The government is robbing ranchers of their livelihood again, only this time the ranchers have broken no laws.

The federal government – the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) now under the leadership of Harry Reid’s former top aide – closed down access to New Mexico ranchers’ land for the nonsensical reason that it was to protect the New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse.

A number of New Mexico Ranchers are all locked in a vicious battle with the federal government over land that the Feds are now claiming ownership of, land that families have claims to going all the way back to 1883.

The government placed gates blocking his cattles’ access to a creek in the Lincoln National Forest. About 20 local ranchers were also affected, all of whom have watering rights to the creek and have been using the land for decades.

Otero County, New Mexico officials are fighting back. They told the Bureau of Land Management to remove the gates. All BLM has done is cut a ten foot opening in the fence as if the cattle can find their way through an opening that size.

US Fish and Wildlife plan to declare the Jumping Mouse endangered and have been staking out its territory, much of which is used by ranchers or owned privately. That won’t stop the BLM.

New Mexico Jumping Mouse

Environmentalists, undoubtedly encouraged by the government, asked that the mouse be protected in areas in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. An April 8 announcement in the Federal Register stated that they planned to make this worthless mouse an endangered species. It will be done by June 2014.

The mouse hibernates for 9 months out of the year and jumps high. That’s it! That’s its contribution to our nation.

Unlike the Cliven Bundy situation, the ranchers own the rights to the water under New Mexico law, but the creek is within the federally owned forest. The ranchers have broken no laws.

The BLM got a little smarter this time. They didn’t go in with guns drawn, they are stealing the land through the courts.

“The Forest Service is coming in and saying, ‘We’re in charge of the water and the water is part of the forest,’” said Sheriff House. “It’s a control issue, and they’re trying to push the rancher out. They’re using every excuse in the book. One area is a riparian area. One area is critical habitat. One area might be for endangered species.

The ranchers are very concerned that the cattle won’t survive because they can’t get to the water.

Some are suggesting that Marxist John Podesta is behind these land grabs. The government currently owns 52% of Western lands.

Read more at off grid survival, Range Magazine, and The Washington Times.