WildEarth Guardians

Monday, March 6, 2006
WildEarth Guardians asks State Land Department to Retire Grazing to Protect Endangered River and Wildlife Habitat

In the event the Commissioner chooses not to take action, WildEarth Guardians has applied to lease the land with the goal of bringing it back to life
Contact: WildEarth Guardians

Santa Fe, NM - WildEarth Guardians is taking a new tact in its approach to protect ecologically sensitive state lands from abusive cattle grazing. The group has asked Land Commissioner Mark Winkleman to protect more than 1,200 acres that include one mile of the Little Colorado River that provides habitat for endangered wildlife.

WildEarth Guardians claims the land commissioner has the authority to designate lands for nonuse in order to preserve its ecological value. In fact under Arizona law, the commissioner can “withdraw state land from…sales or lease applications…if [it is] in the best interest of the trust.” WildEarth Guardians alleges that cattle grazing pollutes water, degrades wildlife habitat, limits recreational opportunities, and generates little income, and therefore does not serve the interests of the trust.

“This is a ’Crown Jewel‘ of Arizona’s state lands and it should be protected for the benefit of wildlife and the opportunity for the public to appreciate its value,” said Jim Matison, WildEarth Guardians’ Restoration Coordinator. “Cows and streams just don’t mix,” he added.

In the event the Commissioner chooses not to take action prior to the lease expiration this November, WildEarth Guardians submitted a competing lease application on February 28. While the current lease application does not require competing applicants to submit a competing bid amount, WildEarth Guardians has routinely offered two to three times as much as ranchers are currently paying. In addition, the group pays more than 20 times what the previous lessee paid on the lease that it currently holds on the Babocomari River in southeastern Arizona.

The land the group has bid on is five miles north of Springerville, AZ and is immediately downstream of the Wenima Wildlife Area, which was established in 1993 to protect habitat for the federally threatened Little Colorado spinedace, Bald eagles and numerous other endangered wildlife.

WildEarth Guardians believes that the Arizona State Land Department should choose to protect this important riparian system in an effort to reduce habitat fragmentation and provide the public with increased wildlife viewing opportunities, especially given that it is immediately adjacent to the Wenima Wildlife Area. According to the Arizona Department of Game and Fish latest economic figures, watchable wildlife activities annually provide $1.5 billion to the state, supporting over 15,000 jobs, and generating over $57 million in state taxes.

The group alleges that the area’s trampled streambanks and absence of native trees such as cottonwoods and willows are all clear signs that the site has been overgrazed by cattle.

“We want to bring this area back to life and make it a magnet for people and wildlife,” said Matison. Matison noted that beaver and other wildlife returned to the adjacent Wenima Wildlife Area when cattle were removed less than 15 years ago.

This action is possible because of a 2001 landmark legal ruling before the Arizona Supreme Court, WildEarth Guardians vs. Wells, which established the legal precedent that non-ranching groups could hold grazing leases on state school trust lands.