Bureau of Land Management

US Department of Interior

FACT SHEET: Livestock Grazing

The BLM administers public land livestock grazing in 

accordance with the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act of 1976, the Taylor Grazing Act of 

1934, the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 

1978, and other authorities. Today, the BLM’s 

overall objective in managing livestock grazing on 

public rangelands is to ensure the long-term health 

and productivity of these lands. 

To achieve desired conditions, the BLM uses 

rangeland health standards and guidelines. The 

Utah BLM Standards for Rangeland Health and 

Guidelines for Grazing Management were 

developed in the 1990s. Standards describe specific 

conditions indicative of land health, such as the 

presence of stream bank vegetation and adequate 

canopy and ground cover. Guidelines are the 

management techniques designed to achieve or 

maintain healthy public lands, as defined by the 

standards.

To administer livestock grazing, the BLM identifies 

grazing allotments (an area of land where one or 

more individuals graze livestock) and issues 

livestock grazing permits/leases. Permittees/Lessees 

or Operators hold grazing permits or leases, which 

are licenses for use of public lands for grazing. 

Permits generally cover a 10-year period. The 

amount of use authorized in a grazing 

permit or lease is measured in animal 

unit months, or AUMs. An AUM is the 

amount of forage needed to sustain 1 

cow and her calf, 1 horse, 5 sheep, or 

5 goats for 1 month. Due to 

differences in forage availability, the number of acres 

needed to provide one AUM can and does vary. The 

price that permittees/leasees pay on an annual basis 

is determined per AUM and set by Congress each 

year. 

The amount of grazing that takes place each year can 

be affected by such factors as drought, wildfire, and 

market conditions. 

BLM land use plan-level decisions for livestock grazing 

involve identifying lands available or not available for 

livestock grazing. For lands available for livestock 

grazing, the BLM identifies both the amount of 

existing forage available for livestock (in AUMs) and 

the future anticipated amounts of forage available for 

livestock on an area-wide basis. In the land use plan, 

the BLM includes a description of possible grazing 

management practices (e.g., grazing systems, range 

improvements, seasons of use, and stocking rates) 

and identifies guidelines and criteria for future 

allotment-specific adjustments in livestock grazing. 

The BLM is an agency in the US Department of the Interior that manages approximately a quarter billion acres – more than any other Federal 

agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, 

including Alaska. Approximately 27 million acres of BLM administered lands make up the collection of 

National Conservation Lands, also known as the National Landscape Conservation System. These include 

BLM National Monuments, National Conservation Areas, Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, and 

National Scenic and Historic Trails. The mission of the National Conservation Lands is to conserve, protect, 

and restore these nationally significant landscapes that are recognized for their outstanding cultural, 

ecological, and scientific values.

Title of Resource/Resource Use

Livestock Grazing Plan Amendment EIS

Grand Staircase-Escalante 

National Monument

BLM
Livestock Grazing (continued)

Livestock Grazing in GSENM

Within GSENM, there are 79 active livestock grazing 

allotments. Within these allotments, 76,457 AUMs of active 

use livestock grazing are authorized. There are currently 16 

areas that have been identified as unavailable for livestock 

grazing. Currently, 91 permittees are authorized to graze 

cattle and horses in the planning area.

Most livestock grazing within GSENM is guided by land use 

plan-level decisions established in four management 

framework plans that were approved in 1981. A few plan 

amendments related to livestock grazing were completed in 

1999. 

Livestock Grazing in GCNRA

When the Glen Canyon area was designated as a national 

recreation area in 1972, the enabling legislation authorized 

livestock grazing. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 

(GCNRA) is managed by the National Park Service (NPS). 

Grazing within GCNRA is managed jointly by the NPS and the 

BLM. The BLM administers 19 

grazing allotments totaling more 

than 300,000 acres. The BLM 

administration integrates NPS 

stewardship responsibilities that 

protect the values and purposes 

of GCNRA. GCNRA values 

include the vegetation, soil, water quality, wildlife, cultural, 

paleontological, scenic, and recreational resources that make 

up the scenic, scientific, and historic features that define the 

outdoor recreational use and enjoyment of GCNRA.

In GCNRA, the total acres-per-AUM ranges from 17 acres in 

Upper Cattle Allotment to 193 acres in Rock Creek-Mudholes 

Allotment. Because portions of most allotments have cliffs, 

slickrock, and other areas that cannot be grazed, the grazable 

acres per AUM are generally lower than the reported acres. 

Most grazing in GCNRA occurs during the cool winter months 

between November and May. 

For more information, please visit 

the GSENM Livestock Grazing 

Plan Amendment Webpage:

http://blm.gov/pgld

Please submit your comments by 

January 13, 2013.

You can email, fax, or mail your comments.

Email: BLM_UT_GS_EIS@blm.gov

Fax: (435) 644-1250

Mail: Bureau of Land Management 

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

669 S. HWY 89-A

Kanab, UT 84741

Before including your address, phone number, email 

address, or other personal identifying information in your 

comment, be advised that your entire comment, including 

personal identifying information, may be made publicly 

available at any time. While you can ask us to withhold 

your personal identifying information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.