About

My name is Emily Ellis. I'm a journalism master's student and a former law student at the University of Arizona specializing in environmental journalism. 

I decided to write this story while interning for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, Arizona. My sources for other environmental stories kept telling me that they wanted to talk about trespass cattle in the San Pedro River. So, I started asking more about the cows in the river and that's how this project began. Originally, I had no idea it would turn into such a large feature. 

This story focuses on the recent legal efforts by environmental groups to force the Bureau of Land Management to remove trespass cattle from the river and revoke its authorization for grazing within the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. At its core, it is a story about the BLM's management of its first Riparian National Conservation Area and the accusations that the BLM's management decisions are being clouded by local ranching interests. The BLM manages over 12 million acres of public lands across the United States and grazing is one of the most prevalant uses on those lands. While this story is highly localized in Cochise County and focuses on four small grazing allotments, its explorations of the BLM's mamangement decisions have applications across the Nation. 

I never thought I would have done my master's project on trespass cattle in the San Pedro River. But the more reporting I did on this topic, the more I realized that it was the perfect story to combine legal knowledge and expirience reporting on environmental issues in rural Arizona.