by Rob Pliskin ~ EAGALA Equine Specialist
(Editor’s Note: BLM volunteer Rob Pliskin has taken his dissatisfaction with the BLM’s destruction of our wild herds to the streets, in a very subtle way. As one very quite man, he stands alone in front of Cleveland, Ohio‘s Federal Building with a wide brimmed cowboy hat on his head and flyers in his hands. Silently, he waits for people to approach him and then he tells the story. Below is his most recent update. ~ R.T.)
Rob Pliskin on steps of DOI Building in DC during Protest
Hottest day of the year in downtown Cleveland. I was preoccupied when I went out this a.m. and forgot my water jug. My mind was stuck in last night’s news — between the blessed Life in the TRO via Laura’s lawsuit, and the Death in Bob Abbey’s eyes and ways.
The heat and thirst over the hours reminded me how easy I have it, and how hard the fences and the roundups are on the horses. What I have to deal with is nothing compared to them. Funny too, I’ve never heard one complain….
I used up nearly all my flyers today. Federal employees flowed out of the building after seeing me in the plaza over the last two weeks. They are wanting to know more. Even a Suit came up to me on his smoke break. A real nice guy. And some kind of gun-toting agent in a polo shirt did too. The Suit said he was going to get the flyer around. Another employee said she was going to scan it and send it to all her friends that like horses. A Security Officer took one in for an older woman that was sitting in the lobby watching me, and took one for himself. And there were more. I can’t remember them all though, because I was so hot and thirsty.
But that made it easy to remember the horses.
Whatever you are doing folks that’s good, keep doing it. It is making a difference.
Has anyone ever heard the story of the 100th monkey? http://www.worldtrans.org/pos/monkey.html
Check it out, and do something good today for the horses.
Rob Pliskin M.S. Ed
EAGALA Equine Specialist
Shaker Heights OH USA
www.horsewhispersllc.com
www.eagala.org
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- A poem by Rob Pliskin (artandhorseslauraleigh.wordpress.com)
Categories: Horse News, The Force of the Horse, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Does one person doing this need a permit? Though I won’t be doing this in downtown Phoenix – maybe others will in cooler areas.
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Rob…thank you.
RT: I’m sorry, but what is a “One Man Vigal”?…is the header suppose to read, “One Man Vigil?
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A one-man vigal is a quiet man with a big heart on a mission who sees exactly what must be done. Cost to American Taxpayer $0.00.
A proofreader is a quiet person on a mission with a need for protection of our great language and sees exactly what must be done. Cost to American Taxpayer: $0.00.
A commentor is a quiet person who reads, and comments, often with aid of a large cup of shade-grown coffee (Yuban, 30% shade grown) and a seething brain with or without good sense, but usually with a sincerity of purpose. Cost to American Taxpayer: priceless.
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Very well put Janet…but honestly, I thought I was so stupid that I didn’t know what a “vigal” was. I seriously doubt myself sometimes and other times want to help. This blog gets read religiously by the equine bushwhackers…just wanted to show or best and educate myself.
Rob…said thank you already, but forgot to add…beautiful job. May the movement spread. The White House is really starting to look bad and that doesn’t make me happy either…it scares the hell out of me. CHANGE? MY DYING AMERICAN ICON’S ASS!….Now there’s a bumper sticker!
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Did you notice it was changed? !
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I’ve been watching for the correction since 5am EST. But agian, I just wanted make sure I was seeing what I was seeing or just plain stupid about vocabulary.
Simple answer…YES…I saw the header was corrected.
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I love Rob Pliskin and his courage, and you’re pretty cool, too Janet!!
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I am not sure, but I imagine at every Federal Bldg. it’s the same. The permit process was really pretty easy in Cleveland. The GSO runs the building and they ought to have an office in it. So you go there and go through the process. For me it is filling out a form and dropping it off in the office a day in advance. The form takes about 2 minutes to fill out. Get a few extra blank ones, and then fill one all out except for date and signature, and just copy it each time you want to submit it.
The best thing about it is this: It makes your actions legitimate, legally. But it also gives them a local credibility which then connects to the issue. You go in there with good intentions, like any citizen. And really, you have them. All those folks in the bldg. with whom you interact get to meet you and experience you closely. If you are decent about it, that’s the picture they are left with for The Cause. AND, you drop off a flyer or other materials you have with the permit form as part of the process! So, that copy of your flyer will already be in its first office!
