§ 1908 — Experimental Stewardship Program

(a) The Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture are hereby authorized and directed to develop and implement, on an experimental basis on selected areas of the public rangelands which are representative of the broad spectrum of range conditions, trends, and forage values, a program which provides incentives to, or rewards for, the holders of grazing permits and leases whose stewardship results in an improvement of the range condition of lands under permit or lease. Such program shall explore innovative grazing management policies and systems which might provide incentives to improve range conditions. These may include, but need not be limited to— (1) cooperative range management projects designed to foster a greater degree of cooperation and coordination between the Federal and State agencies charged with the management of the rangelands and with local private range users, (2) the payment of up to 50 per centum of the amount due the Federal Government from grazing permittees in the form of range improvement work, (3) such other incentives as he may deem appropriate. (b) No later than December 31, 1985, the Secretaries shall report to the Congress the results of such experimental program, their evaluation of the fee established in section 1905 of this title and other grazing fee options, and their recommendations to implement a grazing fee schedule for the 1986 and subsequent grazing years.