Pick a random acre.
Is it subject to drilling or mining? Probably not.
How about logging? Maybe.
Permitted grazing? Almost certainly.
Does it stand on its own two feet? Pull its own weight? No.
The ranchers pay almost nothing for the resources they consume and the services rendered on their behalf by the government and its partners.
- Promotion and propaganda
- Access to forage for pennies on the dollar
- Removal of competing animals
- Control of predators
- Wildfire recovery
- Cheatgrass mitigation
- Fuels reduction
- Range improvements
- Administrative and clerical
The grazing fee would have to be raised to $15 per AUM just to pay for the wild horse and burro program.
10,000,000 AUMs sold per year × $15 per AUM = $150,000,000 per year
The current fee is $1.35 per AUM.
The advocates portray drillers and miners as the bad guys while giving the ranchers a pass.
Makes you wonder whose side they’re on.
Western Horse Watchers Association 