The Truth has little to do with the story being told by the Mass Media industry.

The Mass Media seem to be dedicated to obfuscation of Truth because the gereral public is too stupid (their opinion, not mine) to handle it.

There is a huge amount of money to be made by land developers, natural gas producers, a solar energy company (Chinese) and water interests.

Bundy owns a lot of land and wants it to stay undeveloped. Just occupied by a few cattle. He has faced 20 years of pressure that amounts to terrorism. Private companies have offered huge money for his land but he will not sell. So, they called in the Feds to get rid of him.

If the Feds succeed in this tyranical power grab, the whole area will start getting industrial devepement, natural gas fracking, massive housing developements, underground water removal in excess quantities, crime, violence and pollution.

And no, ain't one of these people gives a rat's ass about the desert tortoise. In fact, the tortoise reservation is now killing them in wholsale quantities because they feel there are too many and the Feds don't want to spend any more money than they have to to protect them.