Daily News Update, Feb. 15, 2008

BLM and Forest Service announce 2008 grazing fee

The Federal grazing fee for Western public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) will be $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM) in 2008, the same level as it was in 2007.

The $1.35 per AUM grazing fee applies to 16 Western states where grazing permits on public lands are administered by the BLM and the Forest Service. The states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

The Forest Service applies different grazing fees to national grasslands and to lands under its management in the Eastern and Midwestern states and parts of Texas. The national grassland fee will be $1.35 per AUM, down from $1.37 in 2007, and will also take effect March 1.

The fee for the Eastern and Midwestern states and parts of Texas will be determined later this month.

The BLM manages 258 million surface acres. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, manages 193 million acres of Federal lands in 44 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.