(The News as We See It) by R.T. Fitch, director HfH Advisory Council
Prejudice, Fear and Factual Perversion Pervade Elko County Commission
Alleged Elko County Commissioners Demar Dahl and Warren Russell
Madeleine Pickens’, wife of Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens, spoke before the Elko County Commission, last Wednesday, in an effort to clarify her intentions to turn her recently purchased 14,000 acre ranch into a wild horse sanctuary only to be rebuffed by a heavily prejudicial “thumbs down”.
“Give me a chance to open a sanctuary here,” she exclaimed. “Mustang Monument, I promise you, will make Elko County proud.”
Pickens spoke of turning the sanctuary into an ecotourism destination complete with wagon rides, campfires and ecological activities. She went on to say that the location of her newly acquired ranch is the perfect place amongst Nevada’s high desert rangeland and snowcapped mountains.
But Pickens’ attempts to highlight the ethical and economical benefits of the project fell upon the deaf ears and closed minds of Elko’s County Commissioners.
Lack of understanding and failure to fully comprehend the positive impact of the project was evident when Commissioner Demar Dahl said he fears it could lead to the conversion of more cattle ranches to horse sanctuaries at the expense of future cattle ranchers. He said he wanted to go on the record against it and the panel agreed on a 3-1 vote.
Equally confused was Commissioner Warren Russell who said that he is afraid Pickens will try to buy additional water rights for the ranch.
“We’re very, very touchy with our water in Elko County,” he said.
Touting the same worn out and scientifically unsubstantiated rhetoric Megan Brown, director of the Nevada Cattleman’s Association added that horses have negative impacts to public-use lands, a comment which flies in the face of truth and actual fact.
The only spark of light in this trip back to medieval times comes from the fact that Elko County has no legal jurisdiction which means that their 3-1 vote against the wild horse sanctuary is nothing more than a public comment as the BLM will hold the ultimate decision as to whether or not the proposed plan will move forward.
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
All I can say, is… Better for them to “Suspect your Stupid” then to open your mouth and PROVE them right! No I got one more thing to say.. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME” !!!!
LikeLike
I guess in Elko the world is still flat.
LikeLike
I have had to deal with the same sort of mentality in my small town, just to get our animals rights back. “They” don’t know, and are confused, right now. But “they” will come to understand. And, unfortunately, it takes a lot of time for “them” to figure it out. They have so many sides to consider! But the truth WILL prevail, and they WILL know. Just don’t give up!
LikeLike
Are these people for real?! They’re very touchy with their water, really? Glad their not the final decision makers. Although, still concerned by those that are. In the end, I believe it could be very prosperous and make a lot of people very happy. A truly win-win, no doubt about it!!!
LikeLike
Not so touchy about their water when the mining companies want it…
LikeLike
If they’re so “touchy” about their water, they’d better keep a finger (hand, arm, butt, whatever) on the pulse of the nation. Their water is bound for “higher and better uses” that don’t include cattle troughs!
LikeLike
You are SO right, Linda. These people better wake up soon or it will be too late. In fact, it may already be too late. If what I’ve been reading is true their water rights have already been sold out from under them. If T Boone is really interested in their water, he already HAS it. If not, it may be too late even for him.
I’ve been reading for years that the next war will be over water. Probably right.
LikeLike
Elko had the testicle fortitude to defend public access rights to Jarbidge and in the end they will do the right thing. Perhaps Elko’s reaction was paranoid given past Fed autrocities which userped their private and public property rights. Now they are fighting Ruby pipeline and are a tad bit gun shy. Wait till those tourist dollars begin to warm the cockles of their hearts and pocket books and they realize that the Mustang Monument hasn’t userped anyone private or public property rights or diminished the livestock industry. Madeleine knows how to be a good host and neighbor and pretty soon good folks in Elko will return good will.
LikeLike
A most welcome positive perspective, thanks KH.
LikeLike
In another article it stated they were in favor of the tax revenue that Ruby Pipeline would bring while stating that they would not get this from MP’s plan. Doesn’t sound as if they are fighting Ruby too hard.
LikeLike
I just hope they figure it out in time. Not only for the horses, but for themselves. Get a look at the comments section – it’s no better. I posted some comments of my own yesterday, but I doubt if anyone was enlightened that wasn’t already.
LikeLike
Great thinking, Kathleen!
LikeLike
Please advise – What past Fed autrocities?
LikeLike
Included two articles for your review
http://articles.sfgate.com/2000-03-06/news/17641465_1_shovel-brigade-jarbidge-forest-service ( Dead-End Road / Tiny Nevada town pitted against U.S … But Helen Chenoweth, a conservative Idaho Republican who is …)
http://elkodaily.com/news/local/article_0c5cb236-ae1a-11df-9f03-001cc4c03286.html
Also on Wednesday, the Coalition of Local Governments, of which Elko County is a member, filed a petition for review against the Bureau of Land Management.
LikeLike
Kathleen, thank you – I’ll read them tomorrow with much interest – anything that upsets public lands cattle interests will be an enjoyable read fo rme.
LikeLike
Kathleen, not sure if you have followed the RP project closely, but ole Elko was ALL for it until RPP settled with WWP, and that money was to be used to buy up property along the ruby pipeline for conservation..a dirty word in Nevada..who conserve nothing..and who believe in “the scorched earth policy”..The righteousness of Elko residents only occurred AFTER this settlement and not before..no one HAS to sell to WWP, but they know that there are ranchers who can not make a living there that will…apparently they are not afraid of the big bad government ..but of the big bad greed of their neighbors who will be happy to see nevada in their rearview mirror..BLM and the ranchers have worked hand and glove in the destruction of Nevada..Last I heard Nevada was famous for gambling and whorehouses and divorce-not their prime rib
LikeLike
WOW, have you spent any time in Elko??? That is the fairytale version of Elko..If I was madeline I would move the sanctuary over the border to california..in that country you can regularly find horses that have been poisoned or shot..seriously..this is not the place for a western romance novel..these people dedicate their lives to hatred…I don’t wish that on the wild horses..imagine that shovel brigade at jarbridge marching with guns on the herd of wild horses on the sanctuary..these people take ‘venting” to a whole new level
LikeLike
Elko residents can rest easy with BLM/Department of Inferior having the final say. First the horses-then the cattle.
LikeLike
Right, Louie. These people were only too happy to conspire with the BLM’s “bending” the rules as long as it was to the detriment of the horses. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, they’re not so happy with BLM intransigence and lack of transparency.
LikeLike
Not so sure about that. Nevada, with Harry Reid, is pro cattle not pro horses.
LikeLike
I get the impression these cattle fellas are usedter makin’ the rules & wieldin’ the gold in that thar neck o’ the sands; Saints Preserve Us if even a teeny bit of that perceived ‘power’ should excape their grasp.
Now, lest you believe me a citified snob, lemme dispell that right here: I am a Nevada Girl from way back. I got sand in my blood and sagebrush perfume in my DNA. My grandparents ran cattle in Winnemucca and Carlin on their OWN land and took care o’ bizness without a Bureau subsidy for any reason. They knew every cow & bull and every calf born, and provided them a quality life before sending them on their way.
