Story highlights Authorities end cattle roundup, return livestock for safety reasons

Troopers reopen northbound Interstate 15 about 80 miles outside Las Vegas

"Tensions are still near the boiling point," Sen. Heller says

Some supporters of rancher were armed, authorities say

A tense, weeklong showdown appeared to end Saturday between the federal government and supporters of a Nevada cattle rancher battling the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over grazing rights on federal land.

The BLM stopped rounding up rancher Cliven Bundy's cattle and returned about 300 head of cattle to the open range to avoid the potential for violence, according to the BLM and CNN affiliate KSNV

The Old West-style controversy -- centering on a family that has been ranching in Nevada since the 1800s -- drew armed militia groups from across the country to the cattleman's side this week, especially after a YouTube video captured a tussle teetering on violence between rangers and protesters.

The BLM said Bundy owed about $1 million in back fees because his cattle grazed on federal land.

On Saturday, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the BLM's cattle gate, according to CNN affiliate KLAS . Some of them were armed.

"Due to escalating tensions, the cattle have been released from the enclosures in order to avoid violence and help restore order," the BLM said in a prepared statement.

Also Saturday, supporters of Bundy, some of them armed, forced a temporary shutdown of northbound lanes of Interstate 15 near his ranch, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

"Based on information about conditions on the ground, and in consultation with law enforcement, we have made a decision to conclude the cattle gather because of our serious concern about the safety of employees and members of the public," said BLM director Neil Kornze.

The highway was reopened early Saturday afternoon after protesters moved to the side of the road and stopping blocking it. But traffic was backed up for three miles in both directions, Trooper Loy Hixson told CNN. He said nobody in the crowd threatened violence.

It was unclear whether Bundy and the BLM had come to an agreement on how to end the long-running conflict.

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada, appealed for calm Saturday and told out-of-state supporters to return home.

"The dispute is over, the BLM is leaving, but emotions and tensions are still near the boiling point, and we desperately need a peaceful conclusion to this conflict," Heller said in a statement. "I urge all the people involved to please return to your homes and allow the BLM officers to collect their equipment and depart without interference.

"We are very close to a calm, peaceful resolution but it only takes the action of one individual to stir things up again and bring us back to the brink of violence and no one wants to see that happen," Heller said.

The growing protest came amid the BLM's decision to put an early end to a roundup of Bundy's cattle, which the feds claim have been illegally grazing on federal land for 20 years.

Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Photos: Showdown in Nevada – Rancher Cliven Bundy, right, leaves the podium with bodyguards after a news conference near his ranch in Bunkerville, Nevada, on Thursday, April 24. Bundy and the Bureau of Land Management have been locked in a dispute for a couple of decades over grazing rights on public lands. Hide Caption 1 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Photos: Showdown in Nevada – Chris Shelton of Las Vegas interacts with his 1-week-old son as his mother Shelley Shelton holds his rifle during a Bundy family "Patriot Party" near Bunkerville, Nevada, on April 18. Hide Caption 2 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Photos: Showdown in Nevada – Bundy family members and supporters of rancher Cliven Bundy set up for a "Patriot Party" on April 18. The family organized the party to thank people who supported Cliven Bundy in his dispute with the Bureau of Land Management. Hide Caption 3 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – Cattle rancher Cliven Bundy talks to his supporters Friday, April 11, in Bunkerville, Nevada. They had been protesting the federal government's roundup of Bundy's cattle, which led to an Old West-style showdown last week. The government says Bundy's livestock has been illegally grazing on U.S. lands for 20 years. Bundy says his family's cattle has grazed on the land since the 1800s. Hide Caption 4 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – Brand Thornton carries a rifle at a protest site in Bunkerville on April 11. The controversy drew armed militia groups from across the country to Bundy's side. The Bureau of Land Management stopped rounding up Bundy's cattle on Saturday, April 12, and it says it returned about 300 head of cattle to the open range to avoid the potential for violence. Hide Caption 5 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – People gather at a protest area along State Route 170, near the cattle roundup on April 11. Hide Caption 6 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – A sign announces the closure of public land during the cattle roundup. Hide Caption 7 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – Krissy Thornton, right, and Burgundy Hall protest the cattle roundup on Wednesday, April 9. Hide Caption 8 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – Thornton, right, looks at a wound on Bundy's son Ammon on April 9. Bundy family members and dozens of supporters angrily confronted a group of rangers holding Tasers and barking dogs on Wednesday. Bundy family members say they were thrown to the ground or jolted with a Taser. Federal officials say a police dog was kicked and officers were assaulted. Hide Caption 9 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – The U.S. government was rounding up cattle that it says have been grazing illegally on public lands for more than 20 years, according to the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service. The Bureau of Land Management said Cliven Bundy owed about $1 million in back fees. Hide Caption 10 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – Cliven Bundy, left, and his son Dave talk to a reporter in Las Vegas on Monday, April 7. Bundy's dispute with the government began two decades ago, when the Bureau of Land Management changed grazing rules for the 600,000-acre Gold Butte area to protect an endangered desert tortoise, KLAS reported. Bundy refused to abide by the changes and stopped paying his grazing fees to the federal bureau, which he contends is infringing on state rights. Hide Caption 11 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – People help erect a pole so that they could hang a banner April 7 in support of Bundy. One banner at the protest side stated: "Has the West been won? Or has the fight just begun!" Hide Caption 12 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – Rancher Derrel Spencer speaks during a rally in support of Bundy on April 7. Hide Caption 13 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – Chris Miller holds his hand over his heart during a rally in support of Bundy on April 7. Hide Caption 14 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – Bundy's son Arden works at his father's ranch on Saturday, April 5. Hide Caption 15 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – Cliven Bundy, right, and Clance Cox stand at the Bundy ranch on April 5. Hide Caption 16 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – Bundy walks by a free speech area set up by the Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday, April 1. Hide Caption 17 of 18 Photos: Photos: Showdown in Nevada Showdown in Nevada – Federal rangers block a road near Bunkerville, about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas, on April 1. Hide Caption 18 of 18

