Yep, this one's next door to me. Fact is I spent a year on the Monroe Aspen Workgroup that include private land owners, live stock federal land grazers, State of Utah Agriculture reps, UDWR reps., US Forest Service Reps, and sportsmen's groups.
This issue has nothing to do with aspen restoration but it is the excuse being used to justify the current behavior of the folks mentioned in the article. The emotions in Piute Co. are absolutely as intense as the the Nevada and the Oregon, among a half dozen families. The rest of the county and the grazers in neighboring counties believe these behaviors are counter productive. But that is not going to stop them...................I believe these folk actually believe they can stir up enough trouble that the Feds will turn over the Fed land to the States, at which time they will sue the States for "homestead" rights to the land, going back to land grants made to citizens living here in the 1850-1900. Their thinking would be, some people were granted their land, at Statehood and our family was cheated out of ours. They seem to believe they can win law suits with the States but can not win against the Feds.
Mark my words, the minute any Fed land is turned over to the State, the current live stock leesors will immediately fill a suit against the State, based on grandfather's "homestead" rights.
THAT IS WHY THESE PENNY-LESS GRAZERS BELIEVE THE LAND TRANSFER IS IN THEIR BEST INTEREST. THEY ARE NOT EVER PLANNING TO PURCHASE IT FROM THE STATE, THEY BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY THEIRS!
Darn right, if the lessors get it, they too, will sell it to developers, if the price is right. The family ranching tradition is a smoke screen for many of this groups. They recognize the value of the property and must of it far exceeds the value of grazing livestock on it.
IMO of course.
DC
