The problem that I see with grazing cattle on refuges (or anyplace else for
that matter) is overgrazing. It takes so much land to feed one cow unit and
meet its nutritional requirements. If there isn't sufficient graze
available to support that, you will have overgrazing. Unfortunately, as
long as it's cheaper to let cattle overgraze than to feed or supplementally
feed them, most ranchers won't change their ways. Especially when the
government allows grazing on public lands for nominal amounts of money.

It's my opinion grazing does nothing for the land. It's like clearcutting.
It creates habitat but for what? Certainly not the idigenous birds and
animals. Worse, it eliminates the plants the cattle like to eat and leaves
the ones they don't. This begins to create a monoculture and the snowball
begins.

I don't believe cattle should be allowed to graze on any refuge.

Peggi



Peggi Rodgers
peggir at ori.org
Eugene, OR
"A bird does not sing because it has an
answer, It sings because it has a song"