JUST WATCHED Feds and cattle ranchers face off Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Feds and cattle ranchers face off 02:08

Earlier Saturday, Kornze said that contracted wranglers and U.S. rangers apparently made enough progress in rounding up cattle that belonged to Bundy, who is challenging federal authority in a valley that his family settled in the Wild West era.

The roundup occurred near the scenic Virgin River at Bunkerville, where Bundy's ranch is located.

"After one week, we have made progress in enforcing two recent court orders to remove the trespass cattle from public lands that belong to all Americans," Kornze said in a statement.

He was referring to how two different federal judges ordered the removal of Bundy's cattle.

Bundy's dispute with the government began around 1993 when the bureau changed grazing rules for the 600,000-acre Gold Butte area to protect an endangered desert tortoise, CNN affiliate KLAS reported.

Bundy, who's in his 60s, cites the Constitution in asserting that the state of Nevada holds sovereignty over the charging of grazing fees and, if he owes such a fee, he would pay it only to the local government -- not to the feds.

Bundy also contends his family has been ranching in the Virgin Valley on the Nevada range since 1877 -- long before the BLM even existed and before the tortoise was declared endangered.

Bundy has said he owns 500 of the more than 900 cattle that federal officials had been planning to confiscate for illegal grazing, according to local media accounts, with each head worth about $1,000.

The rancher couldn't be immediately reached for comment Saturday after the feds shut down the roundup.

On Wednesday, a scuffle between protesters and federal rangers was videotaped.

Bundy family members and their supporters confronted the rangers and angrily told them to leave Nevada. Fearing that the cattle were being killed in the roundup, they also demanded to know why a backhoe and dump truck was being used, but federal officials later said the equipment was used to restore the range.

For their part, federal rangers held Tasers and barking dogs on leashes during the faceoff.

Federal officials say a police dog was kicked and officers were assaulted. Bundy family members say they were thrown to the ground or jolted with a Taser.

In the end, the rangers got into their white SUVs and drove away, a YouTube video of the incident showed.

The incident is under federal investigation.

Gov. Brian Sandoval said Saturday of the BLM decision: "The safety of all individuals involved in this matter has been my highest priority. Given the circumstances, today's outcome is the best we could have hoped for. I appreciate that the Department of the Interior and the BLM were willing to listen to the concerns of the people of Nevada."

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Douglas C. Gillespie issued a press release late Saturday night saying he mediated the agreement between the Bundy familiy and BLM.

"I want to stress to all of you that as the sheriff of Clark County I cannot interfere with the Federal government when it is operating on Federal land," Gillespie said. "And because this is BLM property, it is in their jurisdiction. But when a group of protesters threaten civil unrest or violence in this county -- it is my job to step in and ensure the safety of citizens."