Press Release from The Cloud Foundation
Northern CA Twin Peaks herd is targeted for a destructive multi-million dollar summer roundup
San Francisco, CA (July 7, 2010)—The Cloud Foundation opposes and is calling for a stop to the proposed roundup of over 2,500 mustangs and burros from one of the last viable herds in California. To avoid conflicting with deer hunting season, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to unleash contracted helicopters in the August heat to round up 2,500 mustangs and burros, including their young foals, from the Twin Peaks Range near Susanville. Vastly outnumbered by thousands of corporate-owned destructive livestock, the public’s wild horses and burros are the BLM’s scapegoats for damage on the range. Over 2,000 are now slated for removal despite healthy range conditions and an outdated census.
Anne Novak, with the Cloud Foundation, is an East Bay resident and fifth generation Californian. She visited the HMA outside of Susanville last week and recounts, “We were looking forward to seeing a lot of wild horses on the range after hearing the BLM’s reasons for the proposed roundup but we didn’t see any horses at all. We found three pronghorn and a small group of burros after covering the range all day on safari.”
The Twin Peaks wild horse and burro herd area is larger than the state of Rhode Island at 1,250 square miles. Despite the vast landscape, BLM wants to slash the herd from what they claim are 2,585 horses and burros to only 450 wild horses and 74 burros.
“We spent all day with BLM on a scheduled tour, combing the Twin Peaks area looking for wild horses and burros. We found a grand total of 20 wild horses including one foal and no burros,” explains Deb Coffey who traveled from Los Angeles to see the horses. “I really don’t believe that there are thousands of wild horses in the area.”
The BLM census estimates have come under increased scrutiny after the Calico round up in which 1,922 horses could be found, even though BLM had estimated that closer to 3,000 wild horses occupied an area of over half a million acres. The Twin Peaks numbers are based on even wilder projections. BLM numbers indicate that the herd has doubled in size in three years—a biological impossibility.
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and Executive Director of The Cloud Foundation, Ginger Kathrens, has filed comments on behalf of thousands of supporters who want a freeze on all the roundups until an accurate and independent census is completed and a sustainable management plan is in effect.
“Obviously BLM doesn’t have a handle on how many wild horses and burros are living in their designated ranges,” explains Kathrens. “Twin Peaks is a perfect example of a lack of scientific range data which would include an accurate census. None of the numbers add up and nothing is consistent except BLM’s mismanagement of America’s treasured wild horses and burros.”
Carla Bowers, of Volcano California reminds fellow residents that the public may “voice their opposition to the rounding up of the increasingly rare California wild horses by calling Senator Feinstein at 415-393-0707 and Senator Boxer at 916-448-2787 as well as sending emails and faxes of concern to the Senators and their representatives.”
The BLM Eagle Lake Field Office in Susanville, which manages the Twin Peaks herd, reports receiving some 2,300 letters requesting cancellation of the roundup from individuals and groups but only 15 letters supporting the planned removal. Despite growing public outrage over BLM’s continuing massive roundups, which condemn wild horses to a life of confinement at taxpayer expense, BLM is expected to select alternative A (removing the maximum number of wild horses and burros) while allowing thousands of head of livestock to dominant the range.
“BLM prefers to excessively grant land use to damaging livestock rather than honor the wild horse’s unique place in the western ecosystem. If the government would consider adaptive and holistic management of America’s public land we would all reap the benefits,” adds wildlife ecologist and author, Craig Downer, who has spent 40 years on the range studying the survival strategies and contributions wild equids make to their home ranges. “When is BLM going to bring science to the table and give wild horses and the American taxpayer a break?”
The Cloud Foundation continues to ask for DOI’s assurance that the elimination of wild horse and burro herds across the West is not motivated by extractive industries. This is difficult to believe because tens of thousands of privately-owned livestock are grazing on herd management areas across the West and oil and gas exploration is rampant in some herd areas.
“We want to safeguard our wild horses and burros on public lands and stop these dangerous roundups. We want an independent census to know exactly how many are out there,” explains Novak, continuing with, “Once they’re gone they’re gone forever. This heritage area is the home of the last stronghold of wild mustangs in California.”
