An Open Letter to the Oregon Bureau of Land Management on Hammond Ranches, Inc. Proposed Grazing Per
JANUARY 7, 2021
An Open Letter to the Oregon Bureau of Land Management on Hammond Ranches, Inc. Proposed Grazing Permit
BY GRETA ANDERSON
Steve Hammond, after being pardoned by Trump. (KOIN TV).
Dear Oregon Bureau of Land Management staffers,
I am writing today to ask you to please defend the proper administration of public lands. The recent decision to award Hammond Ranches, Inc. a livestock grazing permit and grazing preference to use four allotments in the Burns Field Office appears to have been politically influenced, and we need you to shed some light on the process.
In 2014, the Bureau refused to renew the Hammonds grazing permit, citing years of conflict and poor stewardship. The decision not to reissue the permit included the statement: “This narrative describes the actions of Dwight and Steven [Hammond] and demonstrates how the Hammonds violated BLM grazing regulations and the terms of Hammond Ranches, Inc.’s grazing permit, endangered the lives of numerous individuals including firefighters, and altered ecological conditions on public lands.” It goes on to describe multiple incidents of improper actions.
And let’s not forget how the Hammonds specifically threatened federal employees like yourselves. An article from 1994 includes this quote:
“The [Malheur National Wildlife] refuge has been trying to work with Hammond for many years,” said agency spokeswoman Susan Saul. A thick file at refuge headquarters reveals just how patient refuge managers have been. Hammond allegedly made death threats against previous managers in 1986 and 1988 and against Cameron, the current manager, in 1991 and again this year.
More:
https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/01/07/an-open-letter-to-the-oregon-bureau-of-land-management-on-hammond-ranches-inc-proposed-grazing-permit/