Cattlemen and the Army Corps on the Snake River

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | Jan 10, 20190

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Cattlemen from left to right, Ty Meyer, Bill Ryan, Dick McNeilly and Walter "Sonny" Riley address county commissioners Dec. 31.

A group of cattlemen landowners along the Snake River appeared in front of county commissioners Dec. 31 to ask for their signatures on a letter of support for their cause to acquire a piece of ground and make an exchange with the Army Corps of Engineers to get back on land long used to feed cattle in the canyons of the river.

The land, once private, was sold to the Corps in the 1960s and '70s in order to build Lower Granite Dam.

Since then, cattle were allowed to graze in various spots of the right-of-way, until violation notices began to appear in 2011.

Former rock quarries, created to mine l...