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Now please explain why a senator from Nevada would want to get involved in this, not that he has much support from right wing extremists but it makes no sense. How did all the legitimate news sources miss this story.
Reid is notoriously corrupt. Maybe if the ranchers would pony up money to buy Reid he might but not until then even though he was elected to represent NV concerns.
Im not saying its true. But come on, why would it be so crazy? Someone is driving this, thats for sure. Look at the man power they're using over friggin grazing fees?
This boggles my mind the actions the government is taking on this. Its crazy, like out of a movie.
I dont think they'd do everything they are doing, if it was simply over just grazing fees. Something else is going on here, or the FEDs are just that screwed up that theyd take such actions over something so stupid.
I have to wonder why they allowed this to go on since 1993 when he suddenly stopped paying his grazing fees, they should have done this years ago. There may have very well been something that pushed them to do this but seems like he has been ignoring court orders and challenging them all along. Meanwhile all the other ranchers have been complying. I will be Reid is involved when I hear it from a real news source, still makes no sense for him if he wants to lose votes.
They left the guy alone for 20 years.
But NOW they want his cattle off and are rounding them up themselves.
Think about that one people.
They did not leave him alone for 20 years. He has been fighting a protracted legal battle in the courts for almost a decade.
In case anyone is curious, here is the text of the BLM document:
Quote:
Cattle Trespass Impacts
Cliven Bundy has no legal authority to graze cattle on federal lands in the Gold Butte area, including Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The U.S. District Court of Nevada has permanently enjoined Cliven Bundy's trespass grazing, ordered him to remove his trespass cattle from public lands inside and outside the former Bunkerville Allotment (including from the Lake Mead NRA) before December 2013, and stated the U.S. is entitled to seize and impound any cattle that have not been removed by the judicially imposed off-date and that remain in trespass. A large number of the trespass cattle on the federal lands are feral cattle that can pose a threat to members of the public recreating or traveling over the federal lands. The trespass cattle have also caused damage to private property, as well as to the federal lands and natural resources.
Examples of Recent Incidents of Private Property Damage Caused by Bundy's Trespass Cattle
One feral cow was hit by an automobile within Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Cattle are frequently seen on public roads, including State Route 170 and pose a danger to vehicles and to members of the public traveling on public roads.
Overton Wildlife Refuge (State of Nevada) employee attacked by a Bundy bull.
Crop destroyed by Bundy cattle on private land.
Mesquite Heritage Community Garden damaged by trespass cattle.
Mesquite golf course damaged by trespass cattle.
Examples of Restoration Funding and Viability Impacted
A $400,000 matching grant to restore Southwest Willow Flycatcher habitat along the Virgin River from the Walton Family Foundation was withdrawn until the trespass cattle have been removed.
A $160,000 Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act project to restore Southwestern Willow Flycatcher has been delayed until trespass cattle are removed.
Non-Governmental Organizations have expressed concern that the regional mitigation strategy for the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone utilizes Gold Butte as the location for offsite mitigation for impacts from solar development, and that those restoration activities are not durable with the presence of trespass cattle.
The Nevada State Department of Wildlife has built extensive fences to protect state and federal lands protected as the Overton Wildlife Refuge from the trespass cattle.
Examples of Public Concerns
Residents of the communities of Bunkerville and Mesquite have complained about the impact of cattle on city facilities.
Within the last month, letters requesting action have also been received from several individuals, Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Friends of Gold Butte and Friends of Joshua Tree Forest.
The Center for Biological Diversity has demanded action to resolve trespass in designated critical desert tortoise habitat in several letters.
Western Watersheds has requested a verbal status update and later filed a Freedom of Information Act request.
Examples of Natural and Cultural Resource Damage
Cattle have crushed artifacts at the "Red Racer" and St. Thomas cultural sites.
Damage to springs, including fecal contamination, trampling soils and vegetation and impacts to wildlife. Wildlife will avoid springs with large numbers of cattle.
Damage to springs with sensitive amphibians, including the rare relict leopard frog.
Multiple instances of vegetation damage to rare plants, including on monitoring plots after extensive wildfires within critical habitat for Desert Tortoise.
Unauthorized reservoir constructed with bulldozer twice.
The more you understand the history the less defending this rancher makes sense, he is the only one not in compliance.
Quote:
According to Nevada conservationists, a number of attempts to revegetate
habitat in the Gold Butte area have been destroyed by the trespass cattle.
In 1998, five years after Bundy began to refuse to pay his publicly
subsidized grazing fees in 1993, the BLM finally revoked his grazing permit for
failure to pay those fees. Clark County then bought out that permit for $375,000
and retired them permanently to protect the desert tortoise under the Clark
County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan.
In 2012, after that year's roundup was canceled by the BLM, the Center for
Biological Diversity (CBD) filed a notice of intent to sue the BLM for failing
to remove the cattle, despite two court orders mandating the cattle be
confiscated.
"Again and again federal judges have said the BLM has the right and duty to
remove cattle trespassing in the Gold Butte area to protect desert tortoises and
other imperiled species," said CBD senior scientist Rob Mrowka on Sunday. "We're
heartened and thankful that the agencies are finally living up to their
stewardship duty."
That's it in a nutshell.
And it's not like the bunny family didn't have many opportunities to buy the land since 1877. They were first in line as a homesteader when it went out of open range, and the federal government has allowed ranchers to purchase their leased land ever since.
The federal range, forests, and other lands have been property of the federal government ever since the lower 48 became contiguous. The range he's been squatting on belongs to us, not him. He was able to graze for far longer than he should have due to federal forbearance, but that has finally run out.
Let the militias come. If they attempt to interfere, they will be arrested and taken to jail, and most likely tried as felons. Bundy has no legal position in this ground at all, and all the militia men will achieve is a jail record.
The BLM is on notice now to start enforcing the laws more strictly. Some folks have mentioned it's a water issue, and that's what it is. Nevada is a dry state, and Las Vegas is consuming most of the state's available water supply, leaving Nevada farmers and ranchers in a tight situation. Those who keep their long-standing leases current will get the water they need, and those who don't will lose their water. The water conflict in the West is only going to grow as more people move into Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, California, Texas and other dry states that are becoming ever more parched.
I'm desperately trying to find the "behind the scenes" details of this situation. This is what I've learned.... and am questioning....
Back many moons ago the land was considered property of the State of NEVADA.... rather than paying yearly grazing rights to the STATE of NEVADA... Bundy choose to pay a larger sum that would grant him PERMANENT GRAZING RIGHTS.
Then some yrs later, the State of Nevada decided to sell the property to the FED GOV, in which the BLM came into being, and the BLM claimed his previous grazing contract with Nevada is null and void. IF IF IF this story is true, then I completely understand why he is fighting this sooooo hard.
It's like paying your house in full, only to have the Feds grab it, and say "don't worry, you can still live here, now you have to pay us rent".
Can anybody confirm this story as true?????
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