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Protests over land and cattle continue in Nevada

Posted at 10:18 PM, Apr 11, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-12 00:18:10-04

UPDATE: Protesters were reportedly trying to free cattle seized by the BLM, and I-15 was closed nearby Saturday.

MESQUITE, Nevada -- Protesters from across the country have come to Nevada to support a rancher involved in a dispute with the Bureau of Land Management.

The crowd at a protest camp has grown as the dispute continues, with many of those coming to lend their support citing Constitutional rights as their motivation for rallying in opposition to the rounding up of about 390 cattle.

FOX 13 News' Zach Whitney spoke with protesters as well as BLM officials Friday, see the video above for his live report.

Local rancher Cliven Bundy stopped paying grazing fees in the 1990s because he says the land his cattle graze on should belong to Nevada.

The BLM, however, has managed the public lands for the federal government for decades and says Bundy’s cattle are trespassing. Bundy has ignored court orders to remove the cattle, so the BLM is doing it for him.

A clash broke out between protesters and BLM personnel recently, and one of the Bundys was hit with a stun gun.

County and federal officials have been at odds over the cattle's removal and the issue of where they will be relocated to.