When you do the permit process, it normalizes the protest experience for everyone connected to the building. For being able to be out there day to day, I find it helps. Some of the best questions and comments I had have come from the building’s Security Detail. They ask what I’m doing, I tell them. I give them flyers, they read them. Me and the Vigil are “their budiness,” when I am there. So it is nice to do good business with them. Plus, I give them something to do. It might as well be a good something.
Go for it folks. Phoenix will be a great place to do it once the weather breaks too!
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Dear Rob, I am so impressed and happy you are committed to our horses. Would it be possible to get a copy of your flyer? I have often wanted to do something like this at or near horse shows and other equine venues. I just need somewhere to start. Thank you so much, we all need to be reassured now and then ONE person can make a difference ONE day at a time.
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http://artandhorseslauraleigh.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/silent-vigil-rob-pliskin/
Laura Leigh put a flyer link at the bottom of the blog at the link above. Whenever I go I try to update with how that day’s vigil was. Maybe I’ll make one for what we did last week in Washington. I just got back. I know there’s a poem in the Washington trip too…..
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Rob, many thanks for bringing the plight of our American Mustangs and Burros to the people. Hopefully one-to-one contact like your vigil will raise awareness in Cleveland and the East.
I live in New Mexico, but am orginally from the Boston area. Big Federal Building with lots of people in and out. Great spot for something similar to what you’re doing – with proper permissions, of course. Any takers?
And Rob, please stay safe and check your gear for your personal trail ride. Godspeed!
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Thank you so much , Rob. Be sure to bring water and use sunscreen the next times. Take care.
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First, Rob thanks for all that you are doing for the wild horses–American Mustangs!
Second–do you or anyone else have a hand-out, postcard, etc with clear concise information that others may use in their contact with people. I have posted on Facebook, forwarded articles to a large group that help support the Chincoteague ponies(will see them again next week at the Pony Penning) and have managed to bring up the subject of the demise of our American Mustangs at every chance I get, but I would love to have a hand-out with clear “talking points” and info on what they can do to help our horses. I would pay for the printing of the cards—just need the information.
Thanks
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Barbara – contact Arlene at this address and she will get flyers to you. Thanks for your help! http://www.wildhorsesneedyou.com
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Jade there is no “contact us” at this web site that I can find.
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Hi Barbara, great idea. Take your request to GrassRootsHorse.com They will fix you up. Call or email them when you get to the website and tell them what you want.
Best, Rob
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thank you Rob!
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Rob , thank you for what you are doing. We might be surprised to find, as you did, how many of the federal employees are in agreement with us. They pay taxes, too. They also probably realize that if we don’t take a stand, there will be no more American Mustangs and no more unspoiled land for them to live on. There won’t be any land or water left for any wildlife.
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Would bring you water to drink if I were closer, and would spend some time there with you. Thank you for doing this for the horses. Maybe soon we will find that hundredth monkey.
Tricia
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Great Job Rob! Thank you.
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Thank you, Rob. I have copied your flyers and posted them. Its so strange how many HORSE people do not understand or know about this.
My horse’s Massage Therapist (OK so laugh) took some and will hand them out to customers.
I really respect your being able to stand the heat this summer.
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From the oil soaked shores of Louisiana we thank you. May God bless you.
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Thank you, Rob! And thank you for your amazing poetry! More and more I think it is exactly this kind of public awareness that needs to be increased — our local branch of the county library allows this kind of vigil (as well as petitioneers, etc.) as long as people aren’t approached directly and you stand 25′ away from all doors. No permit needed. After I asked, they posted the policy on the glass doors of the entryways.
Thank you, R.T. for your articles and untiring efforts and energy in this terrible battle for the wild horses and burros.
Today I wrote on the web inquiry form for this organization: (this link takes you to the web inquiry form:)
*****
http://www.wspa-usa.org/pages/1976_supporter_inquiry_form.cfm?requesttimeout=2000
My “inquiry” reads:
(quote)
http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12849931
Please read this short article about cruelty to animals.
This is a devastating and ongoing situation that has persisted over many many dozens of years.
A small amount of research will show you what my concerns are.
This particular roundup was questioned on many levels, but basically the fact remains.
