# Summary
This bill establishes a grazing management program in Malheur County, Oregon, designed to give livestock permittees more operational flexibility in managing their herds on federal lands. The program allows ranchers to adjust grazing seasons, pasture rotation dates, and water placement with just two business days' written notice to the Bureau of Land Management, subject to monitoring and rangeland health standards.
The legislation designates approximately 926,588 acres of federal land in the county as wilderness areas under the National Wilderness Preservation System, comprising 16 distinct wilderness areas. Importantly, the bill permits continued livestock grazing within these wilderness areas at existing levels and allows motorized vehicle access on specific roads for ranching, fire suppression, and resource management activities.
The bill establishes the Malheur County Cooperative Effort Organization (C.E.O.) Group, an eight-member advisory board with representatives from grazing permittees, local businesses, conservation organizations, and two Native American tribes. This group can propose and fund projects related to ecological restoration, range improvements, invasive species management, and water infrastructure on both federal and non-federal lands, subject to federal agency approval.
Additionally, the bill conveys approximately 21,548 acres of federal land and 6,686 acres of private land to the Burns Paiute Tribe as trust land, along with establishing a co-stewardship area near Castle Rock where the tribe can collaborate with federal agencies on land management while protecting existing grazing rights.
No specific federal funding is authorized in the bill, though it permits federal agencies to contribute to approved projects if funds become available.