English: Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada. Español: Tortuga desertica (Gopherus agassizii) en Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Never thought I would see the day that BLM would turn against a cattle rancher … but it looks like BLM has even better ways of destroying public lands. Excessive cattle were bad enough but now the BLM must have some other more wealthy and powerful friends! This is more than about trespassing cattle … a realtor states that Bundy has had repeated offers to buy his ranch lands over the years since they are next to I-15. According to Rusty Hill, former NV Land Broker, the plans for this land are:
“Not about turtles, it’s about water. There are developers working for military contractors that want the land and water for mining weapons grade minerals for industry … they want to sell the land by the highway for real estate development because it’s close to I-15 and the Bundys have been refusing to sell what they actually own directly for over 20 years. Many buyers sent me out there with crazy offers for that land for many years. It’s prime real estate not worthless desert. There is a natural gas pipeline going through there and lots of water underground too. Somebody connected to a military corporation is using political power and the BLM to muscle those people out”
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The ranchers in support of Bundy have asked the BLM what are the backhoes and dump trucks doing? This is calving season so the Bundy ‘militia’ feel that the cattle are being traumatized and killed because they aren’t used to being corralled; that cattle or new baby calves are dying as a result of BLM’s roundup; so typical that the cattle aren’t paired up with their calves — not surprising because of how BLM have treated the wild horses, is it?
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Pete Santilli describes the events at the roadside protest where a female cancer patient was thrown on the ground – BLM says it was to save her life from a truck…really? Trucks don’t have brakes? Typical BLM spin that we have all heard before that is usually farthest from the truth.
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This article published on March 25, 2014, Bundy declares ‘range war’ BLM to impound embattled rancher’s cattle there’s a short history describing the dispute between BLM and Cliven Bundy. Bundy has not paid grazing fees since 1993 but has continued to graze his cattle on public land and,
“Among other arguments, the government says the rancher’s cattle are trespassing on federal land and eating vegetation that would otherwise sustain the desert tortoise, a threatened species.”
Read the rest of the article HERE
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But wait, there’s more to this story:
“A tortoise isn’t the reason why BLM is harassing a 67 year-old rancher. They want his land. The tortoise wasn’t of concern when Harry Reid worked BLM to literally change the boundaries of the tortoise’s habitat to accommodate the development of his top donor, Harvey Whittemore. Whittemore was convicted of illegal campaign contributions to Senator Reid. Reid’s former senior adviser is now the head of BLM. Reid is accused of using the new BLM chief as a puppet to control Nevada land (already over 84% of which is owned by the federal government) and pay back special interests. BLM has proven that they’ve a situational concern for the desert tortoise as they’ve had no problem waiving their rules concerning wind or solar power development. Clearly these developments have vastly affected a tortoise habitat more than a century-old, quasi-homesteading grazing area. If only Clive Bundy were a big Reid donor. “
See more at: The Real Story Behind The Bundy Ranch Harassment
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Isn’t it odd that in August 2013 BLM threatened they were going to kill all the desert tortoises due to budget constraints, but now they want to protect them from cattle and spend millions of dollars rounding them up and so what if some cattle or their calves die in the process? How convenient that the BLM remembered that desert tortoises were a threatened species and needed protection from cattle.
Read more at BLM to kill hundreds of desert tortoises as its conservation center runs out of money
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By the end of April 9, BLM has rounded up 1077 cattle but no mention of how many cattle or calves died. Sound familiar horse advocates? Many cattle ranchers want all the wild horses removed from their lawfully given HMA’s and now BLM favors more lucrative revenues that don’t include cattle ranching. How does that feel cattle ranchers? I don’t agree with the brutality that BLM uses to round-up wild horses with HELL-A-CHOPPERS, it can’t be any good for the cattle and their calves either. If Bundy had paid his grazing fees would this have happened.
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I don’t like that the BLM rangers and their contractors have decided to treat the people who are protesting peacefully like they are armed to the teeth with deadly weapons when all they have are cameras. Horse advocates know all about the brutal acts of BLM and lack of humanity, not only for the wild horses but the people who have come to document the wild horse round ups.
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Impound Update HERE (Links also on this page to: Trespass Cattle, Daily Public Land Closure Maps, Frequently Asked Questions, Media Information, Public Notices and Court Orders)
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