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RE: [RC] [RC] Misquoting - heidiFeeding cattle on the public rangelands is NOT free! Ranchers pay by the head, and when you add up the cost of the things that the cattleman must provide for the cattle in addition to paying for each "AUM" (animal unit month), the costs are very similar to the going rates for renting private pasture where the landowner provides and maintains many of the basic necessities.
Yes, the cattlemen make a living raising cattle--just as you must make a living at whatever it is that you do. I am always puzzled by why people seem to get angry that the ranchers must feed their families by making living just as the rest of us must do. They pay a fair price for what they use on the public lands, just as endurance ride managers must pay a price for the use of the land, etc.
As for the roads, most of them are two-track jeep roads that are much appreciated by recreational users of the public lands as they are often the only means of reaching many areas of the land. And the improved watering sites are often what keep many of the wildlife species watered as well. The ranchers have a very symbiotic relationship with the land, and also with the other land users--and those of us who enjoy the public lands for recreational purposes would be much poorer for their absence.
Heidi
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