Rancher Fights Grazing Cutback

A rancher has appealed a Boise National Forest decision to reduce his grazing allotment on the west side of Cascade Reservoir by 62 percent, challenging its scientific justification.

Frank “Bud” Phillips said Friday that the ruling by acting forest supervisor Catherine Barbouletos, aimed at reducing phosphorus and fecal bacteria pollution, actually hurts the reservoir’s water quality.

Phillips said he was appealing to Intermountain Regional Forester Dale Bosworth in Ogden, Utah, “for the sake of my cattle operation, and also for the sake of Cascade Reservoir.”

But Boise National Forest spokesman Frank Carroll said the agency stands by the decision.

“There are a number of sources of pollutants in Cascade Reservoir, and the Forest Service can only do something about those sources that it has administrative authority over,” Carroll said. “And acting on the emergency status declared by the (state) Division of Environmental Quality, we took the action that we felt was scientifically and intuitively sound.”

Phillips said the Forest Service’s own data shows his cattle are not causing problems.