ONDA is working to change federal land management policy that currently subsidizes ranchers to graze on public lands, which can degrade sensitive ecosystems and public riparian areas that support native fish and wildlife. Even with federal subsidies, many ranchers are struggling to break even. Given the opportunity, many of these public lands ranchers would likely sell their grazing permits and remove their livestock from our public lands. ONDA is working on several levels to facilitate third-party grazing permit buyouts through which conservation organizations can purchase and permanently retire grazing permits. On the state level, we have secured language in two BLM management plans that allows for such permit buyouts.

On the national level, we are working with the National Public Lands Grazing Campaign in an effort to move two bills through Congress that would authorize federal funding for grazing permit buyouts.