Nye is one of 300 counties nationwide that has or is considering such ordinances. With the advent of the Endangered Species Act, states must come into line with federal regulations in the attempt to protect a diverse array of creatures, including the much publicized spotted owl, grizzly bear, wolf and snail darter. The ensuing laws, regulation and controls proliferate to the point of destroying local and regional economies and, consequently, destroying the culture and way of life of its people. To examine the dilemma more closely, note the following case in point. The federal government proposed poisoning streams to kill an estimated 100,000 white trout in order to reintroduce 100 endangered Gila trout.
Many locals suspicion the plan has more to do with control than with fish.
By introducing an endangered species into the national forest, federal officials have a much larger degree of control over land use in the area. Once the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service restock the streams, they can regulate surrounding lands indefinitely. This could drastically affect historical use of the area for grazing, timber harvest, hunting and fishing. This entire movement is being driven by local people who see their mores, their history, their heritage, and their way of life threatened with extinction. The focus of the fight has been on the west, but it reaches beyond the west to encompass the nation and the world.