My grandfather was a foreign import (Denmark). He loved this country (enough to fight for her in 2 World Wars) and Nevada in particular. He told tales of wintering his mares by letting them run with Mustangs, and of the tough, smart, healthy foals they presented him in the Spring. His cattle were fat in the winter because he had sense enough to lay by extra just in case. He understood losses to predators was the price of living next to them, and that there were always going to be times of plenty and times of want.
And he believed that ‘enough’ was enough.
Many ‘modern’ ranchers, particularly those who couldn’t run their ‘business’ without Government Assistance, come across as spoiled, entitled brats who don’t wanna share anything they perceive as ‘theirs’.
But remember, fellas: Grazing Allotments are a PRIVELEGE, not a RIGHT.
LikeLike
AMEN Sister!!!!!!!!
LikeLike
Yes indeed. Also, the government agency that giveth can also taketh away. Especially if they want to put something more profitable on that land.
LikeLike
Set the Tea Party lose on them – gut that government department and tax guzzling scheme of things.
LikeLike
LOL most of the T-party people in Nevada ARE ranchers..the people who most complain about gov. programs..are the first people with their hands out for government dole..Gerry Spense the famous attorney says the only person who you should not bother arguing with or put on a jury are those who are prejudice..there is NO light at the end of that tunnel..so reasoning with “ole ray” isn’t worth the spit
LikeLike
Lisa, you tell ’em!
Great, great bio of real people with real integrity and real USA spirit!
LikeLike
Excellent comment rooted in the history of Nevada and family attachment. Thank you. We have the same here in the UK. People farm (we don’t ranch) and if so much as the hair of a wild animals wants a small bite…BLAM! Seems to be a global problem of greed and malice.
LikeLike
One can’t help but wonder who the Board truly represents. It is often the more “influential” citizens that have the ear of elected officials.
LikeLike
I hope it’s alright to post links on here. This is to the Elko City Natural Resource Management advisory council, Sept. 29, 2010. If you scroll down to page 2 you will see the comments by the Nevada Cattlemens Assoc. about the Pickens sanctuary and their oppostion to it. On page 3 they discuss Ruby Pipeline.
Click to access September_29_2010.pdf
This link is to the page showing monthly agenda’s and meetings. Several discuss wild horses and gives a good idea of what Elko NV has planned.
http://www.elkocountynv.net/meetings/natural_resources/index.html
torreyl
LikeLike
Op Ed by one woman who voted no. She suggests if Madeleine wants to save horses, she should focus on racehorses instead, among other stellar comments. Madeleine’s reaction is posted below the op-ed.
http://elkodaily.com/news/opinion/article_e41d7972-e794-11df-9ab6-001cc4c002e0.html
http://www.savingamericasmustangs.org/news_and_events/article/madeleines_recap_from_the_elko_county_commission_meeting_on_november_3rd/
LikeLike
These two paragaphs jumped out at me – and I say she is right to be nervous about these and I do hope they both come to fruition! Truth is the last 40 years of land use has been a conspriacy, and tax fraud upon the United States Citizen, a welfare scheme at its very worse.
“This is where I find the weakness of Mrs. Pickens’ proposal. I don’t see a long-term solution to the 40-year-old battle over wild horses. I have to ask myself if there is an undisclosed long-term agenda to eliminate cattle AUMs in exchange for a large preserve that will eventually connect the existing HMAs and cover most of Nevada. The idea of wildlife corridors promoted by the Wildlands Project come to mind.
It makes me nervous that Katie Fite of Western Watersheds Project, Hailey, Idaho, would be in support of Mrs. Pickens’ plan. WWP has one agenda, that is to remove cattle from federal lands. I’m not a conspiracy theory person at all, but neither am I naive to what the past 30 years of public land use has been like.”
LikeLike
EXCERPT FROM DEBBIE COFFEY’S ARTICLE IN PPJ GAZETTE:
The Rossi Mine by Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. – (in Elko county, located in the Antelope Creek drainage) Halliburton needs to expand the Queen Pit (and other pits), expand the waste rock dump footprint (I wonder if this is bigger than a wild horse footprint) and build a new haul road because there are international demands for the barite mined here. Barrick Gold controls 137.4 of the acres of “disturbance” with the remaining 269.6 acres of disturbance on land managed by the BLM. Barrick manages a storage area and Barrick Gold’s Betze Pit mine is only about 5 miles to the south. The EA notes that “The lowering of the water table at the Rossi Mine and the decreased production from existing wells indicates that the groundwater table in the vicinity of the mine is declining.”
They’ll probably blame that on the wild horses.
Pequop Exploration Project by West Pequop Project LLC (in Elko county Nevada) – The entire project is on public lands with a projected “disturbance” of about 400 acres. They’ve assured us that none of the drilling fluids used will contain hazardous substances and will not contaminate aquifers.
You could sigh with relief, except that many other hazardous substances have already contaminated our aquifers.
Betze Pit Expansion Project by Barrick Goldstrike Mines, Inc. (Elko and Eureka counties) – Another 315 million tons of waste rock will be generated by this expansion. New access roads disturbing 414 acres of public land. Expansion of the pit for a disturbance of 50 additional acres of public land. Construction of a tailings facility 46 acres of public land disturbance.
God forbid the wild horses dig a little hole anywhere.
LikeLike
Halliburtain – Again! Will we ever be rid of Cheney?
LikeLike
I came across someone on Facebook last night who’s linked to a page called “Advocates for Agriculture”. Although appearing benign on the surface, the tentacles reaching out from there connect to many references to the ‘wild horse problem’. The problem, in their minds, is of course, that the horses even exist- not that they’re being hauled off.
What surprises me is that ranchers far and wide are not enraged about how the horses are being treated. Moving them off the lands is one thing, but doing so with so much purposed brutality is another. Even if they have to go (not saying that’s ok), they don’t have to go with blood running down their faces from being smashed into chute supports built for handling cattle, not horses.
Advocates for Agriculture. Their main business is traveling around the country making pro-ag speeches. The tug-of-war continues.
(Why can’t they coexist with wildlife? The west is a big place!)
LikeLike
That organization is a Farm Bureau propaganda mouth piece with shills peddling the ag at all cost party line. They repeatedly dismiss facts and attack oppositioanl views as tree-huggin’, vegan, urban dweller, nonhorse ownin’ loony speak.
It’s important to see what they have to say, but you’ll never get any intelligent debate out of them. It’s their way or the highway.
LikeLike
Omg! It’s NOT like there’s a shortage of cattle in the world! Stupid bloody rednecks! (beg your pardon). All I can say is “people, get out into your streets, protest and demand change. It’s the only way. Get the university students behind you. They are young and fearless and not afraid of rich old fat cats who are protecting their comfort and money! ” I am sick to my back teeth of old boy/girl networks and GREED, rampant unchecked greed. Madeleine, I wish I was on the ground there to help you. I would step out with placards and slogans to support your magnificent vision! Can you believe a handful of people holds EVERYONE hostage??
LikeLike
I know it is hard ranching in the West and having to share the land with a few horses.
Anyone having this problem might look into buying some lush pastures in the Midwest where you can own the land and graze as many as the land will support. The lush pastures of the Midwest will support far more cattle per acre than the West so you don’t have to travel near as far to check on your herd. Water rights are no problem as there is a stream at the bottom of every hill and the government will help pay to dam it up and make a great pond. Since the rains come more often in the Midwest the grass stays lush much longer and the ponds stay full year round.
