(NAFB.com) – At the Public Lands Council’s annual meeting, the Bureau of Land Management announced the winners of the 2024 Rangeland Stewardship and Rangeland Innovation awards. The two organizations have partnered for 19 years to honor BLM livestock grazing permittees and lessees who demonstrate exceptional management, collaboration, and communication that restores, conserves, or enhances public lands. The Rangeland Stewardship Award winner is Fitzgerald Ranch, Inc., of Plush, Oregon. The Rangeland Stewardship Award winner in the collaborative team category is the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance of Montana. The Rangeland Innovation Award winner in the Permittee Category is the Hansen family of PH Livestock in Wyoming. “Federal lands ranchers represent the most efficient and cost-effective way to maintain western rangeland, while still producing a wholesome product for consumers,” says PLC President Mark Roeber. “Grazing permittees partner with BLM to protect and build vital wildlife habitat and improve native plant life while reducing invasive grasses and preventing catastrophic wildfires.”