Bureau of Land Managment roundups are unnecessarily cruel to the horses, and they gather too many at once, and have inadequate vet care or oversight after the gathers when they might be sorted and living in proximity for months and months in BLM corrals before dispersal to adoption training or long term holding or sales (to killer buyers — there is nothing to prevent it).
I couldn’t find anywhere on your website which addresses this long term cruelty.
Why not?
(unquote)
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Love Sue’s idea – let her and BLM run amuke without any oversight –
and how has that turned out for MMS and BP and the people, the wildife and ecology of the Gulf of Mexico?
Answer – about as well as unregulated Wall Street and the mortgage business that have resulted in our economic collapse.
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. . . . economic collapse “requiring” the Obama/Salazar Redundancy to take immediate steps to devastate all the wild lands in America and fill them with oil, gas, wind, you-name-it concerns — cattle — so America will not starve to death.
Hello! Most of the jobs are being created by SMALL BUSINESS.
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Answer to my web inquiry (posted above)
Begin forwarded message:
From: “WSPA General”
Date: July 22, 2010 10:44:01 AM CDT
To: Janet Ferguson
Subject: Your Email to WSPA
Reply-To:
Ms. Ferguson,
Thank you for contacting the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) regarding the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and their management of wild horses.
It is truly devastating that these beautiful animals are being treated this way. Please know that most of WSPA’s work takes place outside of the US, in developing countries, where there are far fewer, if any, animal welfare organizations. We wish we could help all animals in need, but we do have limited resources and are deeply committed to and focused on our already established campaigns.
However, there are many organizations that are actively working on this issue. I have included their contact information below should you wish to learn more about what can and is being done to help.
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
https://secure2.convio.net/aspca/site/Advocacy?alertId=2737&pg=makeACall
Madeline Pickens
http://www.madeleinepickens.com/
Save the Mustangs Foundation
http://www.savethemustangfoundation.org/
The American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign
http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/
Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue
http://wildhorserescue.org/
I hope this information is useful and please feel free to contact us should you have additional questions or concerns. We sincerely appreciate your support and thank you for caring about animals.
Warm Regards,
Kristin
Communications Associate, WSPA USA
World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) ®
The World’s Largest Alliance of Animal Welfare Organizations
800.883.9772
kristin@wspausa.org
http://www.wspa-usa.org
WSPA on Facebook
WSPA on Twitter
______________________________________________
This email is from the World Society for the Protection of Animals and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and protected from disclosure. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of any other party.
If you have received this email in error, please contact WSPA at wspa@wspausa.org and delete the message from your computer.
P Conserve! Please don’t print this e-mail unless you really need to.
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Mind your monkey don’t wash their sweet potatoes in the Gulf of Mexico near the BP oil spill, espcially the 100th.
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I admire Rob for his silent stand. I wish he could have the platform that The Horse.com Welfare and Industry Newsletter has. (I canceled my subscription to their hard copy years ago when they had an article about breeding horses and one supporting horse slaughter in the same issue). How much damage does the following article do to the cause of helping the free roaming wild American Mustang Horse? It sure doesn’t help. http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=16686 Article follows:
Nevada Mustang Gather Resumes
by: Pat Raia
July 19 2010, Article # 16686
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) resumed its gather of horses from the Owyhee Herd Management Area in Elko County, Nev., on July 17, one day after a federal court judge rescinded a temporary restraining order that postponed the round-up earlier in the week.
The agency began gathering horses from the Owyhee, Rock Creek, and Little Humboldt Herd Management Areas and into temporary holding areas on July 10. BLM officials halted the gather July 11 after four of the removed mustangs died from dehydration and related complications. Necropsies performed by an on-site veterinarian revealed the deaths were directly related to lack of water in the immediate ranges the horses occupied before their removal.
On July 12 attorney Gordon Cowan filed a motion for the temporary restraining order in U.S. District Court in Reno, Nev., on behalf of Laura Leigh, an artist and wild horse advocate. The motion alleges that the helicopter gather violates regulations contained in the BLM handbook. Those regulations prohibit such gathers between March 1 and June 30, the foaling period for most wild herds. That motion remains pending.
On July 14 U.S. District Court Judge Larry R. Hicks imposed a temporary restraining order halting the Owyhee gather until arguments in the case could be heard. Hicks rescinded that temporary restraining order July 16 on grounds that the gather was necessary to prevent horses from death due to dehydration and related complications caused by a lack of water on those ranges.
