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Jesse
sat in the old line-shack-turned-cabin, listening to
the cows bunching up for the night. The evening air
was filled with the smell of kerosene lamps, beans on
the potbelly, and cows. He needed no electricity for
his entertainment; out in the pine trees, the birds
were signing their final goodnight songs.
He
thought about how he was the third generation of his
family to ranch these high Sierra Mountain meadows located
along the border of California and Nevada. His granddaddy
built the first fences and stock ponds. His dad had
built the line shack. Jesse had made it a home.
Oh
sure, he had a modern day home down in town, some forty
miles away. But that was for winter and weekends when
he needed a people fix. Mostly, though, he much preferred
to be with his critters and tend to his stock.
Now
and then he’d visit with local four-wheelers, a
few hunters and passing cowboys. But mostly he stayed
to himself and enjoyed his land. He had enough acreage
to run several hundred head, and nobody bothered him
much.
Jesse’s
cabin was located under some large pine trees at the
end of a wide-spreading Sierra meadow, split down the
middle by a meandering crystal clear creek. Spring wildflowers
always filled the meadow, and the aspens surrounded
him every October with fall colors. Living here was
Jesse’s dream. Then it happened.
His
world changed over night. Not having email, computers
or TV, Jesse didn’t much keep up with events ‘cept
when he came to town. And what he found out from a bunch
of the boys down at the coffee shop made his cowboy
blood boil.
He
didn’t understand it all. There was talk about
Scenic Byways, the Endangered Species Act, and Wilderness
Study Areas. There was talk about the County Board of
Supervisors imposing restrictions on Jesse’s land
and his cows. He even heard some ridiculous tale about
a suckerfish of some sort that put several generations
of ranchers out of their homes up north.
There
was talk of some self-proclaimed environmentalist leading
an effort to turn Jesse’s ranch access into a Scenic
Byway. Heck some folks were joking that Jesse was eating
endangered species for lunch and didn’t even know
it!
But
the bottom line was that all of a sudden a whole bunch
of folks were looking to change Jesse’s life forever.
If all these government restrictions took place, and
if his access became a Scenic Byway, and if endangered
species became more important than his third generation
ranching operation, then Jesse was going to have a hard
time raising cows. He might as well sell out and move
back to the city.
Fortunately
there is help for folks like Jesse. The answer is in
coalitions and coalition building the joining together
of unlike parts to make a better whole. It might be
like putting John Deere parts on your Ford tractor,
or a Chevy motor in your Toyota, but if it works to
get the job done, WHY NOT?
Coalitions
can help folks like Jesse. Ranchers throughout the west
need to band together with other folks in the name of
multiple-use the many uses we get out of the land. It
is the only way we can beat down the well funded, extremely
selfish, radical environmental groups that want to close
down private property rights and access to public lands.
Coalitions give us the united front needed to fight
back.
Ranchers
need to team up with recreationists and resource industry
based groups in order to be more effective in keeping
their ranch alive. Hunters, ranchers, four-wheelers,
equestrians, fisherman, and anyone else that enjoys
the great outdoors or makes a living off the land is
endangered by the left-over Clinton-Babbit type thinking
of “lock it up.”
The
Bush administration is making a real attempt at bringing
some common sense back into government, but it’s
a long road. Government at the local and state level
is still run by bureaucrats who are a long ways from
the influence of our great President. Sometimes the
word doesn’t get all the way down to the ground
level.
That’s
not to say there aren’t some great local bureaucrats
who take good care of the taxpayer and our lands. But
there are many who need our constant attention. And
that’s where coalitions come in very handy.
Coalitions
can be local, diverse groups. Or they can be national
groups. The whole idea is to band together with other
users so that your support base is stronger and more
diversified.
The
BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) is one such national
outfit that benefits ranchers and farmers, along with
recreationists and resource industry folks. The main
mission of the BRC is to champion responsible use of
our nation’s land and forests. BRC works with folks
like People for the West, Alliance for America, forestry
associations, local and regional multiple use groups,
recreation organizations, and politicians to keep our
land free.
Representing
over 600,000 folks nationwide, the BlueRibbon Coalition
is making an impact on all uses of our resources and
lands. It is one place where ranchers and farmers can
find some cooperation and help in the battles to preserve
a way of life, or a form of recreation. It matters not
what the coalition calls itself; the idea is to band
together regardless of the name or organizational affiliation.
Whether
on the local level, or on the scale of national multiple
use, banding together and uniting our efforts is the
only way we can stand up to the big bucks of those who
oppose our way of life.
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