Fence fight on Steens Mountain

THE BULLETIN, Bend, OR - [Rep. Greg] Walden meeting with BLM in Burns over grazing dispute
WASHINGTON — More than a decade after Congress carved out special protections for Steens Mountain, including 100,000 acres of wilderness free of cattle, a dispute over fencing has pitted a local landowner against the Bureau of Land Management. ✧ George Stroemple wants to graze cattle on his Harney County property within the 100,000-acre “No Livestock Grazing Area” portion of 174,000 acres of wilderness created by the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act of 2000. The disagreement lies over who should build the fence needed to keep his livestock off the protected lands. ✧ Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, plans to meet with BLM officials in Burns today [4/25]. ✧ The law states: “The Secretary (of the Interior) shall be responsible for installing and maintaining any fencing required for resource protection within the designated no livestock grazing area.”

Read more at The Bulletin