The economy has hit Washington cattle producers hard so a sucker punch from the state’s Department of Ecology is the last thing ranchers need. I’m Susan Allen stay tuned for another environmental outrage. In it’s efforts to improve water quality the Washington State Department of Ecology is targeting cattle producers. In a newly drafted manual on livestock grazing the DOE would severely restrict the riparian and property rights of ranchers by dictating that the mere presence of livestock in riparian zones constitutes degradation. It doesn’t, and the DOE draft manual exposes a blatant bias against livestock grazing that is at odds with state law. If adopted it could force small independent producers out of business and favor large agri-business. Cattle grazing numbers today in Washington State are half of what they were twenty years ago. Given DOE logic shouldn’t water quality have improved two fold? Study after study has found that well managed grazing improves habitat. In  California's Central Valley grazing of riparian vegetation doubled bio-diversity and maintained populations of fairy shrimp. Yet the threatened shrimp disappeared in areas fenced from cattle. OSU found that salmon when given a choice preferred grazed stream banks over so—called protected ones to lay eggs. Dr. Wayne Elmore a riparian specialist studied over 70 miles of stream bank and found managed grazing imporved habitat. I applaud many of the DOE environmental efforts (like recyling pesticide containers) but in this case they are wrong to target cattle producers, dead wrong! They should be working with ranchers to develop truly sustainable management practices.