Don’t know where you iive, but I live where the BLM sets all the rules. The state of Nevada has over 87% of it’s land mass controlled by the Feds. How would you like that in the state where you live?
The arbitrarily set rules & sometimes those rules are charged retroactively. The Feds gave permission (as did the state) to the Hammonds to set a backfire when their hay supplies, home, equipment & grazing pastures were under threat from a totally out of control fire.
Then— AFTER the fire was out—they decided that ‘some small acreage of Federal controlled land’ was burned. Since the Hammonds have Fed grazing rights, they were protecting ALL the surrounding land in working to stop the fire.
The Hammonds had permission to set the backfire——THEN the Feds charged them. This whole incident has been out of control from the beginning-—and for those of you who wonder why the Feds are going after the Hammonds & others, known resources of valuable minerals are in those areas, including uranium-—which Shrillary Clinton as Sec of State with Obama as full accomplice SOLD to the Russians.
The Bundy fiasco was over water——the Bundy ranch is the LAST ranch of 52 that all were on the same aquifer in S Nevada. 51 sold out or were driven out. Only the Bundy Ranch is left. Harry Reid & the Southern Nevada Water Authority are on a march to put all the water in Nevada under their control. They have been building Las Vegas resorts, golf courses & other entertainment casinos at a very fast pace, and they need alot of water to keep washing those sheets!!!
Harry Reid & the SWNA spent years buying up every ranch for sale in eastern Nevada & stripping the irrigation water rights off those lands. Now- SNWA owns water that was assigned to ranches in valleys a long way away from Las Vegas. Harry wanted a 490 mile pipeline to MOVE that water to LV. A Judge finally shut down that plan, but those ranches are now basically worthless, and the land is fallow. Another Dust Bowl in the making.
Harry Reid & his son- Rory Reid have also been working with a Chinese company to put a large solar array into that valley. Steal the land & use the sun at the same time they are draining the aquifer. Both the Reids are behind the Bundy problems
IF you don’t know alot about these events, I suggest that you find RANGE MAGAZINE on the internet & perhaps order a subscription. Quarterly, $20 a year. There is rarely an issue that does NOT have an article about the water grabs in the Western states.
We have had over 4 years of drought here in N Nevada. Prices for HAY quadrupled. Now, the State Water Commission is demanding that EVERY domestic well owner give up 75% of the water WE OWN—Bought WITH the property when we bought the property. NONE of us were ever informed by disclosure when we bought that any person in the state-—much less ONE person Harry Reid controls -—could cut our water from 2 acre feet a year to 1/2 acre foot a year. NO OUTSIDE watering at all-—NO GARDENS—NO TREES—NO FLOWERS-—& NO WATERING OF LIVESTOCK!!!!! None of us have ‘lawns’ already, since this is sand & sage brush territory. As far as I am concerned, this has been YEARS of Real Estate FRAUD. We were sold something we thought we OWNED & CONTROLLED ourselves-—and now we are told THEY control OUR water & can take it from US to allocate to all the new businesses Nevada is attracting. Those new businesses also ring in thousands of new employees—with families—& they all need water for toilets—showers—laundry—dishwashers, etc. The houses being build en masse north of Reno are all being built with LAWNS. WE own this water—it is called an APPURTENANCE to our parcels. Now—the politicians are trying to take it away to support the new housing & the new employees coming to Nevada. Perhaps an economic boon to some, but think about 300,000 people getting their current water they own getting cut to 25% with the stroke of a pen.
About 85% of the population of Nevada lives in Clark & Wahoe counties. The other 15% live on DOMESTIC wells, or get their water from very small ‘municipal water systems’.
Even if only 10% of the population has a domestic well, that is still over 300m000 persons who live a rural life style & some of us live remotely. I know people who go 3 miles to their mail box—and never leave their property!!
However, I & many others bought property where we could have our horses—goats—dogs—sheep—chickens, etc. How much water does a chicken need? Apparently too much for Harry Reid & his cohorts to give a damn about. On the one hand, the local media is always touting the benefits of growing your own food in your own garden——and now the State Water Master wants complete control over all of our domestic wells....and no gardens!!!
Taking that much of our water will devalue our properties to a very dangerous level. I would say we would be lucky to get 20% of the real value if we don’t have water.
That will lead to retired people being unable to get reverse mortgages if they need them. The state has a high number of retired people. When we all die—our heirs won’t be able to sell our properties-—so why would they continue to pay the taxes? In a matter of a very short time, the county will be the largest property owner-—because of UNPAID taxes. The county won’t be able to sell the properties for anything either, without water.
The will lead to a financial collapse of the rural counties of Nevada. Only Washoe county (Reno) & Clark County (Las Vegas) are more suburban.
Want to get an idea of how rural some of this state is? Look closely at those maps that Verizon & others use to show their ‘coverage’. Lots of gaps in N Nevada & Utah. They have their own water problems.
Think I am wrong? Get into the Legislative websites in Nevada and find SB 47, which will be put in front of the incoming Legislature for consideration. It is 20 pages long & quite dry, but they are intent on stealing our water.
This state is full of retirees, like myself. We saved & sold larger properties to buy here and have no mortgage on Soc Sec incomes. Now- All of our value in our largest assets are being fragmented & we seem to have no say in the matter. We are pretty angry over this.
Thank you for the informative post. The Sagebrush Rebellion is unknown to most Americans.
Agenda 21 rural cleansing is just a conspiracy theory doncha know.
Obama Declares Site Of The 2014 Bundy Standoff A National Monument
Alert: Obama seizes Bundy Ranch area in massive last minute land grab
Here too I am worried. We live in the most beautiful northern Michigan location on some acreage in an area that is zoned on those agenda 21 maps as "little to no human use". As you said, we saved and have no mortgage, etc.
We thank God every day for the rednecks, hunters and open carrying patriots who live near us. And that Trump won.Hang in there, only 14 more days?