Can we set up a fund to help ranchers who want to leave the West and take their cattle to Midwestern pastures?
LikeLike
Yes, cattle ranching is hard in the west because the land is not suited for it. You got it. Move the cattle to fenced in pastures in the Midwest. I grew up in Iowa and remember my dad always saying beef from the West was lousy. And my dad absolutely loved the West and the Tetons and the Rockies etc. He just knew their beef was crappy. Not good land to raise it on.
LikeLike
Not so hard when your neighbors across the nation, your fellow citizens, are forking over almost1 billion dollars a year to support you!
What I don’t get is why the 97% of cattle ranchers that not only don’t get any of that 1 billion, but are also paying taxes into it aren’t outraged – now, I don’t want them getting my tax dollars either so don’t be going down that road.
Or, how about all those cattle ranchers sending me their tax dollars? I’ll give 5 to 20% to charity to feed USA citizens – about the amount of beef that is retained within our borders to feed us.
LikeLike
I think most of the family ranchers are already gone. Many of the leases now belong to foreign interests who either don’t even run cattle or do so as a cover for their real intentions which are to get a toe hold in the US to cash in on Salazar’s “industrialization” of the west.
I feel for some of these poor shlubs in Nevada who won’t get a clue until the aquifers are pumped dry and Nevada disappears into a giant sink hole. Makes me very sad.
LikeLike
Here in Missouri, i.e. the Midwest, the cattle barons are just as reluctant to show significant levels of compassion. No surprise as they sure as hell show little for their cattle. Prop B managed to pass in Missouri, the puppy mill bill but the signs here in the rural area were all about stopping it. Go figure.
LikeLike
This sense of entitlement they have makes my head spin around. It’s our land, the people of the
USA, and we have (or should have) some say about what it is used for.
@Lisa – totally agree with you.
LikeLike
I would be interested to see a true breakdown of what the horses cost on the range versus the cost of rounding them up and keeping them in long term holding, and what income is derived from the welfare ranchers to graze their cattle on the land and how much we as tax payers subsidise them to do this, also the percentage of cattle that the welfare ranchers own in comparison to the number of cattle in the entire US market. i.e. horses on the range, cost zero, horses in holding xxxx million, roundups xxxx million, taxpayers subsididy for cattle grazing on range xxxx million etc. etc. Do you think if these idiots see it all in black and white they may actually start to understand? I know we have people in this group qualified to get these facts and figures together, it will also help us to understand and to be able to quote correct information when we fight for our cause.
LikeLike
Here’s a link to a report on the true costs of the public lands ranching program: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwxnQ91Hgo-LZWZiOGQ4YjctYzNhMC00ZjUwLThhN2QtOWI0NjIzN2NkYzc3&sort=name&layout=list&num=50
I posted it in the comments section of the article, but I very much doubt anyone there clicks and reads.
LikeLike
Thanks so much for this, I have just done a quick perusal of the document and was blown away, in 2001 when this was done it was estimated that this program cost the tax payers as much as $1 BILLION !!!!!!!!!! Seems to me that it would be far cheaper for these cattle ranchers to relocate THEMSELVES and their CATTLE to the eastern states where the forage is better and it would be at their expense not ours, geez no more free rides, no wonder they are fighting tooth and nail! OM Gosh!
LikeLike
We need to post this on at least every other Article so it does not get missed by any newcomers or browers.
LikeLike
Makes me wonder ????? What the hell do these people think, we are trying to save Americas Only Living Legends, without them there would be no west !!!!!!!!! Blood Sweat and Pure POWER built the West THE MUSTANG GAVE ALL TO MAKE IT HAPPEN…………….. They are the very Spirit of America damn it………. Their Beauty is IRREPLACEABLE !!!!! What they have to teach us is UNDENIABLE ……….. Their very Presence is warmth to the Human Soul…….. They are Our National Treasures…………………..These people have to get REAL !!!! And Give RESPECT to Them , They service , pleasure , give to us willingly and ask for Nothing !!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE gave them FREEDOM TO ROAM….. and I for one am not so unappreciative and greedy to think for even i second that they truly dont deserve that forever !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LikeLike
All I can say is MAN is his own DESTRUCTION to this EARTH and by the time they figure it out it will be to late!!!!
LikeLike
If Madeleine Pickens runs up against this amount of brick walls and animosity is their any wonder that our small penniless voices fall on hardened hearts and deaf ears. The BLM (and others) have created the problem of horses existing (I had put “living” but I cannot call LTH “living”) in holding until death comes to relieve them of the torn remains of a life that should only know freedom. The problem EXISTS due to mismanagement and a refusal to give up on failed and still failing extremist policies. I have never been a huge fan of the Pickens proposal but even I can see it IS a solution that is certainly a huge cut above what is the current state of affairs both for the horses, the people and the economics of the state of Nevada and the community of Elko. For God’s sake quit holding on to the stubborn failing past folks and work toward a solution. The horses are there, get over it. It truly appears that these ranches will start losing their leases and these towns supported by the ranching activities will be nothing but the toxic runoff of energy & mining activities. The only thing left to do then will be to look back and see what opportunities were squandered. You just can’t walk into the future if you are hog-tied by the past.
LikeLike
Beautifully said Morgan !!!!
LikeLike
What these people refuse to recognize is that Madeleine would not have to open an eco-sanctuary if their attitudes and selfish self interest had not made it necessary. Had they just alllowed them to live on their HMAs as intended. They refuse to even deal with the ramifications of their selfishness. If you can’t raise your cattle in the wide open west with the wildlife, go raise them in New York City. The West is not an eco-sanctuary for cattle.
LikeLike
A rancher or the BLM can and will monitor feed and livestock numbers to maintain the health of the forage but politics (lawsuits against the BLM) and cost to gather horses make it difficult to do the same with horses. One of the reasons this ranch sold was because of the high number of horses (about 1000 head) already populating the area which left little feed for cattle without furthur abuse of the range.
There is very limited water on this ranch, most of it is pumped, several springs are seasonal, the feed around the few dependable springs is mowed to the ground for miles around.
The father of a 80 y/o old guy in town raised remounts for the US Cavalry in Mcgill, Nevada. (40 miles south of this area) Bob assures me he can still see his dads horses (colors) in the herd he turned loose once the US stopped buying in 1937.
Horses will continue to breed and over populate outside of this sanctuary, I cannot see how moving horses here will alter that fact or solve overpopulation of horses on public lands. Its a feel good gesture that solves nothing.
For nearly a century this ranch like all user including mines paid for the use of our natural rescourses by sending a check to the BLM. Do we as taxpayers really want to reverse that policy and send Pickens five hundred thousand a year to harbor estray animals?
LikeLike
The sanctuary will certainly feel good to the thousands of horses she springs from hideous BLM holding corrals where they just stand around waiting to die. Sorry if that doesn’t make you feel good. Sure will make my heart sing when I can see a formerly wild horses RUN for the first time in years! And those 1000 head of horses you say you can see, you can bet they are on the BLM schedule for round up soon and heading to one of the many holding pens to join the other 45,000.
