They will be recognized today in a ceremony during the 2022 Public Lands Council Annual Meeting for their exemplary rangeland management and outstanding accomplishments in restoring and maintaining rangeland health, according to yesterday’s news release.
The event will be open to public observation starting at 1:00 PM Mountain Time.
The conference agenda says the awards luncheon runs from 12:30 to 2:00 PM.
The winner of the Rangeland Stewardship Award is Charles Hibner of Cebolla, NM, a retired soil conservationist with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and BLM permittee since taking over his father’s operation in the 1970s.
The winner of the Sagebrush-Steppe Stewardship Award is the Cedar Creek Grazing Association of Glendive, MT. Established in 1967, it’s managed by a board and employs an experienced manager focused on positive outcomes for the land and its members.
The Operator Information Report in RAS ties Hibner to authorization #3001044.
The Allotment Information Report associates that number with the Rio Cebolla, Daggett Canyon, Tanques and Navajo Peak allotments.
The Allotment Master Report puts all four in the Improve category, suggesting that they don’t meet standards for rangeland health.
Hibner holds all of the active AUMs.
The Operator Information Report links the Cedar Creek Grazing Association with authorization #2502899 and #2502946.
The Allotment Information Report ties those numbers to the Lange and Cedar Creek allotments.
The Allotment Master Report puts Lange in Custodial and Cedar Creek in Improve.
The grazing association holds all of the active AUMs.
Western Horse Watchers is unable to explain how these results qualify as exemplary rangeland management.
The allotments should be in the Maintain category.
There are no federally designated wild horse areas near Glendive.
The Hibner allotments are near the inactive Mesa De Las Viegas WHT, according to the Western Watersheds map.
Western Horse Watchers Association 