By KRWG News
Valles Caldera, New Mexico – ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRWG) New Mexico State University and Jemez Pueblo ranchers have been awarded a grazing contract that will allow them access to the sprawling valleys and mountainsides of the Valles Caldera National Preserve next summer.
One environmental group has concerns, but preserve officials say the partnership will help the local economy while bolstering agricultural research efforts.
Preserve trustees reviewed three proposals before choosing NMSU and the pueblo. The other proposal involved a $35,000 payment from WildEarth Guardians to keep cattle off the preserve.
The joint contract will help ensure that NMSU can continue its research related to the risks that stem from grazing cattle at high altitudes.
For the past three grazing seasons, NMSU has been researching bovine high altitude disease, a potentially fatal illness that costs the beef industry some $60 million a year.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. KRWG