Hank Fischer and his colleagues at the Wildlife Conflict Resolution (a division of the National Wildlife Federation) have designed a program that reduces conflict between wildlife (mostly bears, wolves and bison) and livestock by moving livestock to land where their grazing has less impact on wild animals. To accomplish these goals, The Wildlife Conflict Resolution buys out leased public grazing land from livestock producers.

 

The Wildlife Conflict Resolution Program (WCR) has raised more than $2 million and retired 31 grazing allotments. Most of their work has targeted the Greater Yellowstone Area, but they plan to expand to other conflict-ridden areas. Fischer, the manager of the WCR, attributes the WCR’s success to cooperation between the environmental community and livestock producers. 

 

However, posing a threat to the WCR’s efforts is the unaccommodating attitude of two federal agencies. The public allotments sold to the WCR are managed either by the United States Forest Service (USFS) or Bureau of Land Management (BLM). To permanently retire a public allotment, the managing agency must give its consent. A few deals with willing livestock producers have fallen through because of a disobliging agency.

-Melanie Young

 

Innovative Retirement Planning for Cows and Sheep (by Bill Schneider, New West-Missoula, Montana)