ANOTHER UPDATE FROM THE WILDERNESS
A couple of weeks ago, the Forest Service moved onto the Diamond Bar, in force. There are LEO vehicles parked at MeOwn in rows three vehicles deep. They have automatic weapons, K-9 units, and just about every other imaginable evil you can think of.
After chasing my Husband and 13 year old Son (who were horseback, and driving 3 other horses from one private property to the other private property, on the road) with lights flashing, sirens blaring and repeatedly trying to get them off their horses, 1 regular LEO vehicle and 1 K-9 unit came to the house (on private property that's posted with No Trespassing signs) and confronted Kit.
The first thing the one apparently in charge (name tag merely said Nelson, no one knows if it's the first, middle or last name of this obnoxious LEO) said they don't want anyone to get hurt. All this, while wearing a gun. Nelson also said that we are only allowed to go from one private property to the other by the main road, never vearing from it or stopping anywhere or getting out of the vehicle unless on the private property.
Nelson also denied that the FS was taking possession of the 400 some odd cattle on the ranch, but neither can any of the family give care to them. They belong to Kit and Sherry until they are sold at auction.
The day after this happened, they stopped my Husband, Son and Kit on the main road, and tried to give them all tickets for trespassing on the forest. As they have no authority over civilians, Hubby drove away from them.
A few days later, Hubby and Sherry, his ex-SIL (who is still a partner in the ranch) were going to the other property, horseback, and came up on 7 riders: 2 LEOs, 1 FS employee, and 4 of the new contractor bunch. They were able to ride right up behind them, and no one had a clue they were there. When the LEOs discovered them, they rode back to tell them they couldn't be there, and had to go back to the private property right then, and not "interfere with the gathering of the cattle". Hubby and Sherry denied the order and the LEOs rode away, it was then that Hubby noticed the machine gun the one LEO had in his scabbard. No one of the rest of us ever goes armed like that, wonder what they thought they were gonna run into, some of the wolves they've admitted to turning out on us, or some of the Grizzlies they deny turning loose but have been seen around?
This past Wed, Zeno Kiehne and his young son, were able to obtain a permit from Wilderness District Ranger Annette Chavez, to come interview BIL for a small newspaper he runs here in Catron County. The permit was issued for the one day only, and he could go to the Black Canyon property and back, it stated that he could only be on the main road, couldn't stop anywhere or get out anywhere other than the private property.
The same day, our sheriff, Cliff Snyder served a constructive notice to the contractor hired to do the gather, informing him that he could and would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law if any Diamond Bar Cattle were removed from the ranch. On the way out to meet Sheriff Snyder, Kit got a notice from the FS off his gate, stating that the FS had 23 head of cattle in possession and he could pay an exhorbitant amount to get them back, but they could not be put on the Gila or Apache NFs, nor on the Diamond Bar or Laney Allotments. Otherwise, they would be sold at auction in 5 days.
I'm not sure who Russell Ward is, but he was quoted in the newspaper as saying if they couldn't sell the Diamond Bar cattle, they would give them away. We can hardly wait to see if they're actually dumb enough to try that!
Night before last, the folks that are staying at the other private property on the ranch, came in and there was an urgent message for someone that was supposed to be at MeOwn, asking if they would deliver it to them there. The woman drove her personal vehicle to MeOwn, and asked if this person was there, two cowboy looking guys standing near the corral, pointed him out to her. They called him over, and when the LEOs saw what was going on, two of them grabbed him, bodily packing him into the building, drawing curtains, etc. One LEO came out, with a sandwich in one hand, and a gun in the other. No one is sure who he was. Steve Libby (FS personnel) came out and asked what was going on, and denied that anyone by that name was even there. When she stated that the two men had pointed him out, he backtracked like crazy, saying he'd deliver the message to him....but never even asked what the message was, and told her to go back to the private property.
The person the message was for, we found out later, is the contractor hired to impound the cattle. For some reason, the FS is very protective of him, even the FOIA is going to take at least 20 days to process. One week down, two to go.
Right now, we're asking anyone who can, to call Annette Chavez at 505 536-2250, and ask for a permit to come see us at the ranch. When the request is denied, which it will be, then ask for the reason in writing to be mailed, emailed, etc. to them, then forward it on to us at
ddalaney2002@yahoo.com ,
deb_laney@yahoo.com , or PO Box 4, Luna, NM 87824. They will then be used to present in an argument concerning the infringment of our civil rights. We are basically under martial law over there, and there's not much we can do about it. The roadblocks are manned 24 hours a day, and the FS personnel are not nice about it either.
So, that's the latest from the Diamond Bar Ranch....thanks so much for all you guy's support! It really is appreciated by the whole family!!!!