Re: Welfare ranching threatens Deep Creek

The ol Bear is laughing now.....thr only contribution cattle grazing contributes to the County tax base is a negative one. Catttle ranching on public lands in the Mojave Desert is a money losing business at best. When you add up all of the costs its not an investment I would want to make unless I was looking for a good tax writeoff. Private property owners contribute real dollars to the tax base on a yearly basis. The only way these leases remain a viable option is through USDA subsidies that go to the owner of the cows.

As far as becoming a "willing seller" as Auggie puts it, nobody has ever approached me to buy my place. It does have what a rancher would want though......water. I dont think the BLM is interested since there has been no contact from a "willing buyer".

Some hard questions have to be asked here however. Will the BLM allow grazing to continue on a lease that has endured a multi year drought after a devastating fire? Will the holder of the grazing lease provide water for his cattle? There are very few water sources in Juniper flats and they are classified at seeps in the best of years. The only year round water source is Deep Creek. In years past, the USFS fence has been cut to allow the cattle to stray off the designated lease and into Deep Creek. The potential for conflict with the endangered species act is very real .

It seems that Auggie has a "beef" here with local property owners in the Juniper Flats area for some strange reason. We have been neighbors with the cattle lease for a long time and if the BLM decides to open it up then thats the way it is....no problem unless it becomes a problem. I have no "beef" with cattle ranching in the area. Like everything else involving multiple use of public lands, it needs to be done in a responsible way with conservation for future generations in mind.