Oregon Public Broadcasting

Several ranchers in Grant County took their cattle onto parts of the Malheur National Forest Friday for the first time in two years.

Earlier this week a federal judge overturned the multi-year injunction against grazing on two specific parts of the forest, near the John Day River.

The judge also allowed ranching to continue on several other contested spots.

The ruling determined that the cattle didn’t cause the damage to streams and rivers that environmentalists claimed.

Elizabeth Howard is a lawyer for the ranchers.

Elizabeth Howard: “This decision specifically addressed the question about whether grazing could continue without harm to steelhead.”

The battle over grazing on public lands in Oregon is nowhere near over.

The next legal fight may hinge on how to measure the impacts cattle have on river habitat.