I found a recent photograph that showed three people in cowboy gear-- one pouring
coffee from a thermos into beat-up cups. We¹d all just gotten down from our horses,
and the guys are leaning on a pickup truck marked United States Forest Service.
Here¹s the surprise: We¹re all laughing.

I'm a Wyoming rancher, and the picture was taken the day I accompanied two
range technicians while they did annual monitoring work on our
cattle-grazing permit in the Bighorn Mountains. Usually, that¹s about as
much fun as going to the dentist. I dread the ordeal because it usually
includes a scolding from the federal grass cops about "Things Gone Wrong,"
subtitle "Cows Eat Grass."  In recent years, the government¹s answer to any
problem has been "fewer cattle, fewer days on national forest lands." That
can make it hard to make a living.
 
That day last summer, as the photo shows, it was sunny and warm, I had a
good horse to ride in beautiful country, and the range conservationists were
good company. I hadn¹t met them before, but we visited easily as we stepped
through the hoops of walking, counting, recording.  After all, it¹s not
rocket science, measuring blades of grass. We¹d been short of rain, and it
was a relief to agree that the grass would be ready for our cattle when they
completed their climb to these high ranges.
 
Usually, the day carries tension and finger-pointing, but to my surprise,
these guys avoided that approach. They were more interested in the country
around us and its history, asking questions about the original boundaries
and previous permittees, landmarks and trails. They wondered if I knew the
origin of obscure names such as Brindle Creek, Aagard Springs and Divorce
Ridge. They asked about gone-away sheep permits on the Bighorns, and what
ever happened to different ranches and their owners, the early-day trails
and roundup customs. We laughed as I retold the funny stories I knew from my
50 years of ranching here.  My husband, I said, could tell them more, since
he was born here and his father and grandfather used this range before there
ever was a Bighorn National Forest.
 
We talked about the future, too, and I tried to be optimistic about what
would become of local ranches amid trends for ever more housing
developments, second homes and resorts close to these public lands. The ride
was finished before we finished the conversation, so I broke out the coffee
and some fairly clean cups from under my truck seat.  When the fellows left,
I said I hoped to see them again, and I meant it.  It felt like an unusual
day. They¹d given me a lot to think about.
 
Like some other ranchers in the West, our family has been in the same place
for a hundred years or so.  Local folks like ourselves are the "stickers,"
as Wallace Stegner wrote, since we seem to be the ones who stuck it out,
sustaining our community and keeping its history alive in our memories. How
refreshing it was  -- the sincerity and respect these young Forest Service
employees displayed for local knowledge.  Our conversation that day
reinforced my view that grazing permits and the ranching industry remain a
positive use of public lands.
 
The ranchers who have survived have had to learn from mistakes and change
practices to become better caretakers of public land. Now, those who are
left on the land provide stability for the surrounding areas. I realized
that this has been little understood and not much appreciated. Forest
Service personnel usually move frequently around the region, and they must
adapt to policy changes from Washington as they go. Ranchers, on the other
hand, stay put, so that while their knowledge may not be as wide, it sure is
deep.
 
I hope the two range men I spent time with show up again in a rancher¹s
picture somewhere, and I hope that someday they rise toward the top of the
heap in the Forest Service. They reminded me that ranching and grazing
permits shouldn¹t be regarded as detriments to public lands management, but
rather as a contribution to the wellbeing of our federal lands system.
Multiple use of public lands is a concept worth preserving, and the
relationship between permittee and staff member should be harmonious,
respectful, and maybe even enjoyable.
 
In the meantime, I¹ll keep the photograph.