Bureau of Land Management officials in Nevada won’t say how much it might cost to round up so-called “trespass cattle” from federal land 80 miles north of Las Vegas, but at least $1 million is a pretty safe bet.
Based on a review of government contracting records, the bureau is set to pay a private livestock contractor from Utah $966,000 to collect several hundred cattle set loose on public land by Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy.
Contracts for nearly $15,000 more have been awarded for light towers and other equipment to support the government’s impound operation, which is expected to start within few days or weeks.
Starting Thursday, federal authorities began restricting access to almost 600,000 acres of public land in northeast Clark County in preparation for the roundup.
As the operation unfolds, the public will be kept from parts of the temporary closure area, but the remainder will remain open.
The closure area includes almost all of Clark County’s northeastern corner, from Overton east to the Arizona border and from the Lincoln County line south to the northern tip of Lake Mead.
According to federal records, the BLM signed a contract Feb. 7 with Shayne Sampson of Sampson Livestock in Meadow, Utah. Instead of a description of the contract, records label it as “Confidential Priority 1 Gold Butte.”
But Bundy knows exactly what the contract is for.
He sent out notices last week to Shayne Sampson and others in the livestock business warning them that they would face legal action for “cattle rustling” if they took part in the roundup. Bureau officials in Nevada said they won’t know the final cost of the
upcoming operation until after it is over. When asked to provide an
estimate, they would only say it will vary depending on a number of
factors, including duration. A Federal Register notice associated
with the roundup states that the operation is expected to take about 21
days but could last a month depending on weather and other factors. Bureau
officials also declined to specify how many government employees and
contract workers might be involved in the roundup, and they refused to
identify which federal law enforcement agencies might be called in to
keep the peace. “Specific operations information regarding the
impoundment will not be released,” said Kirsten Cannon, spokeswoman for
the BLM in Nevada...
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1 comment:
A cheaper solution: Just open it up to us citizens to come and get our free beef. 'Course that might lead to something resembling a range war, requiring homeland security intervention with drones and well-armed thugs....but we don't need to contract for them....They are already in our employ.
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