At the passage of the Wild horse and burro act of 1971 there were 38 Herds designated for protection on a total of 6.6 million acres of public land. Today only 22 remain on a mere 2.4 million acres. Livestock Grazing is allowed on 8.1 million acres (including acres allocated to wild horses and burros). BLM estimates that the current population of California wild horses/burros is 4,952 and aims to reduce that to only 2,201 animals. Currently approximately 43,750 privately-owned livestock graze on California’s public lands at highly subsidized rates.
Financial Cost of the Proposed Twin Peaks Roundup & Review of Grazing Fees
Links of interest:
Proposed Roundup of Wild Horses Criticized – Sacramento Bee 7/5/10 http://bit.ly/SacBeeMustang
BLM Eagle Lake Field Office Roundup Planning Documents http://bit.ly/EagleLakeBLM
The Mustang Conspiracy: Sex, Drugs, Corruption, and BP – investigative report http://www.abovetopsecret.com/mustangconspiracy/
CNN Report, Issues with Jane Valez-Mitchell, March 25th http://bit.ly/dvl7NE
Disappointment Valley… A Modern Day Western Trailer- excellent sample of interviews regarding the issues http://bit.ly/awFbwm
American Herds Blog http://americanherds.blogspot.com/
‘Herd-Watch: Public Eyes for Public Horses’ http://bit.ly/9Wvh58
Roundup Schedule- updated July 2010 http://bit.ly/2010roundup
PR Firm Hired for the Destruction of America’s Wild Horse and Burro Herds http://bit.ly/czf3HB
America’s Disappearing Wild Horses
Fact Sheet on Wild Herds & The Salazar Plan http://bit.ly/bfdX1y
Wild Horse and Burro Act http://bit.ly/a7hOeS
Straight from the Horse’s Heart http://www.sfthh.com
Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation ~ Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org
The Cloud Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a focus on protecting Cloud’s herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana.
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Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Since I’m one of the new kids, and since I like stirrin’ up the pot, I would like to inquire of the more experienced Advocates:
Has there EVER been an Environmental Assessment that found in FAVOR of the Wild Ones?
EVER??!
Is it always like this, this destructive movement geared toward destroying these animals?
Or has the effort become more ‘concentrated’ in the past year?
Not that it would change my opinions or my tactics, but am I so naive to believe my Government, through a Taxpayer-funded agency, would defy a Congressionally mandated Federal Law with lies & subterfuge and remain unaccountable for their actions?
What is it WE’RE not doing right to get this out-of-control Bureau censured or punished?
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What we’re not doing “right” is putting the “right” amount of graft in the “right” pockets!
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It is sad to say that this is probably a correct perception. To level the playing field when you battle evil, you must use the same weapons. We never do…and never will.
Maybe, just maybe.
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We have thought of many things. We need to do them. Somethings we have not tried as much as we have talked of it… things like a class action suit. Find a common denominator and find the people willing to put it together.
This is the time for an investigation and turn around. This is a train wreck. We do not want the horses used to shut us up. mar
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The BLM et al thinks the old protections reflected the old times. They think they are out of date, and that is their reasoning (to use the oxymoron). But perhaps there is much hope in Herd Watch, and soon to be gathered factual calculations.
It seems lawsuits mean, us shelling out money against corps that can continuously match and up the ante. They can also buy off judges. Am I missing something here?
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You are right Marilyn. They are just going to keep on doing what they are doing and the only thing that may stop them is a law suit. (Would it need to be multiple suits)
Someone mentioned an attorney who likes to take on cases of this type. Maybe someone can find the post which seemed was written within the last week or two.
Suggestions for an attorney could be asked of the man who was being interviewed, since he knows what we’re up against.
What ever the way, we need to do something quickly and if funds need to be raised to do this, we need to get on it NOW!
Our tax money should be used for protective purposes and pay the attorney’s fees!
Maybe this could be addressed as well.
Who in our large group of advocates and organizations knows how to contact these people to ask for help and recommendations?
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“…….At the passage of the Wild horse and burro act of 1971 there were 38 Herds designated for protection on a total of 6.6 million acres of public land. Today only 22 remain on a mere 2.4 million acres….”
Seems to me, there is your law suit.
Simply put, a zeroed out herd does not meet the intent of the 1971 Act. One could also argue other points like multiple use, lack of regular, independently verified census, grazing/mining extraction permit system in conflict with the 1971 Act (which DOI should have requested Congressional resolution of), unacceptable timing and mortality rates of roundups and long term holding. I’d throw lack of transparency, responsiveness and access in there too.
