Tribal ranches going to the highest bidder

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Remember "Where's the beef?" and "Got milk?"

Well, the Navajo Nation ranches program has come up with "Got béégashii?" Béégashii is the Navajo word for cattle.

The Tribal Ranches Program hopes the slogan will help sell the new ranch-leasing process of competitive bidding, which replaces the controversial application procedure.

A June 30, 2009, audit of the ranch program found the old process lacked written policies and procedures resulting in unequal treatment of applicants and uneven monitoring for overgrazing, improper subleasing, unauthorized range improvements and uninsured ranchers.

Program officials refuse to release the names of individuals who hold leases, or how long they were on the waiting list to receive a lease, adding to the complaints of applicants long on the waiting list that favoritism was rampant.

Last year the program rejected a formal request for information by the Navajo Times, filed under the tribe's public records law.

The auditors also found that the program was losing money, noting in their report, "Furthermore, the grazing fee of $4 per head per month that was established in 1888 is overdue for an evaluation."

The switch to competitive bidding was proposed as part of the ranch program's corrective action plan.

In November, the council's Resources Committee approved the corrective action plan, including the switch to a competitive bidding process like the one used to assign grazing rights on federal lands. The Budget and Finance Committee also approved the plan.

The move to competitive bids will affect 23 of the tribe's 84 ranches. These have expired leases. Some ranches are being withheld from bidding because they are not deemed suitable for leasing due to substandard conditions.

On Dec. 4, 2009, 19 ranchers were notified by certified mail that their leases, which had expired in March, were up for bid. They were eligible to make a bid, but their leases would not automatically be renewed as was generally done in the past.

The change prompted an outcry from the leaseholders, but Agriculture Department Director Leo Watchman Jr., whose department includes the ranch program, noted that it had been approved by the two committees to correct problems identified by the audit.

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The ranch program held a one-day meeting Dec. 16 at Navajo Technical College to educate ranchers about the competitive bid process and other management practices.

"We want to practice fairness and all ranchers to bid," said Fritz Roanhorse, manager of the ranch program.

Watchman added, "The Navajo Nation ranch program is offering for the first time an opportunity for all enrolled Navajo individuals to bid on 28 Navajo Nation ranches. The highest bidder will ensure occupation."

Bidding for 23 ranch leases began Dec. 15. The bidding ends Jan. 13.

The ranches are located near Rincon Marcus, Whitehorse Lake, Pueblo Pintado and Chichiltah in New Mexico and Flagstaff and Winslow in Arizona.

Watchman said competitive bidding is not just to generate revenue but bidders must submit a range and livestock management plan that promotes conservation, healthy herds and economic development.

Agriculture Department and ranch program officials realize that the current national economic hardship no longer allows for ranching to be treated as a hobby, Watchman said.

Bidders must understand that the program wants people who will operate their ranch as a business, he said.

"Historically, members of the Navajo Nation have raised livestock as a way of life with agriculture being a foundation of Navajo culture," Watchman said. "However, traditional cultural aspects of indigenous people's lives have changed, especially with respect to agriculture.

"The Navajo Nation population continues to grow, causing a reduction in land base available for agriculture, thus adversely impacting produce and efficient agricultural practices," he said.

A team from the Division of Natural Resources, Agriculture Department and Tribal Ranches Program is handling the bidding process. All bids and questions should be directed to them.

In addition to Fritz Roanhorse, the team includes Kathy Smith, Prunell Charley and Roxie June. They can be reached via the Agriculture Department in Window Rock at 928-871-6605.