On May 22 the Public Lands Council (PLC) launched a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) for projects designed to strengthen the long-term viability of the public lands ranching industry. Funded by the PLC Endowment Trust, the RFP calls for submissions that address key issues facing federal lands ranchers. Desired project themes include: •Generating current, relevant data on the public perception and misconceptions amongst suburban/urban and non-western consumers and voters regarding public lands ranching and surrounding issues;
•Strategies for young livestock producer engagement and development;
•Contributing to the body of science and data illustrating the importance of grazing to western land management, ecosystem services and other benefits of grazing, and other such relevant science and data; and
•Exploring the topics of feral horse and burro numbers, as well as potential solutions to solve the overpopulation problem.
With more than 22,000 public land ranchers maintaining 250 million acres of U.S. public land, grazing on federal lands contributes to the economic and social sustainability of America’s rural communities. The proposal form and any additional materials should be submitted via email to anelson@beef.org no later than Sunday, July 15, 2018.

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— Adapted from a release by the Public Lands Council.