For The Journal
The BLM’s grazing advisory board for Southwest Colorado recently elected new regional board members, including Steve Suckla, of Cortez, who represents the Tres Rios area and specializes in cattle.
The BLM grazing permittees of southwest Colorado have elected a board every three years since being chartered by the state of Colorado.
Others who have been elected are: Tres Rios representative Ernie Etchart, of Montrose, specializing in sheep; Gunnison representatives Pat Youmans, of Gunnison (cattle), and Terri Snyder Lamers, of Norwood (sheep); Uncompahgre representatives Mark LeValley, of Hotchkiss (cattle), and Ross Allen, of Hotchkiss (sheep).
The board consists of two permittees from each of three BLM areas or offices in the Montrose or Southwest Colorado BLM District. Each of three areas elected a sheep permittee and a cattle permittee. These members of the board are charged with administering the monies returned to the counties from BLM grazing fees. Each year, 12.5 percent of the monies the U.S. Department of Interior (BLM) collects in grazing fees on federal lands are returned to the states where they were collected. In Colorado, these monies are directed, under the Murphy Act, to be returned to the counties where collected and then paid over to the board to be used to make improvements to grazing permits as the Board sees appropriate.
This has been going on since 1935 when the Taylor Grazing Act created Grazing Advisory Boards and they were then chartered by the U.S. Department of Interior until 1994.
The new board will have its next semi-annual meeting on April 6 at 10 a.m. at the Norwood Community Center. BLM permittees, BLM employees and interested persons are invited to attend this meeting, said secretary/treasurer Ross A. Allen.