[Dusty Road]

“”How much are they paying to lease the land? That is my question. If they are paying a huge amount, I would understand that they would want the BLM to help maintain it. If they are receiving grazing rights for a steal, then to expect the US taxpayers to maintain the land is a bit much.””

About 20 bucks a head per year as opposed to 75 to 150 a head on private land.

[kaila]

I have mixed feelings about this. If there was no BLM land in Wyoming, then my freezer would be empty. My husband hunts antelope on BLM land in Wyoming. BLM gives the rest of us hunting access. Private ranchers generally in Wyoming charge thousands of dollars to hunt their private ranches. If what you say is true about how much they are paying, then they should not expect the BLM to maintain the land at a loss , which us taxpayers have to pay for.
How the BLM obtained the land is another question. If private property was stolen, then that is a concern. If these people squatted on the land for years, and did not pay for it ,then that is another concern. If the BLM took away their permit rights, that land was not the ranchers to begin with.
All I know, BLM land helps the rest of us Americans have access to hunting lands, which private ranch lands do not allow, or allow at huge cost.