Commentary: Congressman Pearce along with State Representative Jim Townsend, representatives from the United States Forest Service, and local ranchers visited the Penasco Pens electrified fencing area Thursday in the Sacramento Ranger District to discuss potential solutions to ranchers’ concerns over grazing allotments and water access points:
“This has been a long standing problem for the past decade. Recently, efforts to resolve the issue have focused on finding the appropriate balance between protecting threatened species habitat, while ensuring ranchers’ livelihoods are not destroyed. These negotiations have been less than productive, posing a very real threat to ranchers’ ability to do their jobs and survive.
“Today, on a dirt road in the middle of the forest, ranchers, the Forest Service, and elected officials walked together to work out this very issue. While there were some points of absolute agreement between the Forest Service and the Ranchers, other points will require continued conversation to work out the final details.
“Based on our conversations this afternoon, I am cautiously optimistic. I think the Forest Service and the ranchers can come to an agreement that will allow ranchers to stay in business and the Jumping Mouse to be protected. The goal of a final agreement is obtainable in the very near future, due to the work done today. I sincerely commend all of those that participated. I have rarely seen this level of collaboration and hard work between an agency and local officials during my time in office. In the coming days and weeks, the Forest Service has an opportunity to prove their commitment to helping and protecting our communities – I seriously hope they capitalize on it. Should the Forest Service stay the course, my office is prepared to assist in any way we can,” said Congressman Pearce.