Cows in the South Umpqua River Watershed

The Tiller Ranger District has more cattle allotments than any other place in the Umpqua National Forest. In addition to taxpayers subsidizing cattle grazing, cows have been identified as a major problem to the continued survival of our native fish. Cows trample, eat, and compact the stream side banks, causing sediment to suffocate fish eggs. The lack of stream side vegetation also causes stream side insects to die - the food source for fish.
Why else are cows harmful?

How Much are you Paying to Subsidize Someone Else's Cows?

The Forest Service expanded cattle grazing around Tiller to allow 1,903 cattle on 51,950 acres. Our tax money is subsidizing the grazing of the 4 permittees. One of the “purposes” for expanding the Tiller grazing program is to maintain “rural lifestyle and traditions." To continue subsidizing this lifestyle, we pay at least $28,400 annually to administer the grazing program plus the costs of environmental studies, restoration of current and past grazing damages, and for enforcement. In exchange, the permittees pay us back $2,722, for an annual loss to the taxpayer of $25, 678. That’s about $1.40 per head. (The going rate is $4-8). About a third of the grazing acres are also on land set aside as an old-growth reserve, all to perpetuate the traditional welfare-cowboy lifestyle living off of taxpayer handouts.

The Forest Service says five years of monitoring have shown the permittees have fewer violations now, but only two monitoring reports were posted on their web site. In 2002 monitoring was virtually eliminated because everyone was fighting fires. In 2003 monitoring was virtually eliminated because the monitoring budget was taken for fire suppression. The expansion of cattle grazing is based on the assumption that monitoring will limit damages; without considering that monitoring budgets are the first to go in a budget shortfall, we can expect continuing shortfalls.

Why cattle are not healthy for our public lands

• Cattle urinate and defecate in springs, creeks and rivers polluting the water we drink and swim in.
• Cattle spread giardia and other diseases.
• Cattle compact the soil in sensitive areas, such as wetlands and meadows, changing the types of plants that can grow there, such as introducing non-native plants.
• Cattle trample plants, which removes cover needed by fish and wildlife.
• Cattle grazing removes plants.
• Cattle grazing increases erosion and sedimentation.
• Cattle degrade the quality of the wilderness experience (who wants to see a cow or cowpie while hiking in the wilderness?)
• Cattle degrade the quality of our hiking and camping experience.
• Cattle degrade the quality of our fishing experience (some places are banned from fishing and cattle grazing is one of the reasons).
• Cattle reduce biological diversity of plants and wildlife.

If you are concerned about the management of the Tiller Ranger District, email Roshanna Stone, District Ranger, Tiller Ranger District, to let her know you want her to enforce all environmental laws and to stop the degradation of our land and water.