Cattle roundup and protest begins

BLM begins rounding up Bundy’s cattle to remove them from federal lands. Reportedly the operation will cost $1 million and last into May. BLM officials say Bundy owes a million in fees, and will also have to pay the round-up expenses. Bundy says he owes only $300,000, and predicts beef shortages in area grocery stores if his cattle are confiscated. Bundy says he “fired the BLM” years ago, and accuses the agency of plotting to kill him. He reiterates his promise to use firearms if necessary to defend his cattle and his “right” to graze them on federal land. Some 100 protesters vocally oppose the roundup. A statement on the BLM website reads in part:

Cattle have been in trespass on public lands in southern Nevada for more than two decades. This is unfair to the thousands of other ranchers who graze livestock in compliance with federal laws and regulations throughout the West. The Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service have made repeated attempts to resolve this matter administratively and judicially. An impoundment of cattle illegally grazing on public lands is now being conducted as a last resort.