LikeLike
The BLM gathered horses in that area within the past 8 years but they are already over what the feed can support. Stocking the ranch with thousands more will not work. What would you do?
LikeLike
Excuse me, but ranchers on public lands do not pay NEARLY enough to cover the costs of the program. WE – the horse lovers – are seeing OUR tax money go to cover the cost of CATTLE that have no business being there in the first place.
If left alone and allowed to roam freely as per the mandate of the WFRH&B Act of 1971, horses will regulate the size of their herds naturally. They have done so for millions of years, and will again if humans would but out. Horses ARE reintroduced NATIVE wildlife of North America. And, whatever you think about that, the same argument cannot EVER be made for Eurasian cattle.
The only horses proposed to be moved here are the ones that have been in long term holding by the BLM – and costing millions more in tax money. They are sterile – this herd will be NON-reproducing. Okay?
LikeLike
I agree ranchers do not cover the cost of the BLM’s management of grazing lands but that more a function of an expensive BLM. The public taxes do not cover the cost of our government either. That not the ranchers fault.
Indiginous horses were much smaller and had natural preditors, these do not. This natural regulation of numbers you mention is starvation as the trip between feed and water becomes so great the animals die. That is not something anyone wants to happen.
Which sex do they intend to neuter? If they just geld the studs this program will fail.
LikeLike
Wild horses DO HAVE NATURAL PREDATORS! That is a lie promoted by BLM and ranchers who try to justify their pressure on BLM to remove more wild horses. The reason natural predation is not doing its work in helping stabilize wild horse populations is because BLM, Dept of Ag Wildlife Services and other govt agencies are killing off all the predators at the behest of cattle ranchers! We pay over $100 million every year so the feds can kill off predators when it has been studied and proven, by the USDA no less, that fewer than 1% of cattle and 4% of sheep are killed by predators and that is including packs of wild dogs.
We pay hundreds of millions to subsidize public lands grazing. We pay more millions for the brutal and callously orchestrated removal of OUR wild horses so privately owned cattle can eat the forage that rightfully belongs to the wild horses in the HMAs (as the principal animals there per the 1971 Act). We pay millions to staff offices full of soulless people in BLM who do all this wasteful spending of OUR money. The few millions brought in by grazing fees go right back out the door in the form of range improvements FOR CATTLE.
There are 8.6 MILLION AUMs allocated to cattle in the West, 9.5 MILLION allocated to Elk/Deer/Bighorn. Guess how many are allocated to wild horses? 300,000 AUMs for wild horses – do you realize this is just 3% compared to cattle? Or that in total, wild horses get just 1.7% of the forage available to large grazers? http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEtijg9Zriw/TLlPC96oekI/AAAAAAAACKs/stkgCVLma8M/s1600/09+Forage+Chart_Photos-2.jpg
Ranchers and their apologists need to GET REAL – there is NO overpopulation of wild horses, only of cattle. For more info on Ranchers and their longstanding history of suckling at the government teat, try this link: http://americanherds.blogspot.com/2010/10/gubmint-cheese.html
It’s about time ranchers get their animals off public lands and quit sucking that government teat. Get a job like the rest of us, pay for what you use, finance your own business and don’t expect to be paid to run your business. No government agency steps in to GIFT me with operating expenses for my business – why should ranchers get a free ride? I, for one, am sick of paying for the ranchers’ lifestyles and I’m especially sickened because so many of them appear to be EXTREMELY greedy, vicious, narrow-minded, non-environmentally oriented and self-centered all while they spout lies and false claims of being focused on “the environment, the health of the range, the welfare of starving wild horses”. Bah, my 30 yr old horse out back is more focused on the environment of the Western US than these cretins speaking out against wild horses.
I’m about ready to embrace and champion the well known fast food slogan just out of general disgust for the ugly vocal majority of Western beef producers: EAT MORE CHIKIN! Perhaps it’s time for a grassroots boycott of all things cattle…
LikeLike
Kathleen TMH – excellent post all the way around!
Though the person you are adressing is so obviously the one with the hand out within this failed and destructive socialist program that is only for a few self entitled “special people” who consider themselves more worthy than the rest of the USA citizenry and blinded by that above everything else is mentally incapable of getting it – and personally I don’t care if he ever gets it.
Your post is so important to others, the rest of the people of the USA, who may be reading, who are intelligent and capable of making up their own minds – excellent – thank you!
LikeLike
There is a long history that shows that when numerous and varied members of the BLM tried to do their jobs and buck the ranchers who were abusing the land or the provisions of their leases that they were called on the carpet by superiors, transferred to Timbuktu or other retaliatory measures. I don’t believe BLM is capable of truly objective management of the range due to pressures from above which really equals pressure from the lease holders to keep the current failed corrupt system in place.
LikeLike
Morgan, I don’t want a conflict nor to cry BS but that is simply not true. Ranchers are invested in this property, if they abuse grazing land they are in effect cutting their own economic throats.
LikeLike
Ray, here’s just ONE reference “Western Turf Wars” by Mike Hudak if you care to read. People in all walks of life cut their noses to spite their face why would you think ranchers are any different. I DO think my statement is TRUE
LikeLike
Ray, please tell us who benefits from the almost 1 billion dollars a year in direct and indirect costs to support the cattle grazing on Public Lands?
Since 80 to 97% of that beef is exported for profits for big corporations – its not the the neighbors, the fellow citizens who pay taxes to a government program that is this much in the red that are being fed.
There is obviously plenty of lush green grazing land in the mid west for the few family ranchers – that they could own and not suck up my and thie fellow citizens and neighbors tax dollars.
Anyway cattle are next – while you are busy with your special interests energy is working against all of you and us.
We advocates were not against cattle grazing on Public Lands – its the cattle grazing that are soooo greedy to keep taking more and more and yet more of wild horse legislated land – greedy S*Bs! Just could not leave well enough alone!
Besides, if the land and water is so bad as you describe how come cattle grazing continues on it and wants more?
But, I expect talking to the “self” entitled special interest welfare recipient cattle grazers is like talking to a drunk about not driving.
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwxnQ91Hgo-LZWZiOGQ4YjctYzNhMC00ZjUwLThhN2QtOWI0NjIzN2NkYzc3&sort=name&layout=list&num=50
LikeLike
I have been all over the ranch in question, I know the rancher who sold it. The reason he sold the place is because horses had stripped it of feed he had bought for his cows.
Do you have a problem slaughtering animals for food, have you ever had to put a pet down? In your eyes is a horses death due to starvation more humane or acceptable than in a slaughterhouse? Can you explain this heirarchy which puts a horse above a deer or elk.
Your numbers are way off, in 2009: 7.2 percent of US beef was exported, the rest was consumed in the US. Cow calf opperations in the west supply feedlots in the midwest.
I did not say it was a bad ranch. I said it cannot be stocked with any more horses before you run out of feed.
Why should taxpayers pay Pickens to harbor wildlife on federal lands?
LikeLike
Ray in the same breath, why should Taxpayers pay for Ranchers to graze their cattle on PUBLIC lands?
LikeLike
Also to add, I have yet to see one emaciated horse coming in from the range on any of the roundups?? Where are all these starving horses?
