Comment on FR Doc # 2026-09387

On behalf of our 4,800 supporters, 2,200 volunteers, and tens of thousands of hikers, runners, mountain bikers and equestrians who enjoy the Arizona National Scenic Trail each year, I am writing in opposition to the proposed rule to revise grazing regulations. As the nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect, maintain, enhance, promote and sustain the Arizona Trail as a unique encounter with the natural environment, we know firsthand how much damage has been caused by grazing under the Bureau of Land Management's current regulations. Grazing is incompatible with sound ecological health in Arizona, and the BLM is devaluing the lands it has been tasked with managing through renewal of grazing permits. To allow for greater flexibility for cattle growers and to eliminate the public comment process for ranching leases is egregious. Public lands should remain in public hands, not abused for the benefit of a few wealthy families who control the majority of ranching operations in the West. The general public should always have a voice in how our public lands legacy is managed so we the people can provide valuable information at the local level. This proposed rule is unconscionable, and will further degrade ecological health, water sources, recreational opportunities, and the conservation ethics that we have been tasked with protecting. We owe it to future generations to care for these lands, and this proposed rule will do exactly the opposite. If the BLM was serious about revising grazing administration, it would use the best available science to determine where cattle are appropriate and where they are not; which resources are being compromised by grazing operations; adjust permitted calf-cow units based on drought and climate change; and hold lessees accountable for the damage inflicted upon public lands that belong to us all. In addition, the BLM should require all ranching lessees use virtual fence technology to manage their herds, and incentivize fence removal to help restore these lands after 100 years of mismanagement. The Arizona Trail Association is opposed to the proposed rule, especially on BLM lands within the Tucson Field Office and Arizona Strip Field Office within the state of Arizona.