Los Padres ForestWatch is proud to endorse H.R. 5785, the Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act (VGPRA) — a forward-thinking bill that empowers ranchers to voluntarily retire their federal grazing permits in exchange for fair compensation. When a permit is retired, the federal agency permanently closes that grazing allotment, helping restore wildlife habitat, protect watersheds, and reduce conflict on public lands.
This market-based, cooperative approach benefits both ranchers and conservationists by giving permit holders flexibility and creating lasting gains for wildlife and public lands.
A Win-Win for Ranchers and Wildlife
Livestock grazing occurs on more than 200 million acres of federal lands across the West, including large portions of the Los Padres National Forest. Among the array of stressors facing these landscapes—drought, climate change and invasive weeds—livestock grazing stands out as the primary driver of ecological degradation. It degrades native vegetation, compacts soils, spreads non-native plants, and undermines habitat for wildlife. Because of these impacts, grazing is also the main source of conflict with wildlife and with other land uses, including recreation, on our wildlands.
The VGPRA provides a commonsense, voluntary solution. It allows ranchers to make choices that work for their families while creating enduring benefits for the land. Once a permit is voluntarily retired under this act, it cannot be reissued — ensuring that conservation progress is permanent. The bill encourages partnerships between landowners, nonprofits, and local communities to restore landscapes and reduce costly conflicts.
Why It Matters in the Los Padres
More than 870,000 acres of the Los Padres National Forest are located within grazing allotments, with about 400,000 acres considered suitable for livestock. ForestWatch has previously inventoried over 100 allotments across the forest and found that nearly half are vacant. These idle allotments represent a tremendous opportunity for restoration and wildlife protection through the VGPRA.
Our success helping to end commercial grazing on the 30,000-acre Carrizo Plain Ecological Reserve demonstrates how voluntary retirement can protect fragile habitats, reduce erosion, and allow native species to rebound. For many ranchers, voluntary retirement can also be a practical alternative to managing fences or infrastructure on remote, degraded rangelands. The VGPRA would make that process easier and more equitable.
A Troubling Turn: The New USDA-DOI Grazing Action Plan
Unfortunately, while the VGPRA promotes collaboration and ecological recovery, a new federal initiative threatens to reverse these gains. The USDA-DOI Grazing Action Plan, expected to be finalized later this year, would expand and accelerate livestock grazing on public lands — including areas that have already been retired or targeted for conservation.
The plan directs the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to prioritize reopening vacant allotments and commit to a “no net loss” of livestock grazing capacity nationwide. It calls for expedited environmental review and new administrative shortcuts that would allow grazing to increase with less public oversight.
In practice, this means vacant allotments including some previously retired though voluntary agreements but not permanently closed could be reopened to grazing, undermining voluntary conservation agreements and threatening fragile ecosystems. Unlike the VGPRA, which makes retirement permanent and irreversible, the Action Plan treats non-use as an opportunity to expand grazing. Agencies already short-staffed and underfunded will face even greater strain as they try to keep up with new grazing permits and monitoring requirements.
Predator Management Rollbacks
The Action Plan also proposes new predator-management policies that could weaken protections for wildlife. It directs federal agencies to adopt a “new standard of evidence” for compensating ranchers for livestock losses from wolves, coyotes, and bears — even though ranchers are already eligible for reimbursement through the existing Livestock Indemnity Program, which covers up to 75–100% of market value for verified losses.
By prioritizing lethal control and financial compensation over non-lethal coexistence strategies, the plan threatens progress made under California programs that emphasize coexistence and habitat connectivity. This would directly undermine regional efforts like our Room to Roam program, which promotes wildlife movement and conflict reduction across the Central Coast.
A Better Path Forward
The Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act offers a more balanced and sustainable path for both ranchers and the environment. Rather than expanding grazing into sensitive areas, it respects ranchers’ autonomy, supports local economies, and secures permanent conservation outcomes through voluntary choice.
Reopening retired allotments and relaxing wildlife protections will only deepen conflicts and erode trust. The VGPRA represents the kind of cooperative, forward-looking policy our public lands need — one that helps people and wildlife thrive together.
Los Padres ForestWatch will continue monitoring grazing policies and allotment changes throughout the Los Padres region. We encourage everyone who values our public lands and native wildlife to learn more about the Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act and support its passage in Congress.