LikeLike
As suspected, and as usual from the “takers” of a welfare program (you are not the first to post here) you did not answer ONE of my questions – so same back at you. I will be hitting delete everytime I see your name so don’t bother now – too late.
Last post – If you are harboring cattle on Publc Lands then I am paying you and a glutted BLM department to do so – talk about a failure and unsustainable program!
LikeLike
Can you explain this heirarchy which puts a horse above a deer or elk.
Ray.
Yes, horses are more toward the “pet” side and they helped us settle the West It was built on their blood and bones.
As for paying Madeleine, she would be doing it for much less than what it costs the BLM.
As for seeing the “colours” of the remount horses raised there at the ranch in the wild herds, Perhaps they came full circle. From talking to an officer at the remount station
LikeLike
‘Can you explain this heirarchy which puts a horse above a deer or elk.”
Ray.
Yes, horses are more toward the “pet” side and they helped us settle the West It was built on their blood and bones.
As for paying Madeleine, she would be doing it for much less than what it costs the BLM.
As for seeing the “colours” of the remount horses raised there at the ranch in the wild herds, Perhaps they came full circle. From talking to an officer at the remount station in Kansas in the 50’s (I’m old!) I know some of their horses came from the Wild Herds as well as the domestic ones.
LikeLike
Shirley, excellent point.
Where are those paintings and statuets of Generals, Kings or Queens on deer or elk?
LikeLike
No it is not !!!!!! it belongs to those who built it, not who rape it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LikeLike
Those allotments were set aside for the Wild Horses and Burros in the first place. As Lisa pointed out–public grazing is a PRIVILEDGE!
LikeLike
You are of course absolutely right, Louie. But I’m finding out that Nevada is a world unto itself, and many of these old line ranchers really DO believe the land belongs to them. They have been known to resort to violence to protect their “right” to be there.
LikeLike
How can one tell anything to a spoiled rotten self intitled brat. Cattle grazing encroaches more and more everytime there is a roundup. Why can’t these S*Bs just graze where they were grazing before 1971 – they have already taken 20 million more acres to add to their already 300 or so million acres and taking more every year that was not theirs – it was legislated for the horses.
Just greedy grubby vampires of our public lands, citizens taxes and wild horses blood:
“More, more, more mommy – I want ALL the marbles mommy!” is their montra.
LikeLike
I usually stop in Elko overnight on my way to WY every year, back and forth. It’s the halfway point. I guess I’m gonna have to figure something else out now if these anti horse people are so afraid of a horsie.
Geez with the economy in the toilet you’d think these people would welcome the horses esp knowing that it might bring alot of horse advocates to town. Oh my–tourists might even spend MONEY too. What a shock to the system.
And most importantly a whole lot of horses (not enough) would be safe. Maybe sterile but at least they could live without interference.
LikeLike
Below is a link to an article written by a ranchers wife. This ranch had one of the very best wild horse management programs up until the 1970’s when congress changed the rules.
http://elkodaily.com/news/opinion/article_e41d7972-e794-11df-9ab6-001cc4c002e0.html
LikeLike
Ray, and she ways: “Horses have to be managed; there will always be animals that have to be slaughtered.”
Dude, you posted that on the WRONG site!
LikeLike
In my opinion anyone who starts an article off by touting the benefits of horse slaughter has already proven their ignorance of the real issues and statistics on horses, wild and domestic. And judging by your replys and comments I’d say the same about you. No offense and not looking for a conflict. Just my humble opinion, oh that is if the ranchers think it is okay for me to have an opinion.
LikeLike
Maureen I disagree. Robin is being very honest and realistic. Had we accepted the fact an option to excess horses was a slaughter house back in the 1970’s we would not have the problem we do today. The adoption program has failed dispose of enough animals, the holding pens are a ridiculous and expensive, the whole program is unsustainable.
Pickens ranch will not change that.
LikeLike
“It makes me nervous that Katie Fite of Western Watersheds Project, Hailey, Idaho, would be in support of Mrs. Pickens’ plan. WWP has one agenda, that is to remove cattle from federal lands. I’m not a conspiracy theory person at all, but neither am I naive to what the past 30 years of public land use has been like.”
Personally I am happy that Katie Fite of Western Watersheds Project is making the Public Land ranchers “nervous”. 97% of our beef is being raised on non-Public Lands and most health conscious people are aware that we should not be eating great quanities of red meat let alone meat that has been raised in contaminated land and water.
LikeLike
Excuse me, can someone explain this concern for ‘future cattle ranchers?” What future cattle ranchers? That makes it sound like they expect a sudden massive rush of people moving in to raise cattle. Where from? A few people who’ve never raised them but dreamed of it? The families of those who are already ranchers?
That’s very iffy.
Whereas massive amount of tourists are almost certainly guaranteed. People need vacations, and what they take for granted or dismiss as ‘unimportant is exactly what some families need. A chance to see nature, and horses, being an escape from the norm.- the city for instance. The only question being will they go to see Nevada and the horses.
I guarantee it would be high on my vacation list.
LikeLike
Millions and millions of grazing cattle on public lands is unsustainable.
LikeLike
Madeleine & T. Boone Pickens. God Bless You. I believe Ray is wrong. He again is on the side of cattle ranchers who want us, the american citizen to give monies to keep cattle ranchers in business. The sanctuary in Nevada will save some of these horses and the people in the area will see a new prosperity. THis same idea should be expanded to all areas of the U.S. so all the horses now in holding pens can run free. I’m not a person who bets — but I will bet that if you took all the costs of the roundups, the cost of the building of holding pens, the cost to feed these horses in the holding pens, you would find it far exceeds what these sanctuaries would cost to run. In addition, anyone who thinks the cattlemen and the mining companies will help them to continue to exist in this area, better start to pack your bags, because you will find yourself left alone to starve and the big business will be knocking at your door to get rid of you. All of these problems that has been created for the wild horses is the result of big business, buying under the table the BLM, the agriculture and the mining agencies. These agencies are corrupt and there’s no way around the truth. It speaks volumes. We must help Madeleine and the New Mexico plan to have a sanctuary there, to keep our wild horses in existence for future generations to see, love, admire, and work to keep them on ranges where they belong. Again, God will see that we will win and the big, greedy monsters against the horses, wild and other horses, will get their just rewards. Bad guys, you better start worrying because God will ultimately give you what you deserve, and, I hope, it equals rounding you up, trailering you to Richeleau, and giving you the same ending that our beautiful horses are enduring day after day.
LikeLike
Meanwhile, the fast tracked energy projects and mining corporations will have grabbed up all of the water rights and/or polluted the water, and drained the aquifers. The multi-national corporations will be the ones to benefit.
LikeLike
Slaughter is only an answer for an industry that overbreeds and goes by the “dispose after use” motto.
LikeLike
Ray, does western watersheds project ring any bells for you???this is the 21 century and it is very easy to google and disprove everything you have stated..back in the day..this might have worked for ya..not many people going into ranchin these days as it is cheaper to buy cattle from argentina and ship the beef here and we don’t have to worry about them being full of antibiotics and growth hormones , and the questionable biproducts they are being fed in feedlots, they have that pampas and grass belly high..the power of cattlemen are gone, most of the big ranches are corps who use the cattle as writeoffs for their real business..We need to start testing nevada cattle for arsnic and uranium in the meat, as the runoffs from mines has polluted the drinking water in the state and bottled water is being supplied to your residents..but not your cattle..and that makes me very nervous and maybe why Nevada has ‘hot spots” of unexplained cancer
LikeLike
Thats true the beef we buy comes from Argentina these days.
