Grazing on WDFW-managed Lands

Ranching has an essential role in the makeup of many communities throughout Washington, providing benefits for local livestock producers and residents all over the state. The department takes community character into account when determining when and how to integrate working landscapes on WDFW Lands. When deemed appropriate as a management tool, livestock grazing on WDFW Lands is implemented consistent to our commitment to maintain or enhance ecological integrity.

The WDFW Fish and Wildlife Commission’s policy and rule provide that livestock grazing on WDFW-managed or controlled lands may be permitted if consistent with WDFW's mission and the desired ecological conditions for those lands. The following roles of livestock grazing are included in Commission policy: managing vegetation for wildlife, enhancing recreational opportunities, encouraging conservation across multiple ownerships on landscape scales through coordinated resource management, and helping to maintain community character.

Each grazing permit includes its own specific grazing management plan which is developed in cooperation with the livestock producer. These management plans include stated goals and objectives, protective measures, livestock producer responsibilities, and a monitoring plan to measure compliance with conditions of the permit.

WDFW uses livestock grazing as a tool for managing habitats to participate in landscape-level land uses that favor maintenance of open space. Improperly managed grazing can pose a significant risk to species and habitat conservation, while closely managed and monitored livestock grazing can offer benefits for game animal populations. It can increase shrub growth, which is a critical source of food for deer in eastern Washington, and elk often prefer areas grazed early in the year where the result is nutritious new growth. Grazing can also help control the height of tall, invasive plants like Reed canary grass, making wetlands more attractive to waterfowl and shorebirds.