When radical environmental groups petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to list the Sonoran Desert Tortoise as endangered, two Natural Resource Conservation Districts in Arizona invoked coordination with the agency. They were the first Conservation Districts in the nation to use this powerful tool, and did so with remarkable results.
Here is their story …
In the 1980’s, environmentalists were successful in seeing the Mohave Desert Tortoise listed as endangered, and finding that livestock grazing was a primary impact to the tortoise. As a result, cattle grazing in the Nevada, Utah and Arizona habitat area has almost been eliminated.
When the radical environmentalists set their targets on listing the Sonoran Desert Tortoise, the Winkelman and Reddington Natural Resource Conservation Districts were ready to fight back. They invoked coordination with the USFWS. Through a series of three government-to-government coordination meetings, they successfully exposed the flawed science being promoted by the environmental organizations. They also submitted a peer reviewed 18- year scientific study on the Sonoran tortoise, that otherwise had gone unnoticed. The study was led by Winkelman board member, Walt Meyers, who holds a PhD in range management and is retired from the University of Arizona. The study demonstrated the species was not in danger of extinction and that livestock grazing did not impact the tortoise.
When the USFWS issued their final rule, they listed the tortoise as a “candidate” species; however, they found that livestock grazing did not impact the species. Regardless of the status of the tortoise, the best available science proved livestock grazing did not negatively impact the tortoise, so grazing would continue. This was a major victory for landowners and a sever blow to the anti-grazing environmental agenda.
American Stewards worked closely with the Districts to help them win this critical battle. They continue to be one of our greatest success stories because their coordination efforts did not stop here. They coordinate on every issue. They have changed the way federal and state agencies implement policies in their Districts.