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I just reread the 1971 Act. Can an expert here show me where the Burns Rider is incorporated in the Act? I see the other amendments, but not that at the TCF website.
After reading it, I say to myself “what a mish-mash” of contradictions. The other problem I see is that the Secretaries have the right to destroy these animals “humanely and (get this) cost efficently”…WTH! You know what that means? Slaughter, because all so-called ag and vet entities insist mass production line slaughter is humane. Good Lord!
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n November 2004, Senator Burns (R-Montana) quietly inserted a rider in the federal budget that lifted the ban on selling wild horses and burros for slaughter. This revision forces the BLM to sell “without limitation” every captured horse that is over 10 years old or any horse that has proven to be unadoptable (which could mean every wild horse and burro currently in BLM holding pens). This will affect over 8,400 horses currently in captivity and those that continue to be rounded up.
I am l;ooking for the exact rider and its wording.
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Here’s a little more. Lordy its hard to find the EXACT Rider #142
2004 – Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) slipped a provision into a 3,000-page omnibus spending bill in December 2004 that effectively guts federal protections afforded to wild horses.
§ Division E, Section 142, of the Consolidated Appropriations Bill – H.R. 4818 (aka “Omnibus Spending bill.”)
§ The language specifies that the horses “SHALL” be sold, rather than the more flexible “MAY.”
§ Wild horses over the age of ten will be sold without limitations.
§ Wild horses aged ten and under will be sold without limitations if they are not adopted in three adoption attempts.
§ Selling wild horses for slaughter will no longer be considered a crime.
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R.T., This video sent chills up my spine, &, brought tears to my eyes!! If so many of us care, including those that have the money, power & authority to actually “do” something, WHY isn’t anything being done to save & protect these beautiful creatures!!?? What does it take to MAKE our “leaders” sit up & take notice, &, DO something to stop this assault & madness?? I’d give anything to live close enough to make an in-person protest, whether in CA., or Washington, DC. Someone needs to take hold of Obama’s shirt collar, & look him straight in the eyes, &, ask him, “Why? Why don’t you LISTEN? Why don’t you do something to STOP this? Why don’t you CARE? What is wrong with you?” I’m forever grateful that at least some of America’s wild horses are safe in sanctuaries, for us to see, even if they will never again be free. But, where is the sound of thundering hoofbeats??
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Exactly…. WHAT is Wrong?! Why won’t you respond, why won’t you listen!?
You call the White House switchboard and they want you off their line as quickly as possible… and I ask, how will the President know that I called and for what reason that I called? The answer: “because you told me” and they click off to take the next call.
I was so proud that President Obama was elected our President and now it makes my stomach hurt when I see a vehicle with OBAMA on it’s window or bumper and I want to cry! And think these people have no idea!!! I have many bumper stickers and many buttons and a large variety of tee shirts… among other memorabilia. It hurts deeply to have this going on under an Administration elected in hopes of truthfulness, care and honesty. The results are not what we expected, even teachers I hear, are not happy.
My Senator, who I hoped would be of help is about as hopeless as all of my other officials. It’s all a game… just playing a game and taking home a good paycheck.
That’s all it is with most of them.
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P.S.!
Thank God for IDA! They are not giving up!
Why these extremes have to be put in motion, is absolutely shameful.
You provoke war and you will receive it!
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The Twin Peaks region in northern California is public land open for wild life, which includes horses and burros, my question is how the BLM can, without contacting the public, the owners of this property, allow thousands of heads of livestock to graze here. These animals are the culprits and must be either drastically reduced or removed. The wild mustang is a part of our heritage and MUST be protected. Check what happened in Nevada.
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It is disgusting to find once again public lands, lands owned by we the tax payers, being usurped by a select few to herd their cattle. These lands have been setaside for the benifit of all of us. The wild mustangs and other wild animals that have used this region for thousands of years are our natural heritage and must be protected. I am referring to, primarily the Twin Peaks region.
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Sacramento judge England is allowing the decimation of some thousands of wild horses and burros. These animals are a part of our natural heritage and must be protected. Instead the BLM must reduce the size of the mnumerous herds of cattle which are owned by a few private individuals. The use of public lands by a privileged few must be reviewed.
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