Two More Years of Trespass: Bundy’s Cows Still Trampling Tortoise Habitat

[struggle4progress]

By: PEER, Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardians

RESEDA, CA, April 5, 2016 - Hundreds of cattle are still on the loose two years to the day after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) began rounding up Cliven Bundy’s cattle in the Gold Butte area of southern Nevada. Forced by armed militants to release the penned cattle at the famous standoff under the highway bridge, the BLM has not endeavored to finish the job and, in fact, has stated there is no immediate plan to revisit the area.

“Cliven Bundy is in custody but his cows are still on the loose on public lands that were designated as conservation areas for threatened desert tortoises back in 1998," said Michael Connor, California Director of Western Watersheds Project. "Livestock were supposed to have been removed 18 years ago. It’s high time for the BLM to finish the job and remove those cattle."

“Cliven Bundy’s livestock were ordered off these key desert tortoise habitats because they were incompatible with habitat protection, and the long-overdue removal of the cows is a necessary step to give the habitat a chance to recover and give the desert tortoise a leg up on survival,“ said Erik Molvar, wildlife biologist with WildEarth Guardians.

Cattle have direct and indirect adverse effects on desert tortoise, ranging from trampling tortoises and their eggs, trampling tortoise burrows and trapping tortoises underground, removing the nutritious vegetation that tortoises need to survive, and facilitating increased numbers of ravens that eat hatchling tortoises. The lands around Gold Butte are considered “critical habitat,” a specific geographic area that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined is essential for the conservation of the species ...

http://yubanet.com/california/Two-More-Years-of-Trespass-Bundy-s-Cows-Still-Trampling-Tortoise-Habitat.php#.VwSlMzYrKL8

[SoLeftIAmRight]

1. Many Thanks for the info

...

[catnhatnh]

2. From what I've seen elsewhere

and I won't search or document this tonight, the BLM withdraws grazing rights in certain areas for a period of several weeks to encourage tortoise breeding. You are supposed to pull your cattle back onto your ranch for that period...

[Maru Kitteh]

9. Since the asshole never paid his grazing fees AND

Cattle are not native and destroy the natural ecosystem . . . move them off. Should have been done some time ago.

[Gene Debs]

3. So maybe it's time to seize all his cattle and sell them at auction, with the proceeds going to

pay down the bill for all the damages the asshole and his asshole sons and their asshole buddies caused to Federal property.

[ybbor]

4. Sounds like a great idea

Wish someone could propose that to the Feds

[yardwork]

7. Good idea.

[hopemountain]

5. stewart udahl is

rolling over in his grave at the ignorance of the bundys. why are the blm letting them continue "roaming" rather than rounding them up?

[nationalize the fed]

6. Examples of how the Feds "protect" the land

Groundbreaking Report Calculates Damage Done by Fracking
http://ecowatch.com/2013/10/03/report-calculates-damage-by-fracking/



How many fracking holes were drilled while a few cows step on a few tortoises?

Yeah- the Fracking Feds really care about the environment. What a joke.

[yardwork]

8. Is this fracking being done on federal land?

[womanofthehills]

10. About 10% of all fracking is on federal lands - which is a lot of fracking

U.S. sets first major fracking rules on federal lands


http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fracking-idUSKBN0MG1Q220150320

[yardwork]

11. That's not good.