using the act to fund their endeavors to bring further lawsuits on ranchers and public land users. Ms. Lowden was interested to learn more about the issue and how ranchers and other public lands users were being affected not only by environmental groups, but how EAJA was being misused against them.

Boyd Spratling spoke about the importance of family ranching and the part and role it plays in the local rural economies. It was also discussed with Ms. Lowden the importance of employing families, which, in turn, supports the local economy in regard to shopping, tax revenue and community involvement. It was expressed that ranchers are part of the community not only in culture but part of the economic fabric that holds the small towns of Nevada together. If regulations and taxes become overbearing on small family owned businesses such as the ranches across Nevada then the fabric of the rural communities will be torn. Ms. Lowden was very interested in learning about how not only state, but federal laws impact the commerce of ranchers and their ability to take care of their land and their animals.

Wildlife was also something that Ms. Lowden was interested in speaking with the association about. Tom Barnes explained how deer are a disturbance species and need resources that are not old stand brush or cheat grass. Mosaic landscapes that have diversity in cover within a close area. It was expressed to Sue that the association and sportsman are trying to work together on issues that affect Nevada, as we are both interested in healthy rangelands, and the sustained multiple use of public lands.

JJ Goicoechea expressed the importance of properly functioning Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service agencies. Adequate funding for staff to get monitoring, evaluations, paperwork (i.e. FOIA requests), and regular workload done. With decreasing budgets and funds pouring out the door in areas such as fire and litigation there is little money left for on the ground projects and staffing needs. Sue was interested to learn more about how the BLM and FS works, and how congress can play a role in helping to protect Nevada’s public lands.

The association was very appreciative that Ms. Lowden came to the NCA office to visit about issues relevant to the industry and rural Nevada.

 

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