Environmentalists File Grazing Suit
By Dylan Darling, Klamath Falls Herald & News
December 1, 2004

Two environmental groups have filed suit against the federal government, claiming excessive cattle grazing on the Fremont-Winema National Forests is harming species protected by the Endangered Species Act.

The Oregon Natural Desert Association and the Oregon Natural Resources Council filed the suit in Medford's federal district court on Nov. 15. The groups say the U.S. Forest Service has violated the National Forest Management Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the agency's own grazing regulations by failing to stop excessive livestock grazing.

"That's our concern, because these standards have been exceeded and then the endangered species might be harmed," said James D. Brown, a Portland attorney for the groups.

Karen Shimamoto, supervisor of the Fremont-Winema National Forests, said the Forest Service's attorneys have heard about the complaint and have a copy of it, but haven't been officially served yet.

She said the complaint deals with three components of how the national forests operate: whether officials are following federal guidelines of how to protect Lost River and short nose suckers and bull trout, all of which are federally protected; how grazing is monitored; and whether officials were on schedule in creating a new allotment management plan.

"They are all very difficult for the public to understand," she said.

The two national forests merged administratively in 1999, and there are about 2.1 million acres on the combined forests, on which there are 75 grazing allotments, said Mike Nevill, a member of the forest range staff. Of the allotments, 65 are on Fremont forestland and 10 are on Winema.

There is grazing on 95 percent of the Fremont's 1.1 million acres and on 30 percent of the Winema's 1 million, he said.

Federal officials are in the early stages of digesting the complaint, Shimamoto said.

"We are just gathering the information as it is laid out in the complaint," she said.

Along with the Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Shimamoto are named in the suit.

Brown said the case is still developing and he doesn't know if there will be a trial or not.

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