For what it's worth, here's my take on the whole Bundy ranch thing.
Why does the Federal government own so much land in the various states with Nevada being one of the highest? Once the territories were divided up and became states, except for the Indian reservations, the land should have become the property of the states. If the state wants to sell it to the Feds for nuclear testing or whatever, they could and they should receive fair market value for it.
If it's really about tortoises, then why are the Feds euthanizing tortoises in a nearby preserve that ran out of funds? Apparently the wild tortoises managed to survive until now in spite of the cattle and even the massive herds of buffalo, maybe even mammoths at one time, that once roamed there, so that doesn't wash.
It smells to high heaven that Sen. Harry Reid's son is involved in a nearby solar farm deal with the Chinese. How are solar panels that shade the ground, thereby having an influence on the environment, any less of a threat to the environment than a few cows walking about and grazing?
Last, but not least, it seems to me that bringing out paramilitary police with M-16's and APC's to deal with an elderly rancher and few cows was totally unnecessary and a huge overreaction on the part of the BLM, and they got the response from a civilian militia that they deserved.