U.S. Army May Use "Eminent Domain" to Take 1/2 Million Acres From Ranchers

In southestern Colorado, ranchers brace for a fight to keep their own land, with the U.S. Defense Department . . .

This will chill your blood. The U.S. Army is threatening to use eminent domain to take 418,000 acres from ranchers in southeastern Colorado. In an area where generations of the same families have ranched cattle since the early 1860's, the army wants to expand a training ground that already covers a quarter million acres. This would effect many ranchers, as well as towns, and cover three counties. All the ranchers would be expected to sell or give up their land. In this remote area of Colorado, cattle are the only game in town. . . local economies receive an estimated $200 million annually from cattle ranches. Doing away with so many ranches could change the economical landscape and effect the lives of many beyond those living on ranches. Ranchers in the area are digging in their heels. They would not only be selling land and herds of cattle (many several hundred to several thousand head), but would be selling their heritage and way of life. Anger is rising in response to some fighting words coming from army officials, like Lt. Col. David Johnson of nearby Ft. Carson training base: "Our preferred course of action would be to buy the land from willing sellers, but the US Army has decided it will not take eminent domain condemnation off the table ." This is the same area of the state where the carcasses of thousands of cattle killed as they were stranded by blizzards, still lie in the snow. Ranchers struggle with recovering economically from one of the hardest winters in half a century. The timing of the U.S. Army couldn't have been more insensitive. U.S. Senator Ken Salazar has pledged to watch the actions of the Defense Dept. closely, and he is poised to go to bat for the ranchers. The training field is used by Ft. Carson out of Colorado Springs , and the area in question is south and east of there, referred to as Pinon (pin-yun) Canyon. This could get ugly. Here is more on the story (in addition to the above link): http://www.denverpostbloghouse.com/washington/2006/07/06/foes-imaginary-real-at-pinon-site/