The BLM resumed gathering animals on the Owyhee Management Area on July 17. Agency contractors rounded up 107 mustangs. Of those, 54 were deemed suffering from water starvation/dehydration. One foal was euthanized due to extreme dehydration. The remaining 53 were stabilized.
“The BLM is pleased that the decision of the court will allow us to move forward with the gather, which is necessary to prevent the mortality of the wild horses that are currently suffering from water starvation and dehydration,” said BLM Nevada state director Ron Wenker.
Leigh, said she understands Hick’s decision to prevent horses from death due to lack of water on their ranges, but that his ruling does not affect her petition seeking a court order to postpone gathers in the Rock Creek and Little Humboldt areas until mid-August.
“The judge has indicated that he knows these are completely separate issues,” Leigh said.
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I am so deeply moved… Thank you, Rob. Your presence speaks of love and commitment to the horses. What you do makes a huge difference, but I’ve got to tell you it’s who you are that continues to refresh and inspire so many of us, ever keeping the focus where it belongs: on the horses. The dust, the heat, my sore feet in D.C. because I wore heels — didn’t think we’d be marching so far — and every step my blisters were rubbed raw and my feet hurt so badly, and all of sudden I remembered the babies…the foals, and how each stride must have hurt, all that pain just to keep up with their families …Thank you for what you are doing, Rob. It is heart to heart education. It is grassroots. God bless you.
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“…… Necropsies performed by an on-site veterinarian revealed the deaths were DIRECTLY RELATED to lack of water in the immediate ranges the horses occupied before their removal.”
“Directly related.”
How does that compare with “directly caused?”
Ex: In insurance (your property insurance or homeowner’s policy) certains terms are defined. Storms are the weather condition which produce what in insurance terms are “perils.” Perils are what you insure against; i.e., force of wind, force of rain, etc. which ARE THE DIRECT CAUSE of your busted roof when the tree falls on it because of force of wind or rain which knocks the tree into your house, barn, etc.
These perils may be said I would think to be “directly related” to the storm. The storm, however IS NOT THE CAUSE OF THE DAMAGE ITSELF. It is a specific defined peril that must directly cause the damage.
Now, sports fans, I say —
The so-called “drought” contributed to the horses’ condition (as a storm might contribute to conditions such as force of wind or rain) however, the
DIRECT CAUSE
of the deaths was MOST CERTAINLY WAS THE THE RUN FROM THE CATOOR LIVESTOCK COMPANY’S CHOPPER.
BLM verbage is permeated with with vague generalities such as the vet’s report indicates.
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This is important to remember – good point!
That, according to TheMustangProject , the wells were not turned on this particular summer – out of all the last 10 years of drought – “directly caused” or “contributed to”?
The devil is always in the details!
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Thank you Rob!
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I have been contemplating the “checkerboard” nature of this terrain. Thanks for posting that map. I admit my mind is slow to comprehend this – I had no idea of how extreme this was. This is so obviously set up for the direct intent of allowing private land on one section with adjoining public land for only one purpose – cattle – sustenance of forage and water.
Just Wow – is all that comes to mind. I know Craig Downer has a compelling plan already and now that I see the checkerboard I see the enormous nature of the issue.
Perhaps some reconfigurations could be done that would allow larger swaths of public land? But that would require a huge commitment and mostly undivided course of legislative change supported by the cattle people – how many might contribute to and participate is such a huge endeavor? I keep hearing some cattle people want the horses – but enough to pull something like this off? This would be more appealing to me than my all out war against all public land leasing – and most likely neither can be accomplished? But our enemies keep wanting ideas for solutions.
Someone wrote also that at some time along the journey, there were restrictions placed or at least agreements made that natural migration of horses and other wildlife would be unrestrained between these areas.
This brings me to a little I do have some experience with, not on range land, but on urban wildland interface development. In the last 20 years, or more, cities and counties in Arizona (likely elsewhere) have been very aggressive about maintaining natural ecology and migration paths between pods of real estate development and across roads by way of bridges and under-passes. A recent blog pointed out that this is also done in areas for Elk.
