Range War 2

 Recently, reasonable mainstream environmental and conservation groups like the Nature Conservancy have worked closely with ranchers to find common ground that can address both the environmental requirements of our beautiful public lands while preserving a rancher’s way of life which is part of the West's past, present and future. Working together, ranchers and conservationists have listened to each other and formulated plans to ensure the survival of both.?   

 Range specialist for the Idaho Farm Bureau, Wally Butler claims that some environmentalists, who he calls outlaws, such as folks in the Western Watersheds Project had no interest in compromise and have used and abused the legal system of this country to deny ranchers their rights. He says these people seek to have the U.S. Government abrogate legal contracts that allow ranchers to use public lands for grazing. Butler says the legal group is led by a transplanted Easterner, Jon Marvel who some 30 years ago moved to Hailey, Idaho near (in his words) the millionaire's playground of Sun Valley.

 (Butler) “They just want to lock everything up. It’s an income generating business. It’s not true resource management it’s not true conservation. The mainstream conservation groups we can work very well with. What do they get out of it Wally? Money. They get contributions and they get equal access to justice money.”

 I have to confess this seems like a one-sided editorial but, as an environmentalist myself, I believe strongly that the vast majority of farmers and ranchers in this country are good stewards of the land.