Kane County, Utah is coordinating with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on the Livestock Grazing Amendment for the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.   They initiated coordination with the agency after participating as a cooperating agency, and finding their positions ignored.

The BLM was considering several alternatives including one that eliminated grazing entirely and one that allowed up to 32,000 animal unit months (aum’s).  After initiating coordination, the County was able to insist the BLM review and comply with the Presidential Proclamation language that created the monument in 1998, which specifically required that livestock grazing continue in the monument at the existing level when the monument was designated.  That level was 106,000 aum’s.  The specific Proclamation language protecting grazing is as follows:

“Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to affect existing permits or leases for, or levels of, livestock grazing on Federal lands within the monument; existing grazing uses shall continue to be governed by applicable laws and regulations other than this proclamation.”

Currently the County is insisting that the BLM rewrite the needs and purpose statement for the Environmental Impact Statement incorporating the Presidential Proclamation language protecting livestock grazing.  They are also insisting that the BLM develop an alternative that manages the land in such a way as to ensure the return of the 106,000 aum’s.

The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument was designated by President Clinton in 1998 under the Antiquities Act and encompasses nearly 1.9 million acres in Southern Utah.