WILDLIFE WEAPONIZATION RAMPS UP
In 2023 , we saw a drastic increase in federal rulemakings aimed at expanding habitat and increasing the population of many different species of wildlife . Cattle producers are no stranger to Endangered Species Act ( ESA ) listings and the frustrations that come with the law , which makes it relatively easy to list a species but extremely hard to delist recovered species . In 50 years , only 54 species have been delisted under the ESA — less than 4 % of all the species that have received federal protections and investments under the Act . This is not due to a lack of demonstrated recovery ; there are numerous ESA success stories . This is something NCBA has beat the drum about for decades , but radical activist groups increasingly weaponize the ESA not to the benefit of threatened species , but to gain more control over agricultural producers and private landowners . These activists do not care about following science and effectively maintaining a balanced , healthy ecosystem for a variety of wildlife . They simply want to increase the number of species federally protected and make producers jump through as many hoops as possible , because growing the federal footprint on private and public land brings them closer to their goal of severely reducing or ending animal agriculture forever .
That is why NCBA fights hard by submitting comments on the negative impacts of these rulemakings , suing the federal government when appropriate , and building coalitions of our state affiliates and likeminded groups to push back as a collective force on Capitol Hill and in the regulatory process . It was made clear in 2023 that the Biden administration not only designates a species as “ threatened ” or “ endangered ” but is also pursuing more unconventional tactics that can burden producers . The Biden administration recently closed a public comment period for a rulemaking to reintroduce grizzly bears in the Northern Cascades Ecosystem ( NCE ) in Washington state , where there has not even been a grizzly bear sighting since 1996 . Their plan , which has support from a wide array of radical activists , is to
airdrop five to seven Canadian grizzly bears each year into this rural community via helicopter . These bears would be deemed an “ experimental ” population , and the airdrops would not stop until roughly 300-400 bears are present in the Northern Cascades .
This is not a question of an endangered species on the verge of extinction , these are 800-pound apex predators 20 times deadlier than black bears , and their current status is considered of least concern under ESA . Grizzly bears can roam for distances across hundreds of miles and are already present and thriving in other areas of Washington and the inland northwest . In other regions , where populations of apex predators have skyrocketed , cattle producers and other landowners have seen increased conflicts , increased livestock stress and depredation , and even wildlife challenges as ecosystems struggle with the introduction of federally protected species .
One of the greatest voluntary species conservation success stories is the greater sage grouse , which NCBA has successfully fought for decades to keep from being listed under the ESA . Despite repeated attempts by activists to have the species listed as threatened or endangered , NCBA has continually highlighted that cattle grazing builds strong ecosystems for these birds to thrive in . This year , NCBA received vindication in the form of a landmark 10-year study from the University of Idaho confirming scientific evidence of what ranchers have said all along : grazing does not hurt sage grouse nesting or survival rates and can only help bolster grouse numbers . Grazing increases biodiversity and there is more forage available on land actively managed by ranchers than on land without livestock grazing . More food and greater biodiversity are exactly what sage grouse need to increase their populations and thrive for generations . The bird exemplifies the positive results from voluntary , proactive partnerships between ranchers , conservationists and local leaders under the leadership of state officials — not the federal government hundreds or even thousands of miles away .
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8 NATIONAL CATTLEMEN www . NCBA . org