I don’t want to eat anything that ate grass/ drank water near mines. So Nevada “food” is contaminated by mine run-off.
All Nevada is to me is used to be beautiful lands. When it had millions of wild horses, spreading seed and manure the lands were pristine. Then came the 1900s and the downfall of the land, the hate for the wild horses was born in nevada.. At least ya have legal hookers and Las Vegas, that will bring Nevada some ‘good old boy’ tourists, I guess.
And now a woman owns a ranch, a large ranch. Nevada, even if you don’t like that, she has the same ‘right’ to have what ever animals she wishes on her ranch.
Be best Mrs Pickens to use condensation water for the ranch and the horses..not even good for horses to drink that mine ground water. The new condo-water distillers can produce hundreds of gallons of water per day even in desert areas. Use modern science and there will be one oasis in the middle of the contaminated desert.
Plus last week my Dr. said, people should only eat beef once a week or even less if they can.
LikeLike
I agree that we should save the horses but I think it is a rash to say that Demar Dahl and the county commission of Elko do not know what they are doing. On the other hand I do think that Madeline Picken’s idea does have the horses best interests in mind but I do not think she knows enough about wild horses to make it plausible.
Let me state the facts. From what I know Mr Dahl does care about the welfare of horses. His wife actually saves off the track thoroughbreds from feed lots. This means these horses on on their way to to a slaughter house where they will be processed into meat for people to eat in other countries. She saves them and finds them new homes. Speaking of this one of the horses Mrs Dahl rescued was foaled by a racehorse Pickens owned. Maybe Pickens should do something about the thousands of racehorses that are practically dumped to their death bed because they were not fast enough.
If Miss Pickens were to create this sanctuary it would be over-run with horses that do not want to be contained. I am not saying that how the government is dealing with it is the right way either and I do give it to her for trying to come up with a solution. But it wouldn’t work.
While Elko will never be be “booming” with cattle farms. It does have working cattle farms that contribute to the economy.
While Pickens wants to created a resort their I doubt it would see a lot of tourism. Americans are not traveling as much. Regardless their isn’t a major airport in Elko. Possible visitors would have to fly into Reno, NV and drive another 4 hours. In the winter the roads are bad creating little to no tourism in those months.
I do think Pickens care but I think she needs to have more of a plausible plan.
LikeLike
My guess is that you are not familiar with Nevada..first off we call it cattle ranchin..not farming..second nevadas #1 income is from tourists(gambling) and that is a year round sport, seems like there is an airport in Winnemucca, and of course, private jets could land at the ranch and tourists could be be treated to a package deal gambling whoring and wild horses..no tourists ever come to nevada to see cows, and then of course madelines friends probably have their own private jets..You all are pretty lucky it is madeline rather than myself who is undertaking this, cause i would kick a## and take names and be more than happy to start a range war, I would start by buying up everyones mortgage and foreclosing on their skinny welfare cows..I would show them the same mercy they show the wild horses when they poison and shoot them for target practice. and since you do not know about the HMAs that horses are restricted to, I would like to inform you that they are a maize of fence and cross fences that look like a subdivisions so that welfare ranchers can graze cattle on the horses land..what you know about wild horses you could fit on the head of a pin -along with your brain and have room left over for a turkey.
LikeLike
Obviously you are not currently in Nevada because tourism is dying in Nevada. Especiallyin N. Nevada. I know for a face that casinos in the Reno area are laying off workers and even the nicest casino is my option is
on the verge of declaring bankruptcy. Secondly tourism is not Nevada’s number one industry mining is.
Also I think your final point is unnecessary. You don’t have to bewilder me to feel better about yourself.
LikeLike
I believe you were ‘bewildered” before I started my tirade..and if you meant belittled, i believe you accomplished that also before I started.. If there is one thing that really riles me up- its prejudice, which is far beyond ignorance, and all the flowery speeches and logic have been proven down thru the ages to bounce off of prejudice..I know you people, I have lived among you and would not chose to do so again-nor do i approve of putting the captive wild horses in Elko, so that is the one point we can definately agree on. I applaud others for their stamina in addressing you politely..but you all do not understand that language…I speak to you in the same insulting terms you speak of the wild horses..When i direct this at you it is also for your “clan” of like mysognists-just so you will not feel singled out.
I fully understand, the cowboy poetry gathering is the one tourist attraction you have..might I suggest your commisioner give her “;horses to slaughter speech to those tourists-and see how fast you can clear the room? Yes, i can see where establishing a tourist industry in Elko would be next to impossible.,and since mining is not a renewable resource and mines close as the gold peters out, or the value of the dollar rises..you will be left with –Nothing-and thats what you deserve.
LikeLike
People from all over the world go to the Pryor Mountains in Montana just to get a glimpse of Cloud and his herd. They travel long distances and are willing to traverse the rough terrain in whatever vehicle is available–just ask Margaret. Admittedly, Nevada has very different scenic beauty than that of Montana, but it is beautiful, wild scenery, all the same and pure mana for city weary visitors. Comfortable lodging, good food and shuttles would make the trip well worth the price for them. There is other wildlife, as well, that those people would enjoy. Often it is people from the outside that see the value of the treasure that is in someone elses back yard.
LikeLike
“Often it is people from the outside that see the value of the treasure that is in someone elses back yard.”
Amen to that Louie!
Marguerite Henry came from California to Chincoteague Virginia to write “Misty” and the rest is history. This year the Feather Fund (a foundation that helps children/teens get a Chincoteague pony) foal went to a teen in Washington state and another in Georgia. The ponies have found homes all over the country and every year there are over 40,000 visitors in one week alone to the island.
It takes the “outsiders” to see the value of what is right under the locals nose!
LikeLike
Let me correct myself here—Marguerite Henry came from Illinois to write Misty–later from California to write the Mustang book. Needed morning cup of coffee–lol
LikeLike
Ray: As a citizen of another country, the United Kingdom, who had the opportunity and privilege to live in Reno for a few years I can tell you had there been a Mustang Preservation Sanctuary there at the time I (and everyone who visited us) most definitely would have stayed there to get a closer view of the wild horses and learn about them. As it was, and they were already in paddocks then, we could only catch glimpses of them from a distance in the wild and mostly photogaphed them in captivity. Nevada is a magnificent State, full of wild desert beauty and it should belong to everybody.
The control of any group of animals, globally, should never be in the hands of state or government where self-interest creates conflict and motivation for an alternative is lacking. In this case Mustangs and their care should be in the hands of people who deeply and genuinely care for the horses. The problem with people in seats of power is they underestimate the intelligence and smartness of the citizens, who were good enough to vote them in, but not smart enough to share in the policy making procedures and the running of their State. Vested interest always turns homeward.
LikeLike
With the loss of revenue from the casinos, gambling, etc., all the more reason to persue ecotourism. Mining will only give jobs for a while, squander all of the resources, including WATER, and leave Nevada with NOTHING.
