Feds agree to keep cattle out of northern Arizona rivers

By BOB CHRISTIE and JONATHAN J. COOPER
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Federal land-management agencies have agreed to do more to keep cattle from grazing in habitat that threatened and endangered species need to survive in the Verde River watershed. The agreement approved by a federal judge on Wednesday settles a lawsuit filed by environmental groups. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Forest Service agreed to regularly inspect riparian areas near grazing land and promptly take steps to return any cattle to their owners and fix broken fencing. It is the third agreement this year to protect sensitive areas in the state.