Courtesy Photo: A pipe fence with 2 strands of cable. Total length of the fenced area is approximately 2 miles with estimated 40 acres enclosed.

By Joe Delk

Special to the Beat

In late April, friends, who ranch in southeast Arizona, contacted me and told me that last year they had worked with the producers of a TV program called "For The Record" that airs on The Blaze TV Channel. For The Record aired their episode entitled "Borderless" in September 2013. 

When the Bundy Ranch standoff against the BLM occurred in April, the producers of "For The Record" contacted my friends, questioning the actions of the BLM against Cliven Bundy. They realized that there was more to the story than meets the eye and wanted to know the backstory to the Bundy standoff.

 My friends put the Blaze producers in touch with me to help them understand why Cliven Bundy chose the path he took 20 years ago . . . what drove him down that road?

Upon talking with the Blaze producers, it was clear to me that, if they wanted to pursue this story, they would need to come to New Mexico and allow us to help them understand what ultimately drove Mr. Bundy not to give up and to fight the Federal Government.

Arrangements were made for the Blaze producers and their camera crew to come to New Mexico and see, first hand, the heavy-handed tactics of our federal government utilized against generational ranch families and rural communities who rely on federal lands for their livelihoods.

The Blaze producers arrived in Las Cruces on Sunday, June 22, and we got a good start Monday morning with some background information on the history and evolution of federal land ranching in the west from Dr. John Fowler and Dr. Jerry Shickedanz. The Blaze producers, Dr. Schickedanz and I then departed for Otero County to hook up with the Blaze camera crew who flew into El Paso Monday morning.

 We then drove to Weed, NM, where we met Gary Stone, President of the Otero Cattlemen's Association and Judyann Holcomb Mederios whose family owns the Agua Chiquita Allotment in the Lincoln National Forest. Gary and Judyann led us to an area in the Agua Chiquita drainage where the Forest Service has fenced a section of the Agua Chiquita with a pipe rail fence. I was expecting to see an area of a couple of acres enclosed by the fence. We were astonished as we followed the pipe fence for over 2 miles along the roadway and using my cowboy math, estimated that there are close to 45 acres in the enclosure.

The Blaze team conducted interviews with Gary and Judyann and heard their stories, which I can't go into detail here, but it looks like the Forest Service fenced off this area to keep cattle out in the name of protecting the riparian area because it is habitat for an endangered Meadow Jumping Mouse. The surrounding mountains are also protected habitat for the Spotted Owl.

Any Ideas on what Spotted Owls eat for dinner?

Courtesy Photo:  Gary Stone, President of Otero County Cattlemen's Association being interviewed by producers of "For The Record" on Blaze TV. Producer's names: Kate Wilke and Tom Orr. 

 

 

Courtesy Photo, below:The Blaze camera crew and Producer Kate Wilke interviewing Judyann Holcomb Medeiros, representing the Holcomb Family Ranch, who own the water rights in the Agua Chiquita.

 The fence is 40" in height and allows elk and deer to easily enter the enclosure along with feral hogs, squirrels, coyotes and Meadow Jumping Mice at their leisure—only cattle are disallowed entry and the Holcomb family owns the right to the water.

At about 7:30 pm we finished and headed back to Las Cruces.

Tuesday morning we gathered on the point of a hill overlooking Steve Wilmeth's Butterfield Trail Ranch Headquarters. This was an excellent vantage point to view the four mountain regions in Doña Ana County that Senators Tom Udall, Martin Heinrich and Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell persuaded President Obama to include in his new Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.

Our vantage point was actually inside the portion of Steve Wilmeth's Butterfield Trail Ranch that was included in the national monument and offered a view of the Uvas and Robledo Mountains to the northeast, the Potrillo Mountains to the south and the Organ Mountains to the east . . . all part of Doña Ana County's new 600,000 acre national monument.

Steve Wilmeth was first to be interviewed, followed by Jim and Seth Hyatt (Seth's son, Hayes, age 2 and fifth generation on the ranch, was also present), as well as Dudley Williams, Wes Eaton and Walt Anderson from Hidalgo County. It was a full day and the Blaze producers were astonished at the enormity of the monument that appeared to them, aside from the magnificent vista offered by the Organ Mountains, to be just good cattle country.

Tuesday evening, several of us took the Blaze team to eat supper at the La Posta Restaurant and were joined by Judy and Murray Keeler who ranch in New Mexico's Bootheel. Judy provided her "saddlehorn" version of the "Wildlands Project," now known as the Wildlands Network and their planned Wildways, to help the Blaze producers better understand how national monuments, wolves, desert tortoise and jumping mice are all utilized as tools by the Federal Government to squeeze rural people off their land—all in pursuit of wildlife corridors from the equator to Alaska with no people. (Don't take my word for it—look it up.)

Wednesday was wolf day. Bucky Allred, Glyn Griffin, Jess Carey and Carolyn Nelson drove in from Glenwood and Reserve, and Matt and Laura Schneberger, with son Miles, and Paul Decker drove in from the Gila. The Blaze TV producers introduced themselves to everyone and explained their plans for the interviews and how, in the end, it would all fit into a 30-minute episode of "For The Record," which will air sometime in October of this year.

We were honored to have Marita Noon with us for a couple days and she was first to be interviewed on this day, followed by Dr. John Fowler with the Tom and Evelyn Lineberry Policy Center, at NMSU, with a historical account of federal lands ranching in the west. The rest of the day was consumed by interviews of all the folks that drove in from the Gila wolf country. It was amazing and emotional testimony.

We wrapped everything up around 5:30 pm. The Blaze team headed to Albuquerque to wrap up details on another episode of "For The Record".

It was a very interesting and productive three days. Our hats are off to Glenn Beck and Blaze TV for providing this "platform for truth" and allowing professionals the caliber of Kate Wilke and Tom Orr to go out and do what they do. Their professional ethics and dedication to accuracy was a breath of fresh air for us all.

I would especially like to thank Gary Stone for his help organizing "Agua Chiquita" day, Steve Wilmeth for his help in organizing "monument day", Laura Schneberger for her help in organizing "wolf day", Bucky Allred, Glyn Griffin and Jess Carey for telling Catron County's story, Judy and Murray Keeler, Frank DuBois, Dr. John Fowler, Dr. Jerry Schickedanz, Dr. Chris Allison and Dr. Nick Ashcroft for their help in providing good, sound foundational information to the Blaze producers which helped them understand how the west was settled and allowed them to ask relevant questions related to how it is now being lost to the "Wildlands Agenda" promoted by the Federal Government.

The "For The Record" episode shot here in New Mexico is tentatively scheduled to air on Dish TV, channel 212, The Blaze, at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 22.

 

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.