Commentary by R.T. Fitch
At Former Meetings the American Public was Treated with Disdain
Listed below is a recent press release from the BLM with vital information regarding their next Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board meeting. It is of the utmost importance that as many concerned American citizens attend and speak out in behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. It takes a lot of guts for the everyday, regular U.S. woman or man to stand before this board of finger tapping, sighing, disengaged group of special interest appointees and speak their minds, but it can be done. It must be done as we have no choice but to do the right thing and attempt to save the few remaining wild horses that still run free on their designated public land.
Keep the faith, be safe and be there if you can – the horses are counting on us. R.T.
Level of Interest the BLM shows for Public Opinion and the Truth
WASHINGTON, (BLM) – The Bureau of Land Management announced today that the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will conduct a public workshop and hold a regular meeting in June at a two-day event in Denver. The workshop on Monday, June 14, will provide the public with a unique opportunity to express their views, comments, and suggestions regarding Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s wild horse initiative, which he and BLM Director Bob Abbey announced last October. The Board will hold a regular meeting on wild horse management issues on Tuesday, June 15.
The public workshop and the Board meeting will take place in Denver, Colorado, at the Magnolia Hotel, 818 17th St., Denver, CO 80202. The hours of the Monday workshop are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time; the Tuesday Board meeting is set for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time. The hotel’s phone number for reservations is 303-607-9000. The business agendas for the public workshop and Board meeting can be found on page 26990 of the Thursday, May 13, Federal Register.
On Monday, June 14, the public will be able to provide feedback and input concerning Secretary Salazar’s initiative, the details of which can be accessed at the BLM’s website (www.blm.gov);
On Tuesday, June 15, the public may address the Advisory Board at an appropriate point in the agenda, which is expected to be about 3 p.m., local time. Individuals who want to make a statement should register with the BLM by noon on the day of the meeting at the meeting site. Depending on the number of speakers, the Board may limit the length of presentations, set at three minutes for previous meetings. Speakers, who should address the specific wild horse and burro-related topics listed on the agenda, must submit a written statement of their comments, which may be sent electronically to the BLM by accessing the following Web address. Alternatively, comments may be mailed to the National Wild Horse and Burro Program, WO-260, Attention: Ramona DeLorme, 1340 Financial Blvd., Reno, NV 89502-7147. Written comments pertaining to the Advisory Board meeting should be submitted no later than close of business June 7.
For additional information about the meeting, please contact Ramona DeLorme, Wild Horse and Burro Administrative Assistant, at 775-861-6583. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may reach Ms. DeLorme at any time by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.
The National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board provides input and advice to the BLM as it carries out its responsibilities under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. This law mandates the protection, management, and control of these free-roaming animals in a manner that ensures healthy herds at levels consistent with the land’s capacity to support them. The BLM manages about 37,000 wild horses and burros that roam BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states; the agency also feeds and cares for more than 35,000 horses and burros that are maintained in short-term corrals and long-term Midwestern pastures.
The Advisory Board meets at least twice a year and the BLM Director may call additional meetings when necessary. Members serve without salary, but are reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses according to government travel regulations.
The BLM manages more land (253 million acres) than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Director of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program, Don Glenn, Lying to the American Public at the Last Advisory Board Meeting
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://i0.wp.com/img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png)
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
What needs to be done quickly is to get a huge petition signing going to take with those that can go to this meeting….Thousands out here can not go and their names added to this will have a lot of impact…
Salazar and the BLM big shots need to know we are watching them and intend to fight for the wild horses and burros instead of the huge cattle barons who’s herds are destroying streams and grass lands for pennies on the head grazing….
I have lived in Nevada and Montana where these cattle herds have been destroying our wild lands and no one moniters them…It’s not the horses fault, their impact has never been as destructive as the cattle herds….
LikeLike
If this meeting is anything like the last such event, hopefully people will have their eyes to the skies for another unannounced round-up. The BLM got away with it last time so why not a repeat performance? Otherwise, if you don’t have enough opportunities in your area to mix it up with a group with $&*# for brains, this might be just the ticket! If you “fly in” be sure to bring some “air flotation bags” from the plane. They could come in handy while listening to the BLM’s BS. Also, hip boots as it could get pretty deep in there, LOL.
LikeLike
I agree with the petition signing idea, as there are MANY people who would love to attend, but can not! If the public is “invited for comment”, the absentee signatures/comments should count too. Now, if they only hear us, &, actually listen to us, &, more importantly, actually CARE .
LikeLike
1-AGREE WITH A PETITION! would like to have the helicoptor use stop now! There are NO horsemen in the WORLD who run horses with aircraft(cause it kills and damages horses) except the BLM!
2-a billboard with the wild horse-killing cattleguards and horse killing barbed wire and a WHY BLM?? could make an impact aswell.
3- very upset the BLM shoots any mustang they want to and refuses to offer them to rescues! rescues have asked for these horses and the BLM says NO-please demand the BLM stop shooting wild horses and MUST offer them to good homes!
LikeLike
I’ll sign it!
