Letter to the Editor

According to Dr. Angus McIntosh, 40 years ago there were 55,000 allotment-owning ranchers. Then, according to the Public Lands Council, today there are 22,000. If allotment-owning ranchers continue disappearing at the same rate, in 40 years there will be fewer than 9,000.

The Endangered Species Act says, “The term “endangered species” means any species which is in danger of extinction…”In the April 2008 issue of National Geographic, I read a letter to the magazine concerning cowboys. The man, who wrote the letter, believes that cowboys should become extinct, and he listed some of the reasons why. One of the reasons he listed was that the cattle industry took away the livelihood of the Original Americans. So, for that and other reasons, he decided cowboys should be extinct. That’s basically taking away the livelihood of one culture, because they supposedly took away the livelihood of another. Does that make any sense? It doesn’t get the Original Americans’ livelihood back, does it? It just takes away two livelihoods. I think that is wrong.

I think cowboys and ranchers should not be extinct for the following reasons. According to the Public Lands Council, allotment-owning ranchers save the federal government $750 million annually. They help maintain four million acres of Sage Grouse habitat, which helps keep them off the Endangered Species List. Ranching creates more than 18,000 jobs. Ranchers supply food for everyone. The food in the grocery store can’t just magically appear. It’d be interesting if it did; then we ranchers could have all the hamburger we make for ourselves and our neighbors. But, like I’ve already said, it doesn’t work that way. hese are the reasons I think ranchers and cowboys should not go extinct. Ranchers are important.

– Zora Holt

Horse Ranch