When you lease land you have to play by their rules and many of the ranchers leasing BLM seem to forget that. I haven’t seen the contract but if it’s like most it’s surface only and any and all work done on the land must be approved by the owner. Leasing land is like renting a house, you don’t own it you don’t control it and you never will. Don’t lease from the BLM.
Check out the whole backstory at http://theconservativetreehous.com.
That area has been settled by ranchers since the 1870s, and they created an irrigation system that resulted in an increase in wildlife population. The BLM then took over most of the surrounding ranches and pressured the remaining to sell by interfering with water rights and land access to remote parts of the Hammond ranch. This is a clear case of Federal tyranny. The first judge refused to impose the mandatory sentence, and these men were re-sentenced as a result.
We all need to go to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge! This has got to stop!!
The BLM also has responsibilities, under these leases. I’m betting the BLM did not do hold up their end of the contract - to wit, maintain and improve the graze on the “lease”. The enabling legislation for this program dictates it.
The BLM often sets up no-win scenarios - such as: “we are going to cut your AUMs by 1/3 because the grazing has deteriorated. No, we will not allow you to improve the range, but we will fine you for not improving it.”
Remember the BLM took control of these lands under the condition that they maintain and improve the range for grazing. If they aren’t doing that, they have no right to control that land any longer.
The options in that part of the country for most ranchers are: lease from the BLM, lease from the Forest Service or go out of business and lose your ranch.
These are not really leases, they are permits. According to enabling legislation, the fees paid are supposed to be for range management; but the feds do very little of that.
No, “many of the ranchers” do not forget that - they are never allowed to forget it. The problem is, thee rules keep changing for them.