Rangeland Resources Commission reports steady assessments, warns grant funding on hold and highlights education and tech pilots

Gretchen Hyde, executive director of the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission, briefed the Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee on the commission’s programs, funding and recent outreach efforts. Hyde said the commission was created in 1994 to help the public understand grazing on predominantly public lands and that its funding comes primarily from refundable assessments tied to state and federal grazing allotments and from a specialty "On the Range" license plate.

Hyde told senators the commission’s net assessment revenue has averaged about $200,000 per year and that the commission receives assessments of 10 cents per Animal Unit Month (AUM) on public grazing allotments and 2 cents per dry grazed private acre — the latter applies only if private land is grazed and filers do not claim an exemption with county assessors. She warned that the commission’s recent federal grant agreements with the Bureau of Land Management, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Forest Service are currently on hold and that will materially affect education programming funded through those agreements.

The commission runs three primary programs: a CARE SHARE campaign aimed at reducing conflicts between recreational users and grazing uses on the state’s roughly 20 million acres of rangeland; a GRaMa educational trailer that brings rangeland education to schools and events; and a long‑running Life on the Range video series, which Hyde said has more than 100 videos and more than 2.5 million views. Hyde said the GRaMa program reached more than 15,000 students last year and the commission recently hired a full‑time educator to expand school outreach.

Hyde also highlighted pilot projects and technology experiments, including a virtual‑fencing project run in partnership with the University of Idaho, the Salmon‑Challis National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management. She described virtual fencing as an emerging tool that allowed ranchers to monitor and manage cattle remotely, aided grazing on post‑wildfire allotments and helped detect problems such as water trough failures or wolf harassment. Hyde noted the commission is also partnering on trials that use targeted sheep grazing to reduce invasive cheatgrass and help manage fuels.

Committee members asked about wildfire risk and schooling reach. Hyde said grazing can be a tool for fuels management when timed and placed correctly, and she confirmed the commission is working to expand school outreach in the Treasure and Magic Valleys. She also asked the committee to note that fluctuations such as wildfires and drought can directly reduce assessment revenue because the assessments apply to current, active use.

Ending: Hyde asked the committee to consider the commission’s educational mission and warned that paused federal grant funding will constrain outreach; she offered to provide the committee with video links and additional materials.