Would this also work for wild horses given that populated and trafficked areas for mining and energy would seem hostile and therefore horses would naturally avoid them? Or would they use them only at night? Which brings the question – how to keep horses from crossing roads and causing car accidents? Or could mining and energy traffic be limited to daylight hours – perhaps by its nature it already is? Just imagining out loud.
But I do see how this works on range land. So, with those agreements there was some attempt and some intent of maintaining the comingling of wild horses and cattle on at least portions of the “leased” public land, including water availability via shared use of well water, springs, rivers, ponds, and caches, etc, during drought periods.
Question, does anyone know if this migration path was also intended to pass through any part of the private land? It seems it would have to due to the checkerboard, otherwise the offer of migration paths being protected just sounds good on paper but does not in fact provide real solutions.
Mining and energy are whole other “monsters” – but I cannot fathom that there are not solutions that are immensely cheaper and more humane than this perpetual round ‘em up scheme of things.
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God Bless all the friends of the wild ones. It is so hard to watch the extinction of generations of real free roaming horses. I can not stand it the way the BLM shoots the old horses *after* they give them the last hell-run of their lives by helicopter! so off kilter the BLM , so very unamerican, they are traiters to the american people.
I think the damage is done as far as the public lands sold off in a checkerboard pattern.
Developers are already cutting their big chunks into 10 acre ‘ranchettes’ 10 acres with BLM land and wild horses all around! it sucks.
here is one 10 acre plot on ebay now ”look at the pictures of wild horses(lots of pics, may be some of the rounded up) the seller says are around the 10 acre plot in the desert. and its elko- looks very close to this round-up going on right now.
http://cgi.ebay.com/10-ACRE-ELKO-NEVADA-RANCH-TREES-VALLEY-VIEW-NO-RES-/360280471606?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Land&hash=item53e263b836
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Well, that is depressing. Wonder how the buyers of this land will feel when the horses are all gone. Should this owner be required to “disclose” the annialation of the horses – is this otherewise false advertising if he knows about the roundups. These horese in thses pictures are likley no more already – we should send him a certified letter with all the facts about the wild horses.
And noise dosclsure –
“Warning – there will be helicopters chasing wild horses across your land very 3 years or so – without notice – BLM has conducted roundups without public notification.”
And –
“Warning – Make sure your own horses are securly fenced AT ALL TIMES from the helicopters or they will go to untold places without even the Constitiution of the United States, freedom of the press, to observe and protect them”
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Roxy, you are absolutely right. Watering and grazing preferences for livestock are the big bugaboo for wild horse management. Many HMAs are “pasture-ized” by livestock fencing on wild horse areas that are fenced and cross fenced, preventing horses from their free-roaming nature of going for forage and water. Its roots are in an ugly, historical bias which was there when BLM took over management of the horses. The AML, Appropriate Management Level, which is the BLM term for how much of each species type can be on the HMA, is the major cynical tool the BLM uses to do this. It is a management formula which is TOTALLY ARBITRARY, which sets numbers of livestock, horses and burros, and other wildlife on each HMA. ONLY THE BLM SKEWS IT IN GROSS FAVOR OF CATTLE USE, AND AWAY FROM THE PRINCIPAL USE FOR HORSES AND BURROS AS MANDATED BY THE 1971 PROTECTION ACT. AMLs AS THEY ARE USED TODAY BY THE BLM ARE THE NUMBER ONE EVIL IN WILD HORSE MANAGEMENT, BESIDES THE BIAS IN THEIR MINDS. AND I WILL SAY AGAIN, THOSE IN THE BLM WHO USE THEM THIS WAY COMMIT A COWARDLY ACT EVERY TIME THEY DO. I SAY AGAIN, IT IS A COWARDLY ACT.
Not that I have any energy about that, or anything….
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Rox, A Conservation easement on private land will get the land owner tax breaks. many are very happy to do this… mar
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Mar,
Is that good or bad?
Rob,
Agree 100% — lack of backbone of BLM WHB to speak up for the horses!!!
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He is an American Hero.
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hottest day of the year and you forgot your water. Hot-thirsty, you are right it is just like our wild ones are in many places. They know where the yearround water is and can smell the water and much of the water is fenced from them.
I hope one of those Gov people watching you noticed and brought you a water. I pray for rain for all wild horses, they know how to catch some rain!
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Rob- you are a holy man and very brave. Please take care of yourself and write me too. I pray for the horses and all the Lords creatures daily.
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