But it's different in the higher, drier country east of the Cascades than on the rain-soaked lands of western Oregon. The reason isn't simply precipitation. In western Oregon, most of the livestock graze on private land. In eastern Oregon, many ranchers in the beef cattle industry lease federal property managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service to augment their own land. When it comes to ranching and salmon, there are plenty of perspectives.
Livestock can damage salmon habitat in several ways.
Now ranchers have a statwide program to promote properly functioning watersheds. To restore habitat and water quality, we must phase out livestock grazing on our public lands. Because taxpayers subsidize livestock grazing on our public lands, this would have the added benefit of saving taxpayers millions of dollars. As it stands now, the public ends up 'paying' ranchers to maintain a lifestyle that destroys salmon habitat. On private land, ranchers must keep their cows out of the streams.