MERRITT, BC – A Forest Practices Board investigation has found that grassland and open forest areas within the Mine pasture of the Coutlee Range Unit near Merritt are not functioning, with long-term overgrazing contributing to accelerated soil loss and reduced area stability. The investigation was initiated after the board received a complaint from two of six range agreement holders who share grazing rights in the Coutlee Range Unit under a single range-use plan. The complaint related to livestock grazing practices, fence maintenance and compliance with the grazing schedule. The board found that actions in the range-use plan were written in ways that were not measurable or verifiable. As a result, the board could not determine whether required actions were being followed, making compliance with the plan unenforceable. The board also found that an amended 2023 grazing schedule was not legally valid because it was not signed by all agreement holders, as required.