What you can't get away from is the issue of the feds grabbing so much land in so many states, The federal government, which owns 87 percent of the land in Nevada, think about that.
That's not from land grab. That's largely from the original creation of the state. Constitutionally, perhaps, much of what we call "Nevada" should be US Territory, not part of the state. But the state doesn't want to give up that land, as they get federal funds based on acreage.
On the other hand, they don't want the actual land, as it costs more to maintain than they get from the little productive use. So suckers on the East Coast have to pay for their benefit. Lots of federal land goes up for sale with no buyers, including the states.
When it comes down to it, many ranchers are often against the states taking it, in reality, because they get subsidized rates for leases...after all, if they wanted the land, they could buy it themselves, but why do so when someone else is paying the tab?
Around the same time that this was going on in Nevada there was increased pressure in other states to take back land that was seen as stolen in overreach by the federal government and this also caused the feds to escalate their actions in Nevada aginst the ranchers.
Rumblings of it, but when push comes to shove, they don't actually want that. But it's a good red-meat political issue.
It's not as simple as greedy ranchers wanting cheap grazing,
Of course not.
the Bundy's had been ranching and grazing on tthat land since 1877 and suddenly the cattle are a danger to the desert tortoise
Yes, times change. We discover tobacco is unhealthy, buggies aren't as efficient as the internal combustion engine, PCBs can kill, irresponsibly pumped aquifers deplete, elevators no longer need an operator, etc. We have to adjust.
One problem we are seeing culturally is that The Western US mindset hasn't faced The Tragedy of the Commons and learned to manage it, something the East Coast has had to do for hundreds of years. So there are growing pains as reality sets in.
interestingly huge solar power generating facilities in areas deemed at risk for the desert tortoise are not an issue.
It goes without saying that Harry is dirty.