LikeLike
Health Retreats–Retreats of any kind are a big draw to those that have money to spend, and they are willing to spend it in order to relax, recharge and get away from the stress that they encounter in their professions. The WANT to get as far as possible from airports, cities and noise. Why lose those tourists to European or Australian or ? tourism when they could get something so wonderful in our own country?
LikeLike
Sent to Elko Cty. Commissioners and paper:
To whom it may concern:
Many Americans have been following the little spot on the map called Elko, as your own Commissioner calls it. With great dismay and shock the world is witnessing an ignorant and evasive attitude from your town towards the project that could enlighten and enhance your own economical thriving, attract Americans to the West for a learning experience they would never forget – and mostly, to preserve the living symbols of freedom on whose back this very country was built.
It is quite disconcerting to find out the real agenda that seems to doom over the Elko County Commissioners. When looking further into the seven members the board represents, with one in each of the following areas of experience or expertise: Federally Managed Public Lands, Surface / Groundwater Water Resources, Recreation, Ranching / Agriculture, Mining / Milling, Private Land Use Development, Wildlife management and a “Non-Voting” staff member – it’s no wonder a magnificent plan or vision could be squashed whilst other personal interests are predominant.
Americans have started to realize that our mustangs are scapegoated under the guise of starvation tales, range deterioration and monopolized water rights battles.
We have reached a time though, where we as Americans also know it is most critical that each of us does his part in setting a stone to preserve these mustangs by putting our personal agendas aside and consider the future. Surely, you do not want to speak on behalf of thousands whose children want to see a mustang in the wild, not in a wax museum ?
This plan, amongst other suggestions that have developed lately, is most deserving of your consideration. If Ms. Boies is more concerned about world hunger than preserving our heritage in its rightful habitat, I suggest she designs a feeding program with the beef raised on these ranges.
Livestock permittees should be phased out, natural predators such as pumas’ age old ecological role allowed to be fulfilled – natural barriers along with horse-proof fences built for mustang’s safety and keeping them out of harm’s way – adequate water rights can be established so that the natural springs in the area are not monopolized by ranchers or developers as it seems to be the case too often. Neither should miners be allowed to contaminate waters. It’s all possible, if the Commissioners first priority was the mustangs, not their own agenda. Surely no one complains about cattle starving – and all horses removed are in perfect body condition.
Such a magnificent eco-sanctuary is very much a long-term project. It would draw tourism, leave a legacy, bring educational and healing experiences to schools, the sick, elderly, tourists – and have a huge impact on your economy. With the brains that American know-how ought to be equipped with, this is not an emotional issue. This is an obligation that we have, to restore these animals where they rightfully belong. Too long the government has harassed, assaulted and destroyed whole herds with no consideration for their survival.
We owe much to these horses and such a region would only benefit Elko. It would set an example for the rest of the West, where the returned native horse is restored and allowed to enhance the native ecosystem, while keeping wildfires in check through the consumption of nutrient poor, flammable grasses, herbs and shrubs that equids are digestively equipped to handle.
Just imagine, shifting away from the status quo of long repeated mistakes and moving towards a new vision, with a partnership and an open mind to be one of those freedom loving Americans, that stands up for those we owe so much, the mustangs. It’s known, that for too long, there have not been excess horses, only excess lies. We must shift and find a solution that will ensure a place as Congress had it in mind with the 1971 WFRHB Act, for our future generations to enjoy the wild horses, not in roadside zoos or a wax museum. But in the wild, in their original habitat, in Nevada, to be considered in the area where they are presently found, as an integral part of the natural system on suggested ranch.
The rest of this country deserves more than the monopolized agenda that has ruled over this subject. The rest of America is learning the truth and wants to preserve these icons of our heritage. The subsidized
livestock industry has been a major part in the destruction of our mustangs – and the damage caused by cattle is proven to be much worse. I urge you to reconsider your stance and realize that your voice speaks not only for your town, but the rest of this country, who will only benefit from the creation of such sanctuary.
The establishment of a preserve is a duty, an obligation, after all the havoc that was inflicted in past years, and the illegal and highly questionable removals of protected horses must stop. Be part of a solution, an inspiration – as the mustangs are our national heritage, victimized and scapegoated by propaganda for too long.
It’s time for a change.
LikeLike
Monika, Bravo!
LikeLike
Right on!
LikeLike
Well said, Courtney! It could also be added that, as Craig Downer states, “Wild Horses are the healers of the range”.
LikeLike
I’m sorry, I meant to say Monika. I do know a Courtney
LikeLike
Morgan, in addition to the world being flat in Elko, the sun also revolves around the Earth. I think stupid has just sunk to a new level in Elko.
LikeLike
I’m revisiting information that may be familiar to many, but new to others – the 2009 proposal by the Winecup Gamble Ranch (NE Elko County) for a Wild Horse Sanctuary. I believe the Pickens were considering buying W/G at one time. Yes, it would have been non-reproducing LTH at taxpayer’s expense, but LTH in the West, not the Midwest/East (which is mentioned several times). I sure wish I had $50 million in my cookie jar!
One of the last great Western Ranches – such a beautiful place with so much potential:
http://hallhall.com/ranches-for-sale/property-detail.php?id=451&stid=28
“Slice it and dice it” – a MUCH darker vision:
http://www.privatelandauctions.com/books/winecup/winecup.asp
A Post with LOTS of links:
http://www.aowha.org/war/winecup_gamble0901.html
Minutes of the October 2009 Meeting with the Elko Board of Commissioners, including a very comprehensive presentation by W/G. Note how afraid the EBC is of R.O.A.M:
Click to access OCT0809.pdf
Letter of Opposition from the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioner to Sec. Salazar, including a comment about Madeleine Pickens:
Click to access 3_secretary_salazar.pdf
Article about the 2009 meeting between W/G and the Elko County Commission:
http://elkodaily.com/news/local/article_7bd55c9b-c9b0-5661-9510-6b729f085866.html
BTW, the W/G folks felt Elko officials treated them “shabbily”. Sound familiar?
My conclusion is the “powers that be” in Elko County are typical “control freaks”. So afraid of change they can’t see the “changes” about to run them over and wipe out the very things they seem to be fighting so hard to preserve.
LikeLike
This is so stupid, it’s hardly worth commenting on! Why do they, or, should they, care what she does with HER OWN LAND/RANCH!!?? Oh, I “get it”, they’re afraid if she bought a large ranch to convert into a wild horse sanctuary, then more will follow! Poor cattle ranchers! Maybe, someday, THEY will be pushed out of their homes, just like the wild horses! Just think, if ALL the wild horse lovers got together & bought all the available cattle ranches, the possibilities are endless! And, revenge is sweet. Even if the BLM won’t “give” the wild horses up, what’s to stop mass adoption, & transfer to the safe, privately owned sanctuaries? It may not be as good as being truly free, but it beats the hell out of living the way those poor wild horses are living now!! I just wish the BLM would stop the roundups, &, stop “fixing” all the captive horses, so that they won’t die out & fade away into our memories!
