The following Range Units 3, 6, 11, 12, 13, 16, 20, 25, 26, 29, 

 30, 31, 32, and 37 are small units and are 80 percent timbered. It is felt 

 that due to their location on the Reservation and the need for wildlife 

 habitat and watershed protection these units should not be grazed. This 

 is a total of 14 range units consisting of 50,122 approximate acres with 

 a carrying capacity of 513 head of cattle. Of this 513 head, 135 head 

 are Tribal members' cattle and the balance are non-Indian livestock. 



The income to the Tribe from this 50,000 acres of grazing is 

 $5,336 per year. Our figures show that it takes 97.7 acres to summer a 

 cow in this type of range. The Forestry Department has indicated in some 

 areas of this range the cattle are competing with new seedlings and are 

 eroding creek banks on some drainages. The units are all on known or 

 suspected big game ranges. Elk and cattle do not associate with each other 

 when they are able to occupy the same range. Cattle may deplete the grass 

 and brouse resource for winter elk use. There is also potential competition 

 between deer and cattle for chokecherry, willow and other brouse species. 



Similar to big game animals, cattle relish annual growth of some 

 shrubs, generally, those which are also palatable to deer and elk. Livestock 

 use the range during the summer months, the period of active shrub growth. 

 The reduction of annual growth by 50 percent during this season will be 

 more detrimental than if broused at a later date when the shrub is dormant. 

 Many of the shrubs on primary livestock ranges are overutilized and are 

 considered in decline. Even if livestock use were completely stopped for 

 ten years or more, these particular shrubs would probably not respond and 

 become productive again in this same period. 



A solution to the loss of 135 head of Indian cattle grazing would be 

 farm and pasture leases. The cattle would do better on tame or irrigated 

 pastures and very possibly have a better percent of bred cows and larger 



calf weight at market time. 



(17) 



