More info from a poster over here: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1611309_.html&page=13&anc=46687618#i46687618
Background info from both sides of the argument:
I called the Bunkerville Constable Office yesterday to ask more about this, and learned a lot. I also called Rob Mrowka of Biologicaldiversity.org to hear his side of it.
They both said the Feds have removed many of the tortoises, and since they don’t know how to take care of them, they euthanize them according to Bunkerville. Bob Mrowka said the euthanization story was scare tactics from the tortoise conservatory to get more money. “If you don’t send us more funding, all of tortoises iz dead.”
The BLM has shut down their traditional Boy Scout Camp Sites, historic camping areas, and Bunkerville actually owns the area, not BLM. Bundy was making payments until the payments started being sent back to him from Bunkerville Township. This is when BLM claims he owes back payments.
Bunkerville has no Law Enforcement, and since they fall within Clark County (Vegas) they are beholden to the mafia Sheriff from Sin City. It’s the same time-old tale of corrupt politicians screwing over the locals, and this is the last guy left.
This issue has the meddling from Harry Reid and Sherry Berkley in it.
BLM Harassment
The BLM has declared most of the land off the roads as “off limits”, and harasses local residents who have enjoyed the area for over a century.
If you pull off the side of the road, for example, you can be arrested and physically injured at the whim of uniformed persons.
Bundy is basically saying, “We’ve been here since the 1800’s, we don’t recognize your authority to regulate the land on which cattle graze.”
BLM and the desert tortoise advocates are saying, “But you complied for so many years, and then you stopped. We’ve beaten you in court, now comply or have your cattle confiscated (oh, BTW, your cattle are State property anyway since they aren’t branded).”
Trends in Feds Shutting Down Small Business in the Area
The person that answered the phone in Bunkerville used to have a meat processing business in their family, until the USFDA shut them down. They fought with FDA for years and years until they finally got too old and tired, and just gave up. They have no law enforcement in Bunkersville to protect the people from BLM goons, since they fall under Clark County (Vegas, and Vegas Metro PD-look at a map and see how far away they are).
Payment and Land Ownership Background
Bundy’s family made payments for 60 years after the BLM was created in 1946, but BLM seems to have claimed the land in question sometime, when it was really Bunkersville city land. BLM started harassing people and closing off Boy Scout and local church camping sites that they had used since the early 1900’s, and began telling locals that they could no longer pull off to the side of the road and exit their vehicles even.
Environmental Activist Position
I also spoke with Rob Mrowka, who is a scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity to hear his side of the story. Basically, once Bundy’s money started getting returned to him by Bunkerville, the case was handed over to the courts, and the courts ruled in favor of the BLM, even after being appealed to the Court in San Francisco. Bundy represented himself every time. Once the Federal Appellate Court upheld the ruling against him, he said he wouldn’t comply, local and State LE didn’t want any part of it, and Bundy was left to continue to let his cattle graze in the area where they had all along.
Rob Mrwoka filed a lawsuit, demanding that the courts be upheld, and the BLM finally responded. Both Bundy and Mrowka say this is a sovereignty issue, and not about the tortoises, but we really wouldn’t be at this point if it weren’t for the question about who really owns the land- Bunkerville or BLM, and then the tortoise advocacy.
I asked if there was some kind of development planned for the area where the cattle graze, and Mrowka insisted that there was not, since it is a protected area for the desert tortoise. He also said that there are a lot of solar farms being built in Nevada, where they remove the tortoises to other locations after the solar farming company pays dislocation fees for the animals, and there is one on the Moapa Indian Reservation nearby. The only plans that BLM has for Bunkerville Ranch are to erect a monument of some kind.
I personally am not a fan of the BLM, the Federal Government claiming 87% of Nevada’s land, and desert tortoises. I grew up seeing desert tortoises out where I’m from in the high desert, but haven’t seen one in decades. It would be nice if the Governor of Nevada would back his statements with some force and put these BLM neckbeards in their place.
TL/DR: Cattle Rancher has been grazing cattle on the land since 1870. Nobody has a problem with this other than environmental and animal rights advocates. They filed suit to enforce Federal protection of the Desert Tortoise land area where cattle graze. LEO’s never wanted to enforce because they knew it was BS, but are now forced to. States rights versus Fed overreach are central.
Do the feds want Bundy’s ranch? Say, for development?
If a peasant tried the same thing, The King's men just laugh, and file the missive in the circular file (send it registered!). the peasant has no gunthugs on his payroll to enforce his pathetic little arguments.
The King's Men have a bottomless well of taxpeasant money to attack any peasant who they have targeted.
And, they have heavily armed men-at-arms, who are deployed in a (your) money-is-no-object fashion.