LikeLike
Dont let people like Ray , divert us from the Real Issue here, I dont even like acknowledging him, but the proven fact is Horses do not strip the land of foliage they only graze the tops, cattle strip and destroy the land of its foliage , they eat roots and all ,most of the cattle devastating Americas foliage are sold on the foreign market , I say send them all over there ! oh one more thing I did not see one Wild Mustang that came out of the Mountains Starving , so more lies…………………… The sooner some people learn that some things are not to hold a price tag !!! Some things are here because they are LOVED………………………….and needed
LikeLike
This may be off-topic, but don’t forget sheep and goats. This a BLM request for a census and locations. Evidently MORE information they don’t have, at least as of 2009.
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/regulations/Instruction_Memos_and_Bulletins/national_instruction/2010/IM_2010-011.print.html
Under #3: The BLM must already permit sheep and goat grazing and movement for FREE to control “noxious/invasive weeds”, “fuels treatments”, and “subsistance use” (What does THAT mean?). Are sheep and goats contributing to range degradation or is what damage they do considered a trade-off?
There are studies being done about turning cattle out on the allotments earlier for “fuels treatments”. Will that also be free?
This is from “Return to Freedom”. Apparently mustangs were part of controlling wildfire fuels on these lands before they were sprayed (with WHAT?).
“The Oklahoma Land and Timber Company has, with very little warning, terminated the grazing leases on Blackjack Mountain. They have just sent a final notice demanding that the mustangs be removed by March 31st 2008 and then it will be handed over to the local Sheriff’s department who will take the horses to auction.
“Prior to the company canceling the grazing lease, they, along with other timber companies, had already began spraying some 200,000 acres the horses shared with cattle and other wildlife. The chemicals are being sprayed to eradicate the vegetation used by grazing animals and wildlife, thereby eliminating the need for these animals for fire control.”
I remember Roxy had some good info on wild horses controlling cheatgrass and, by extension, wildfires.
Good grief, this is such a mess!
LikeLike
Speaking of Mother Nature – We have not talked about the “advantages” that wild horses bring to the range in a while.
I’ll start a list – anyone add to it:
First they ROAM – light grazers, unlike cattle – heavy grazers.
Soil enchancement – Their delicate hooves gently ’till’ as they go – they are light tramplers, unlike cattle are heavy tramplers.
Perenial growth of native plants – They do not digest seeds – they pass seeds through their digestive tract and plant them with manure in one action thus advancing native perennials, where as it is necessary to control/manage/rotate (or eliminate?) cattle as they destroy native perenials.
Water supplies – They are able to hoof through frozen water supplies in winter for other wildlife’s benefit. They are able to manage survival in arid summer conditions often digging their own water supplies.
Fire Protection – Between grazing in spring and summer where they ‘manicure’ the landscape as they seed it and late fall through early spring when they eat the dead brush they perform fire protection.
This a subject near and dear to me as retired from fire protection and sorry for length but need to convey whole picture and this is actually a “tiny” representation:
Wild Fires, cheatgrass and wild horses – BLM and FS have both experimented with goats to do what the wild horses already do. To expand on this – why are we having such huge high BTU wild fires? Given this is complex there is no single easy answer – but there is one easily understood answer and very iimportant issue – Cheatgrass – non-native, noxious and highly invasive thriving in disturbed areas, short early green life in late winter and a high BTU content when dead beginning in late spring.
Since everything I do eventually comes back around to tax dollars – should some of the cost of fighting wildfires (HUGE $) be attributed to cattle and mining/energy pushing out wild horses?
Google Cheatgrass, cheatgrass & wildfire, and cheatgrass, wildfire & wild horses. I hope you can all spend a little time on this subject .
This is from the Fire Service data base –
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/graminoid/brotec/all.html
go to the sections Fire Ecology and Fire Effects and just scan if you want – you will get the drift of this issue easily. I’m picking just these few excerpts:
“…Once a site is dominated by cheatgrass, the risk of wildfire increases and the possibility of succession to perennial grasses or shrubs by natural regeneration greatly decreases. …Cheatgrass dominance may be avoided on sites that have sufficient cover of native perennials, proper management of livestock… Abundant, continuous cover of cheatgrass can lead to rapid spread of wildfires …the fires are very difficult to suppress… are more flammable than those dominated by native forbs… Cheatgrass provides a flammable link between open grasslands and forests…Grazing cheatgrass in winter can reduce cheatgrass herbage and seeds while protecting the dormant perennial grasses…”
This is especially important since cattle graze only a few months from early to mid spring to early fall – I have capitalized some key words in thes excerpts –
“IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:
… cheatgrass can tolerate repeated grazing, heavy trampling, and manuring. As long as it has TIME TO SET SEED, it is likely to persist on grazed rangelands… HEAVY SPRING grazing of cheatgrass both ENCHANCES its presence by WEAKENING native cool-season perennial grasses, and SUPRESSES its abundance by reducing seed production. ONCE IT IS PRESENT ON a site, removal of livestock INCREASES cheatgrass seed production and thus encourages its DONIMANCE…In years with average to above average precipitation, cheatgrass may provide more forage than is available on uninvaded range, especially in arid habitats (e.g. shadscale salt-desert community types). In these warm, dry regions, cheatgrass can provide important WINTER range …”
The last sentence is the one most applicable to most wild horse territory where cheatgrass is green in winter, rather than mid to late spring when cattle are introduced after cheatgrass seeding. And they fail to mention that wild horses, among other wildlife, are THE winter grazers on Public Lands – the YEAR ROUND grazers – however CATTLE ARE REMOVED from Public Lands in fall thus increasing seed production – and then they hit the land with heavy grazing all at once in spring. I am disturbed that wild horses are not specifically mentioned in this data base – but the information can be gleened to apply to wild horses as both grazers and wildlife, even the livestock sections provide important comparisons for good (that horses provide) and bad (where horses are removed and/or cattle rotated to grazing only the spring summer part of the year).
And this is horrific from IMPACTS ON WILDLIFE section –
“…continuing increase in cheatgrass is attributed to GRAZING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS that favor cheatgrass establishment [BLM summer/winter rotation on Public Lands.rh] and to the increasing role of wildfire. Some of the native plant and animal species in ecosystems that are now prone to widespread wildfires due to the presence of cheatgrass are at considerable risk of going EXTINCT…in the relatively arid lands between the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains…”
LikeLike
He did correctly provide the percentage of ALL beef in the USA exported – but according ot the USDA Public Land grazed beef, considered better to foreign countries, is mostly exported.
LikeLike
“He” being Ray – somehow my response to Mother Nature below eneded up under the wrong post above – oh well – must be the computer – not the user!
LikeLike
And Mother Nature Handles the BALANCE if if left alone to do so, she doesnt cost a penny…………………………………
LikeLike
Roxy Thank You !!! WOW !!!!! What you wrote above is sensational, may I use it I email the President daily , This is great info for him…………..to know… Maybe after all this time writing to him about our mustangs will get a response this time !! ?????
LikeLike
Sure, use it – everything in quotes is from a govenrment fire service web site – unfettered by junk science and BLM influence.
I did take license to copy the portions that were most applicable to most current wild horse habitats – the info about cheatgrass changes with varied localities that changes the informaiotion due to percipitation, weather patterns, etc.
LikeLike
Thanks Roxy !! Went to that site and i am going to send it to the President !!!!
LikeLike
What year is the article from?
LikeLike