
The Guardian
11 December 2020
“Ranchers don’t tend to go all the way to Washington to meet solely with the BLM, either; when the agency was headquartered in the nation’s capital, ranchers who made the trip out east could take the opportunity to meet with senators and representatives, lobbyists and other land and resource management agencies. Issues that merit a trip to Washington – such as endangered species management or “split estates” (in which ranchers hold surface rights to their land but not the minerals below it, which may be federal and leased to resource development companies) – have many stakeholders.
‘If we go to DC we can visit with many more people who are decision-makers. We can talk to people in the House and Senate. We can speak to committees and staffers. But if we go to Grand Junction, we can maybe talk to one or two BLM employees … my guess is we won’t be really effecting any change,’ says Jeanie Alderson, a rancher in Birney, Montana.“
‘If we go to DC we can visit with many more people who are decision-makers. We can talk to people in the House and Senate. We can speak to committees and staffers. But if we go to Grand Junction, we can maybe talk to one or two BLM employees … my guess is we won’t be really effecting any change,’ says Jeanie Alderson, a rancher in Birney, Montana.“