The conflict between hikers and taxpayers who pay for roads, fences and gates used by a minority of ranchers grazing cattle for minimal fees on public land has caused some ranchers to harass hikers like Rose Chilcoat (Herald, June 21).
Ryan and Ammon Bundy with friends, using guns, took over Malheur Wildlife Refuge for six weeks, endangering staff and visitors. The final cost to taxpayers for the standoff is running into millions of dollars.
Their father Cliven Bundy owes more than $1 million in fines for letting his cows graze illegally on public land for over two years. Those of us who pay our taxes wonder why Cliven Bundy got away with not paying his grazing fees on public land, and why his sons thought they could get away with armed threats and taking over a public wildlife refuge.
Why should taxpayers pay for gates and fences that impede our recreation uses on public land? I’ve walked through puddles of cow urine and feces, trampled trails, and had to wait to leave while a rancher rounded up his cattle for transport.
There is almost nowhere in the West where the public isn’t fenced out to protect rancher’s cattle. Tax dollars pay for the killing of wolves, coyotes and other wildlife on public land to protect ranchers.
While grazing on public land was a way of life a century ago, it no longer adds to local economies, while recreation brings in billions of dollars and visitor fees pay to protect and restore our land.
Phyllis Mains
Cortez
