Get reliable science

The Eastern Sierra region of California is on the western edge of the Great Basin Desert of the United States. Livestock are typically grazed on a mix of private and public lands. Public lands are primarily managed by either the US Department of Interior-Bureau of Land Management or US Department of Agriculture- Forest Service. Some operators in the Eastern Sierra also lease land from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Water and Power. Grazing livestock in the Eastern Sierra presents producers with many conflicting uses and issues for rangelands, including economic, environmental, recreation, and housing development demands.

Livestock operators may seek assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The NRCS provides technical and fmancial assistance for private land owners and native American tribes. The goal of the NRCS is to conserve soil, water, air, plant, animal, and human resources (SWAPA+H) on private agricultural lands and rangelands in the USA.