States findings of the Legislature and supports recognizing 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE SENATE SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 123 BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION1 STATING FINDINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE AND SUPPORTING THE 2026 INTERNATIONAL2 YEAR OF RANGELANDS AND PASTORALISTS.3 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:4 WHEREAS, rangelands are natural ecosystems in which the native vegeta-5 tion is predominantly grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, or shrubs that are6 typically grazed by livestock and wildlife; and7 WHEREAS, such ecosystems cover up to 19.8 billion acres of land glob-8 ally, roughly 54% of Earth's terrestrial surface, which is proportionally9 mirrored in Idaho; and10 WHEREAS, rangelands are economically, socially, and culturally vital11 to communities across the world as they provide an array of ecological ser-12 vices; and13 WHEREAS, the productivity and environmental health of rangelands are14 critical for the livelihoods and cultures of more than 500 million pastoral-15 ists globally; and16 WHEREAS, billions more non-pastoralists across the world benefit from17 these areas through animal products, tourism, wildlife, biodiversity con-18 servation, renewable energy, and other uses and services; and19 WHEREAS, pastoralists are stewards of rangelands who raise livestock20 or semidomesticated animals on rangelands and who may be otherwise known as21 ranchers, sheepherders, or nomads; and22 WHEREAS, pastoralists played a foundational role in Idaho's formation23 and development and maintain their cornerstone enterprise in Idaho; and24 WHEREAS, pastoralism is a dynamic and transformative livelihood linked25 to the diverse ecosystems, cultures, identities, traditional knowledge, and26 historical experience of coexisting with nature; and27 WHEREAS, through deep knowledge and connection with the land, pastoral-28 ists have coupled the health of landscapes with economic prosperity; and29 WHEREAS, healthy rangelands are vital for contributing to economic30 growth, resilient livelihoods, and the sustainable development of pastoral-31 ism. However, rangelands and pastoralism are currently facing urgent and32 different challenges around the world; and33 WHEREAS, Idaho's pastoralists contribute directly and indirectly to a34 variety of experiences in Idaho's rural and urban economies, thereby sup-35 porting local families and businesses, reinforcing an Idaho tradition, and36 sustaining overall vitality in Idaho's communities; and37 WHEREAS, recognizing 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and38 Pastoralists provides a timely opportunity to reaffirm Idaho's support for39 sustainable livestock grazing, balanced public use, and collaboration among40 pastoralists, recreationalists, conservation partners, and land management41 agencies to ensure healthy working landscapes throughout the state.42

2 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-1 sion of the Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, the Senate and the House of Rep-2 resentatives concurring therein, that the Legislature recognizes and sup-3 ports Governor Little's proclamation recognizing 2026 as the International4 Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.5 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the State of Idaho sup-6 ports the 2026 International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists and the ef-7 forts made by the associated global and regional alliances and groups.8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature recognizes the importance9 of national policies on conservation and sustainable use of natural re-10 sources in order to manage grazing areas, wildlife, water sources, livestock11 movement, risk, and resilience and to enable land use planning and ecosystem12 management by pastoralists and relevant public entities.13