XPost: alt.wildland.firefighting, alt.cows.moo.moo.moo, talk.politics.guns   
   XPost: sac.politics, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   From: nospam@ix.netcom.com   
      
   Colorado is a pretty dry state, prone to fires in both forest and   
   grassland. No, Californians didn't bring this problem to Colorado with   
   them; it's always been that way. In fact, this is one of the few problems   
   Colorado has that wasn't caused by an influx of liberal Californians,   
   although those people do tend towards favoring hands-off forestry   
   practices that lead to runaway fires.   
      
   Colorado, though, as it happens, already has something that can help   
   prevent fires, at least on the open grasslands, and that something may   
   come as an udder surprise to some:   
      
   Cows.   
      
   As part of a growing effort to reduce the risk of wildfires in Colorado,   
   cattle are being deployed to eat dry grass that often fuels fast-moving   
   flames.   
      
   City officials in Boulder County have partnered with local ranchers to   
   bring herds into at-risk neighborhoods, including areas near Wonderland   
   Lake Park, where 70 cattle grazed 35 acres of land.   
      
   Paul Dennison, who is with Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, told Fox   
   News that cattle grazing began in early June, which brought the grass   
   height down from the three to four feet expected if left unmanaged.   
      
   This is a good idea; it's good for the cattle, it's good for the   
   grassland, and it's good for the people who may otherwise have been the   
   victims of a runaway grass fire.   
      
   Cattle are, after all, natural grazers; their four-chambered stomachs are   
   ideal for digesting grass, which is a harsh, low-quality food. Grasses are   
   loaded with silica and have relatively low nutrient content. People can't   
   eat it - but cattle can, turning into delicious, delicious beef. So, it's   
   good to have cattle hoofing it around these open spaces.   
      
   The Colorado region's mountainous terrain, dry climate, and frequent winds   
   make it especially vulnerable to wildfire. Dennison explained that using   
   cattle to keep vegetation low can slow potential fire spread and give   
   firefighters more time to respond.   
      
   "As the cattle trample as they graze, they break up some of that thatch,   
   so we are looking at reduction of fuel height in the grasses, and we are   
   also looking for some decomposition and degradation of the thatch that   
   lies underneath the living grass," Dennison added.   
      
   It's a good moove.   
      
   Read More: California Democrats Are Using Wildfires As Cover for a Land   
   Grab   
      
   Huge Fail: Gavin Newsom Uses Taxpayer Resources to Bully, Attempt to   
   Silence a Palisades Fire Victim   
      
   Now, this is in Boulder County; the city of Boulder, we might note, is   
   referred to by Colorado's remaining conservatives as "The People's   
   Republic of Boulder." Only in a place like Boulder would people be amazed   
   at the notion that cows can actually eat grass, and that keeping the grass   
   short in a dry, hot environment can help prevent fires. What's moore, they   
   not only trim the grass, but supply free, natural fertilizer into the   
   bargain. Their hooves also break up the matted grasses, allowing rain and   
   nutrients to reach deeper into the soil.   
      
   In other words, cattle and grasslands are good for each other. Not to   
   mention that the local people get a reduced fire risk, and delicious,   
   free-range beef. These ranchers should be milking this for all it's worth.   
   As fire-prevention ideas go, this one's the cream of the crop. But then,   
   anyone who has been around cattle already knows this.   
      
   So, congratulations to the people of Boulder County, Colorado. You just   
   figured out something that most of humanity has known for thousands of   
   years.   
      
   https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/07/20/colorado-deploys-new-wildfire-   
   prevention-tool-cows-n2191883   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)