>>828110>Do you guys research?Do you?
The grazing rules were altered to better manage for the desert tortoise, which tends to lose in competition to cattle. Cattle were not banned on the allotment, but the number of cattle was reduced to 150 head, which Bundy failed to comply with. This in turn caused the government to cancel his permit completely in 1994 and close the allotment to grazing. Not only that, but he went outside the original allotment boundaries into new territory. A wildlife refuge was never designated in the area surrounding the Bundy Ranch, the management practices were simply altered to better serve the tortoise and use was still allowed, but under certain guidelines. Access and the permit would still be there IF Bundy actually paid his grazing fees.
On this map, the green square is the parcel of land that is owned by Bundy, the red is the original allotment, and the black is new land that was trespassed on.
In addition, a refuge designation does not mean that use completely stops either. It is just a special designation that guides management practices which are outlined in the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act. There is a lot of legalese, but the important part is that refuges should be managed for ‘‘compatible wildlife-dependent recreational uses involving hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation.’’
