Federal Grazing Permit Files
Federal Grazing Permit Files
Permittees who have a federal U.S. Forest
Service or Bureau of Land Management livestock-grazing permit should ask to see
their allotment file each year. The following questions should be
addressed while reviewing the contents of your file:
1. Check to see if your Annual Operation Instruction (AOI) reflects your actual use for the year. Are the number of animals and the number of days listed in the AOI the same as your records for the current year? Sometimes errors are made on the AOI and they do not reflect the pasture moves. Check to see that the AOI reflects what you signed during your annual meeting with your Range Con.
2. Check to see what areas of your allotment were measured during the “end of year” monitoring. These areas are permanent monitoring sites located in a riparian pasture. You should know where the sites are located. You should be notified when monitoring takes place and if you have concerns about the monitoring it is a good idea to go out with the personnel and observe what they are doing.
3. If the end of year monitoring was conducted on your allotment, what was the average stubble height measured? When was the monitoring conducted? Were pastures in the allotment measured before, during, or after livestock use? Do the measurements reflect plant re-growth or was the monitoring conducted too early or too late to document the vegetation re-growth? This information is written on forms and a copy should be made available for your files. If you do not understand the information, have someone explain it to you. The information is reported and used by different agencies such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service when they write Biological Opinions. It is is reflective of the condition of your allotment and is a permanent record.
4. How many plots were used to obtain the
average stubble height in each pasture? Currently a transect is placed along the
edge of the stream. Sedges are measured to determine the average height of the
remaining vegetation after grazing.
5. Are the plant species identified for each pasture in the allotment? Many
allotment records do not contain a species list of the grasses and plants found
on different pastures. It is important to get the species described if they are
not in your file. If you do not find a species list or are uncertain that those
listed in your file are correct, you should write a letter to the agency (BLM or
Forest Service) and request that they provide that information. Your letter will
then become a record and may be useful to you during an appeal.
6. Were any stream surveys conducted in the allotment during the previous year? Was a Proper Functioning Condition (PFC) survey conducted? Was the purpose of the survey identified? What were the conclusions from these surveys and how do they reflect on you and your allotment management?