LikeLike
I’ll sign it too! Terry Farley collected letters to take to the last one and delivered them to the Advisory Board in a Pony Express bag – very effective I thought. I think ther should be at least a petition –
or just re-deliver the moretoreum letter? Maybe print out the singers in a column double spaced and in bold 15 pt type – print on spreadsheet paper so its is a long thing – let it spread behind on the aisle floor as the speaker walks to the designated spot!
I really do not get why a horse cannot be adopted from the gather – like you say. I will ask BLM for documentaion of their laws or rules aginst that (but based on past requests – will not be holding my breath for an answer). Since we know Willis Lamm secured one baby from the gather – why can’t anyone? Sign all the same adoption papers, etc.
LikeLike
It’s interesting that they’re calling Monday’s meeting a “workshop.” It’s also interesting that as before, if you want to make a public comment during Tuesday’s board meeting, your comments must be pre-approved (censored).
I don’t like to be cynical, and I think as many as possible should attend–while making sure sufficient numbers of us are on watch to see what the BLM has cooked up to do while they have the wild horse advocates “gathered” in a holding pen/meeting room so that a repeat of last December’s stealth round-up does not take place, at least without video coverage–BUT we cannot rely on the BLM to offer anything different than what they’ve been dishing out since their inception in 1934. That is, 76 years of lies, lies, and more lies with the freedom to get away with it, granted by every administration in all those many years.
We cannot rely on the BLM to change anything–have we ever seen any real indication that they have any intention of doing that? Bob Abbey himself has recently said they will not stop what they’re doing unless there is legislation to cause that–and even then, I wonder.
By all means, attend this “workshop” and meeting (where the BLM board’s attention to what the horse advocates are allowed to say is so aptly portrayed in the picture R.T. has posted with this piece), but if we want anything to change, we have to find other ways to make that happen. A number of us are looking for those ways, and are working on them. If anyone would like a guide to information on the subject, or would like to join in the effort, please go to http://grassrootshorse.com .
LikeLike
I beleive we should ask-no demand- that these meetings can be watched on line as we did the appropriations committee meetings. I agree with the petion signing to go along with those attending..I might suggest this is their farwell party-because there will be NO horses left to manage-and I suggest they start laying BLM employees off NOW.-there is more than one repercussion to your actions….
LikeLike
Start by going to Salazars facebook page demanding transparentcy-thats what we did to get a suggestion portal opened up online..put it in a public place where he cannot ignore it and others who go there for a variety of reasons can see it..we became an embarrasment and clogged up his page.
LikeLike
Didn’t the BLM conduct a secret roundup during the last Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board meeting?
LikeLike
Yes, the BLM did conduct a stealth round-up on December 4, 2009 during the Reno Advisory Board meeting–that-that’s the one I and another previous poster, Lenore, are referring to in our posts.
LikeLike
ALSO, PETITION FOR A ROUND TABLE MEETING. EITHER EVERYONE SITS OR EVERYONE STANDS–NOT THE WAY IT IS DONE-MAKING THOSE WHO SPEAK STAND BEFORE THE BOARD LIKE A LITTLE KID IN FRONT OF THE CLASS. THESE ARE ADULTS WITH VALID POINTS AND VALID QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERS. IF THEY HAVE TO STAND UP, THEN SO SHOULD THE BOARD MEMBERS.
LikeLike
Question – has BLM always preapproved public comments? Is this just to keep down redundancy perhaps?
Or did they not take kindly to one speaker seemingly “waking up” one of the board members (who appeared on camera to have fallen asleep) when tasked with answereing a question comparing their interest in hunting to the wild horse viability issue. Of course no BLM board member answered any of the publics questions, other to to say they would not be answering any of the publics questions. Which by the way they said they “could not” do – I read their charter – opps that darn internet, just can’t get away with anything anymore – and not only is there nothing prohibiting conversation it seems to be part of the charter – so now we have a workshop. We’ll see.
Suggestion – R.T. perhaps you can set this up at one spot – everyone who who wants to who does not get approved to speak their message at the meeting should post it here. Or perhaps TCF would do this?
I am going to take an uncharacteristic position – and thank BLM for this new “workshop” and wait judgement until it has concluded. At least until after this meeting and then we’ll see afterward to determine if what they say at this meeting is honored or not.
Another suggestion to BLM – perhaps during a meeting is not a good time to be commiting stealth roundups? I had actually held out some hope until that.
LikeLike
PS. I hope this workshop, which is focused only on SalaZOO, does not turn out to be some attempted manipulation to get attendees to agree on camera to support something, which is not adequate, but may appear in the moment to be the lesser of 2 evils.
Don’t know why this popped into my head – just saying – watch out for ultimatums disguised as offerings or compromises. Ultimatums are scare tactics used by bullies, and some are really good at it – even make themselves seem like victims or like heroes or both at the same time.
LikeLike
Roxy, of course you know why “this popped into my head.” Could the BLM’s past performance have anything to do with it?
LikeLike
Could be!
LikeLike