And yes, I can back that up. According to the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) statistics for fiscal year 2001, the state of our riparian/wetland areas is in danger. A riparian area is a "green zone along flowing water features such as rivers, streams, and creeks" but "excludes stream reaches where water flows for only brief periods during storm runoff events". Wetlands are defined as being "associated with standing water features such as bogs, marshes, wet meadows, and estuaries". (BLM definitions) The only state assessed which has a satisfactory riparian condition is Alaska, with 91% in proper functioning condition. That means 132,023 miles of riparian land in Alaska is in a condition with "adequate vegetation, landform, or large woody debris present to dissipate stream energy associated with high waterflows." (BLM definition of properly functioning riparian area) That is 132,023 miles out of 144,304 functioning correctly. Let's take a look at a state with "open range grazing" and grazing permits for BLM lands:

Of Arizona's 879 riparian miles surveyed, only 325 are in proper functioning condition. That's just 37%. Way to go , AZ! There are an additional 379 miles which are classified as "functioning-at-risk". This means that although these areas are working correctly, they possess certain attributes (soil, water or vegetation) that make them "susceptible to degradation". (BLM definition) This is 43% of Arizona's BLM-assessed riparian areas that are in danger of becoming non-functional. What does this mean? Okay, I'll break it down into language anyone can understand:

In Arizona, cattle are given free reign (that is NOT a typo) to wander wherever they will- including in and around our already scarce water sources. Their hooves are tromping down the vegetation along the edges of our streams, creeks and rivers which prevents the plants from doing their job: keeping the water in the stream. During times of high-energy water flow (flooding, monsoon season) there eventually will not be enough vegetation, landforms or woody debris to contain the rushing water. This is to say nothing of the other native species that call these riparian areas home. When their habitat is effectively destroyed by these roving bovine, they will become extinct. While the cows are trampling the stream banks, they are also leaving behind their toxic cow pies. Contained in these organic deposits can be any number of things, none of which are helpful to the environment. The cow can and does eat a variety of vegetation, then strays as far as needed to find water or more food. This can lead to the spread of undesireable plant life- vegetation that is not indigenous to a particular area which will choke out other existing flora.

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