Illegal aliens cross into the into this national forest by the thousands trampling vegetation and leaving trash in their wake. Here is a public saftey posting by the National Park Service for the 3 million acre Gila National Forest .
Illegal border crossers have been suspected of running drugs, injuring government employees and causing major wildfires. Besides carrying ammunition and guns, they also can carry tents, propane cylinders and other flammable agents. Improperly used these items can be sources of ignition causing forest fires. These illegal inhabitants can become dangerous if they feel threatened and should be avoided.
Marijuana plots and methamphetamine labs have become frequent sites in our forests. Those responsible for these illegal plots or labs are dangerous and should be avoided. If visitors inadvertently come upon these sites they should immediately depart the area and report the sighting to law enforcement officers. The chemicals used to grow or produce these illegal products can be highly combustible and pose considerable risk to hazards caused by fire and explosion.
Gila National Forest - Outdoor Safety & Ethics (usda.gov)
.It has become a route for drug runners and human traffickers .
So what keeps the government up at night ?......
150 feral cows roaming Gila Forest .....and because they “pose a significant threat to public safety and natural resources.”,the government is going to shoot to kill.
Gila National Forest - News & Events (usda.gov)
The hunt will be done with helicopters .
The slaughtered cows will be "dispatched "then "left onsite to naturally decompose" but they "will ensure no carcasses are adjacent to or in any waterbody or spring, designated hiking trail, or known culturally sensitive area."
Last year there was a similar government hunt. Predictably the results were shoddy.
The cattle are not technically feral . They are descendants of domestic cattle legally grazed on Federal lands . They intermingled with other branded domestic stock . Last year some of the cattle were shot but not killed receiving injuries that prolonged suffering and when they ultimately died they died where they were in the spring beds and other sensitive areas the government was trying to protect.
The hunt this year will leave 65 tons of good beef left to rot in the forest. For the cost of the hunters pay and the helicopter rides the government could contract professionals to round up the cattle to use for public and private charitable distribution. That would be a win win. The government's concern about 150 random cattle trampling the grasslands in a 3 million acre forest would be addressed ;and some needy people would get to eat some good steaks .
