Ranchers make significant investments in public lands which benefit society as a whole. A rancher has no reason to manage his private land and public grazing allotments differently, as both are crucial to his operation and are most often intermingled. Since these lands are so integral to family ranching operations, ranchers have every incentive to manage them well. Ranchers often give free access across their private land to BLM and Forest Service lands beyond. As a result of intermingled land ownership, when one is given access they are usually spending time on both public lands and adjoining private land.
Extreme views hurt the search for common ground.
For example, environmental extremists threaten the future of the American ranching family as well as the future of hunting and wildlife management. When these traditional uses of land are discouraged, the incentive is created to sell open spaces for development. There are many examples of wildlife conservationists and ranchers forming coalitions to address mutual goals, while at the same time protecting their own interests. One example is Seeking Common Ground , established by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in partnership with the BLM and the Forest Service. Seeking Common Ground is a challenge grant program that funds grassroots, cooperative efforts to draw diverse, often conflicting, interests together to make long-term improvements in the West's rangeland ecosystems.