Cow Dust and Cattle Country

Surviving the Mexican Wolf Program, barely

Twenty-five Years into the Mexican Wolf recovery program, and it's been a ride. 
We will use this episode to scratch the surface of how wolves have impacted ranchers in the southwest, the way they are managed and our personal experiences with surviving in ranching with these animals on the landscape. 
 

What’s Up With That Grazing Permit

Where do ranchers get their rights on federally administered land?  It might surprise you.  It sure would surprise the USFS if they actually read the law and their own regulations. Carolyn takes the reigns and points out how The Homestead Act, The Stockraising Homestead Act, The Congress, and The President were all instrumental in ensuring Ranchers Have Rights. 

Grazing in Wilderness, an Historic Perspective

The wilderness and USFS allotments were not set aside to preserve they were actually set aside to provide economic benefits to local communities. 
This week we take a look at historical references to livestock cattle and grazing and how ranching began in the southwest, centuries before the USFS became a thing.
How did native Americans and Historic Spaniards start the cattle populations in the Gila Region long before settlers under the homestead act even moved into the region.  Nope the cattle are no more infiltrators than wild horses.  And Carolyn is pretending to be a pilot with her new headphone Mic combo.

Discussing The Wild Cow Killing in the Gila Wilderness

How did a small herd of feral cattle become the focus of anti-ranching radical environmentalists and how did the Gila Forest Service contribute to the brutal slaying of this cow herd. The background history and tragic story behind the cow slaughter on the Gila. 
Sources
ranchershaverights.com
Wilderness Designation and Livestock Grazing: The Gila Example   NMSU RITF publication 83

Feb 27, 2023 trailer. Cow Tracks on the Trail

Introducing Cow Dust and Cattle Country, a podcast on ranching in the west and it’s challenges, especially when small family ranches, must depend on federally administered grazing allotments. Laura Schneberger and Carolyn Nelson, both lifelong ranch wives and ranch partners, discuss the history of federally administered grazing allotments and ongoing issues facing those family run operations today. Issues like dealing with federal agencies that administer the lands for public and private uses, endangered species management, and the difficulty of always being at risk of the next sue and settle lawsuit designed to end grazing on federally administered allotments.