The following is a portion of an article from The Dickinson Press:
Forest Service, ranchers come to an agreement
By: Katherine Grandstrand
In meetings Monday set up by U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and local ranchers represented by the McKenzie County Grazing Association and the Medora Grazing Association came to two agreements about using the Little Missouri Grasslands for cattle grazing in Medora and Watford City.
The land can be used for cattle grazing but there have been disputes between the grazing associations and the Forest Service over federally mandated grazing policies and how they work for North Dakota ranchers, according to a press release sent by Hoeven’s office.
The first was to use third party informal mediation in land use disputes over the Little Missouri Grasslands in the grazing associations’ jurisdictions. “It’s important that we solve these issues in a way that benefits everyone,” Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said in a media briefing after the meetings at the Dickinson Chamber of Commerce. “There’s an opportunity to use the commissioner’s (North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring’s) skilled mediators not so much after decisions have been made but actually way before that.”
The second issue discussed in Monday’s meetings was using outside research from institutions such as North Dakota State University to influence Forest Service policy.
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Source: Dickinson Press
Posted by Haylie Shipp
