Trouble in Tortuga!
A Rangeland Conflict Simulation Exercise

Confidential Instructions
Gil Sinespina, Rancher

Cattle ranching sure isn't what it used to be. Your grandfather started up La Rosita Ranch nearly 60 years ago. For the past ten years--ever since Ed Middleton died--you have managed the X-Bar, and it's a beautiful old place. Such a shame that the Middleton kids are selling out. And the timing couldn't be worse! With cattle prices dropping, the only way to survive seems to be to sell more cattle, which means increasing the herd.

If district ranger Pat Wright's plan to drastically reduce grazing allotments goes through, you'll have to reduce the herd. How in the world can anyone expect you to make a decent living again as a rancher if this happens? This reduction must not go through! To make sure it doesn't, you have organized the district ranchers and retained an attorney to fight the reduction tooth-and-nail if necessary.

But adding to your headache is this crazy new development proposal, which you adamantly oppose. A massive new influx of residents to Tortuga will bring nothing but trouble. They will ask for a new school, a new library--all those expensive improvements that city folks insist on. Your taxes will skyrocket! And most importantly, there will be recreational demands placed on the San Cristobal National Forest, threatening the continued practice of grazing on that prime piece of public land.

But you have come up with a plan of your own. You and your neighbor Toby Nunn--always a good friend in a pinch--have agreed to approach Sydney Stone with a proposal to buy 100 acres of the X-Bar Ranch at the full per-acre price paid to the Middleton estate. In exchange, you are prepared to support Stone's plan (especially if fewer cluster units are planned). This way you and Toby can qualify to buy the old X-Bar allotment. While you only need 40 acres to qualify, you would like some of this land to include Las Culebras Wash as a water source for your cattle.