Mimbres, NM, June 11— Longtime residents and visitors of the Mimbres valley may not be accustomed to seeing grazing cattle, as the 360,000-acre Mimbres/Sapillo/Powderhorn/Sheppard allotment was allowed to be rested from grazing for the past decade or longer.
Now, Wilderness District Ranger Brian Stultz is preparing to reauthorize the allotment for grazing 235 head of cattle. Rangeland fencing and other grazing infrastructure is being repaired and maintained to prepare the allotment to receive cattle. While some of these facilities are not in serviceable condition, grazing is likely to begin in localized areas and ramp up to include the full allotment over a period of years. The public should use caution when driving, as livestock may be found on area roads. Please also help keep livestock where they belong by leaving gates as found – if open leave open, if closed, please close the gate after passing through it.
Livestock grazing is a traditional and appropriate use of the public rangeland, in which shares of forage resources are allocated for wildlife and livestock. Forage consumption by livestock helps reduce the fine fuels that feed wildfires; stock tanks and drinkers provide additional water sources for wildlife; and their nutrient-rich droppings help fertilize the seed bed for the next crop of forage resources. High-quality rangelands also provide an important economic base for local communities. It is also recognized that domestic livestock can be harmful to water quality and damaging to riparian resources, which is why active livestock management and monitoring is critical, and why livestock are not permitted on every acre of the public lands.
About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
