the state water engineer acknowledged Wayne's ownership and the Forest Service's illegal .
confiscation. But, still today, the Forest Service has maintained a fence around the spring .
so that cattle and wildlife cannot drink, and the water is still being piped into the ranger's .
cabin. .
Retaliation .
Because Wayne questioned the Forest Service's actions, the Forest Service began an .
unbelievable retaliation campaign. In a 105-day period they sent Wayne 40 certified letters .
and personally visited him 70 times, each time citing him in violation of a bureaucratic .
regulation. Wayne had to respond in writing and take corrective action to each one of .
their allegations, no matter how trivial. In fact, most, if not all, were wild goose chases or .
violations the Forest Service themselves had created. .
Some of these charges stated Wayne was not maintaining his drift fences. In order to .
comply with their rules, Wayne would check and mend if necessary the fences in question. .
One of these incidents involved sending a horse and rider to the top of Table Mountain to .
ride the 20-mile fence line. After doing this, the rider found only one problem. There was .
one staple missing. The Forest Service had dutifully marked it with a blue flag. .
Also, among these charges were 45 accounts of trespass where Wayne's cattle were .
allegedly found in the wrong location. For every one of these, Wayne would send a crew .
of riders to locate the cattle and attempt to comply with the regulations. Often, there were .
no cattle to be found, leaving Wayne to wonder if there ever were. Also, on several .
occasions there were eyewitnesses who watched the employees move Wayne's cattle into .
trespass areas, and then immediately cite him for the violation. .
Over the next eight years he filed three administrative appeals, and won all three. They .
cost him over $150,000 in attorney and consultant fees, not to mention the countless .
hours, personal resources, and lost income also expended.