ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL GRASSLANDS

MAY 2015 NEWSLETTER AND ANNUAL MEETING INFORMATION

The 2015 grazing season is almost upon us. Many of our producers out there are looking forward to some needed moister the South Dakota Drought Monitor lists much of our state as Abnormally Dry. Spring also means that its auction time for the office of School and Public Lands. We have been busy traveling around the state conducting surface auctions to lease 81,000 acres. In my conversations with trust land users across the state, I have had many discussions dealing with intermingled federal and state lands. These is-

sues involve access, grazing allotments, endangered species, and weed and pest management. We are committed to working with the federal, state, and local agencies to help find solutions for these issues for South Dakotas ranchers with intermingled state trust lands.

We recently reached an agreement with the US Forest Service to keep open a section line road that accessed state and private lands. Maintaining access to state trust lands that are leased at public auction is important for sustaining the value of both public and private lands. We are also will-ing to work with federal, state, and local agencies to improve access, fencing, or water for state trust lands.

We also purchase chemical and biological control for weeds and pests on state trust lands. The lessee is responsible for the application. I would encourage all of our lessees to be good neighbors by controlling weed and pest issues in a timely manner.

I would like to thank you for your continued good stewardship of our lands. As always, feel free to contact us at any time with your questions or concerns. Also, take a few minutes to stop in the office the next time youre in Pierre!

Intermingled State and Federal Lands

Attend ANGs Annual Meeting September 14-15, 2015

Fountain InnNewcastle, Wyoming 2 Fountain PlazaNewcastle, WY 82701 1-800-882-8858

To register, call 605-745-3228 or email lance_russell@yahoo.com

Lodging: $69/night for single rooms; $79/night for double rooms.

Call 1-800-882-8858 to make your lodging accommodations!

2015 Officers President

Mark Tubbs

10891 River Road

Edgemont, SD 57735

President Elect

Bob Harshbarger

1162 Lynch Rd.

Newcastle, WY 82701

Vice President

Dan Anderson

c/o Grand River Grazing Association

P.O. Box 538

Lemmon, SD 57638

Sec-Treas.

Joan Cantrell

23954 Recluse Rd

Philip, SD 57567

Ryan Brunner South Dakota Commissioner of School and Public Lands

U.S. Senator John Thune Inroduces Prescribed Burn Legislation Senator John Thune has introduced legislation that prohibits Federal Agencies from starting prescribed fires when the Grassland

Fire Index is high, very high or extreme, unless the Federal Agency obtains approval from the State Government and local fire officials.

Thunes legislation also provides that the Federal Agency authorizing a prescribed fire that causes damages will be liable and shall pay

substantiated claims within 120 days of receipt. Please encourage your member of Congress to support Senator Thunes legislation.

ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL GRASSLANDS APRIL 2015 NEWSLETTER AND ANNUAL MEETING INFORMATIONPAGE 2

The United States Congress amended FLPMA with the December 2014 passage of the National De-fense Authorization Act of 2014 (NDAA). President Obama signed the NDAA. Section 3023 of the Act for the first time includes the National Grasslands in this portion of FLPMA. BLM, National Forest and National Grasslands permits will all be categorically excluded from the requirements of having an Environmental As-sessment or an Environmental Impact Statement prepared prior to re-issuance of a grazing permit as long as the land is meeting the LRMP grazing objectives. This amendment to 43 USC 1752 of FLPMA places the National Grasslands on equal footing with the BLM and National Forest permittees, and prevents environmental appeals designed to stop grazing on allot-ments during the NEPA appeals process.

www.nationalgrasslands.org

National Defense Authorization Act of 2014 Amends the Federal Land Policy Management Act (FLPMA)

~ NOTICE TO ANG MEMBERS ~

Original documents, like this 1934 USDA letter above, can be very powerful evidence in advocating permittees rights. If you have, or know someone

who has, original documents that may be of help to ANG, please consider providing a copy to our ANG Archives by sending it to:

P.O. 184, Hot Springs, SD 57747

Forest Service to Consider Eliminating Grazing in Proposed

Wilderness Area on the Buffalo Gap National Grassland

The Wall Ranger District has started the NEPA scoping process for Cheyenne River Allotments in Pennington County, South Dakota.

The Forest Service scoping notice states that the action is needed because existing conditions are not meeting the LRMP direction for desired diversity of vegetation structure and vegetation composition.

The Forest Service has identified the purpose of this project also includes determining if livestock grazing will continue to be authorized on all, none, or portions of the six federal grazing allotments in the pro-ject area, and if livestock grazing is to continue, how to best maintain or achieve LRMP direction.

ANG made formal comment that the wilderness designation was re-stricting water development and cre-ating harm to the riparian areas. ANG proposed alternatives for NEPA consideration to eliminate the wilderness management to enhance management flexibility.

The 1934 USDA letter to a landowner near the wilderness man-aged allotments was included in the comment to demonstrate that land-owners were induced to sell their land because of the promise of live-stock grazing, and that considera-tion of elimination of livestock was an inappropriate alternative for NEPA consideration.

Nov. 5, 1934

1. Q. What does the government intend to do with this land if it is pur-chased?

A. The land that is purchased will be organized into grazing districts to be used by local stockmen. The number of stock which will be allowed on this range will be lim-ited so that the pasture will not be overgrazed.

Enclosed is, besides the Offer to Sell, a set of questions and answers which cover many of the questions commonly asked.

We have been given definite orders to submit the submarginal land project in Jackson and Pennington Counties to Washington by November 10th.