This is a topic that has been hotly debated between the cattle industry and other groups. I would like to state that there are good grazing practices that can actually benefit the riparian areas and the streams, and there are bad practices that hurt the riparian areas and the creeks themselves, and the cattle herd grazing on them. The permits that benefit the creeks/riparian areas take into consideration the stream flows, vegetation growth, alternate watering sources, the substrate of the creek/riparian area, the slope/aspect of the area, and so on, to determine the number of head on the allotment, the time of year they are on the allotment, and the length of time on the allotment. These good grazing systems have cattle owners that know about the land and streams and strive to keep them in optimal working order, and have USFS/BLM range cons that are constantly managing the area and working with the permittee to make the grazing arrangements good for the land, and for the cattle themselves. The bad grazing systems often have permittees that move the cows onto the permitted land and do nothing to monitor where the cows are, how much vegetation there is, stream conditions, etc. If a stream is left in a poor condition, there's also most likely a USFS/BLM range con not doing their job. If they were doing their job, the cows would be sent home or made to be moved to another part of the allotment.

For those of us in the cattle industry, who strive to make sure the land isn't burdened by our cattle management practices, it is a constant source of frustration and shame to see other cattle owners caring so little for the land, and ultimately their herd. It is sheer ignorance, laziness, and stupidity on their part to hurt the land, and their herds.