Originally Posted by Sycamore
Originally Posted by rockinbbar
...
Syc, cattle don't stay by the river, because if they did, there wouldn't be anything but a muddy trickle through the desert.

Nearest river to the desert BLM that I ranch is the Rio Grande about 120 miles away. So, they put in pretty sophisticated water systems that feed troughs through the area. Pastures are usually separated by where the water is in relation to graze. A pasture fence does it's job by keeping cattle out of a certain area, as much as it does by confining them to a given area. The water systems are indeed what lets ranchers take advantage of large areas of desert, and the cattle are indeed spread out on the desert....


Rockinbbar,

You've pretty much described the Virgin... " a muddy trickle through the desert"

This is some barren-ass country, and 120 degrees in the shade, if there were shade, which there isn't. Basically runs from Mesquite to Lake Mead.

I understand the strategy of creating watering points to spread out the animals and access forage. Also salt is used to some extent to move cows around here.

It is unclear to me how much of that infrastructure was provided by .gov and how much by the rancher.

Sycamore

p/s nice 1911 in your avatar.


Thanks. I've had that Colt for years. Built it around a very basic 1911. Gave it a combat hammer and beavertail grip safety, match trigger that's adjustable for travel, adjustable sights, match barrel and bushings. It shoots pretty well. smile

To answer your questions about who pays for what:

Sometimes it can be a cost share for the installation. Usually the government agency provides the material and the rancher provides the labor to install it. Plus, the rancher pays the entire costs of maintenance for as long as he uses it. If the pump in the well quits, the rancher pays to have it pulled and replaced. He pays the electric or other fuel bills, and for someone to look at the entire system every 2-3 days to insure nothing is wrong....but, there usually is, so they fix it.

The Cost Share that I mentioned must be applied for. Many times YEARS in advance, and then undergo a couple of more years of environmental impact studies, archaeological studies, and then letting a 20 year old girl redline the project because she has a degree in environmental sciences.

It's just not worth all that to get some new black plastic piping and a few water tubs, so most ranchers just replace and repair what is needed as they need to. The less noise you make, the less trouble you'll have, and the for damn sure the less regulation you will have to swallow.

FWIW, I agree about the wild horses and burros.

The best birth control measure is a 170 gr Power Point out of a Winchester. smile

Those feral animals that the liberals are so romantically delusional about are NOT the real mustangs trotting through their dreams any more than the crossbred killers they keep releasing and protecting are Mexican wolves.

I would personally lead the effort to kill 'em all, and deliver them in a pile to the feet of the idiots that keep protecting and importing them.

Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla!