Eye Witness Report by Grandma Gregg as printed in the PPJ Gazette
“…most of the immediate problem is caused by cattle and sheep overgrazing“
Sheep on HMA
The Bureau of Land Management is claiming an emergency drought and plans to capture 12 horses near the Summit Springs on the Surprise Valley High Rock Complex – 615,946 acres of federally protected herd management area (HMA) in N.W. Nevada.
ONE standard size water truck could supply these 12 horses with enough water for 21 days. They could remain in their home range “where found” as Congressional law requires. A horse drinks about 15 gallons of water a day so for the 12 horses near the Summit Springs area of the BLM Surprise Valley that would equal only about 1,260 gal. per week. BLM states they are taking three water truck loads a week to the area (see link) so obviously it is livestock and wildlife that are drinking the other 10,740 gallons each week and the horses get the blame … as usual. Does something smell fishy to you?
As it happens, in this same area there are two large livestock grazing permits one of which is authorized to graze 1,340 cattle this time of year. Have the livestock been removed to protect the range and the dwindling water supply? Another example is the Bright Holland Corporation who controls very large water rights in this same Surprise Valley area – the company’s president is the Nevada water baron Sam Jaksick who is also tightly connected to Sempra energy – Sempra is reported to be the largest global energy company next to BP. So who DOES own and control our water on our public land?
I’ll admit the area is dry this year but I also know (and BLM would never admit this because it would cause too much pressure from the large ranching corporations) that most of the immediate problem is caused by cattle and sheep overgrazing. I have witnessed and documented this. Two weeks ago and very near to this same Surprise Valley area – about 500 sheep were standing in an area that had been a lake but is now only a dry barren shallow pit stripped of all forage (see photos taken 6/30/12 Pilgrim Lake, Twin Peaks HMA, CA-NV boarder) and in another nearby dry riparian area there was no sign of any wild horse manure but there were cow patties every six feet within the lake bed … and that is no exaggeration.
Our wild horses have been adversely affected by BLM Mismanagement of our public land. Last winter’s big wild horse capture in this area displaced the few horses that were released and those that had been forced to run from the helicopter and hide. Now BLM is stating that they will be trapping 12 wild horses and moving them. This will disrupt their family bands and cause extreme stress and some may be injured and die from this unnecessary plan. And this is becoming a trend; just this week BLM has announced a very similar scenario for other wild horses in the west.
I say leave them alone on their legal land, remove all livestock from these areas and spend a few dollars taking them out some water for the next few months – after all this is their water and their land and our water and our land. The BLM made $112 billion from our public lands in 2010 … and they are saying that they can’t even take a water truck out to the legal horses every three weeks? Not likely! – Does that seem right? – Hogwash!
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http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ca/pdf/caso/WHB.Par.75362.File.dat/tuledad.pdf
Click (HERE) to visit the PPJ Gazette and to Comment
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Categories: Horse News, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I’ve been upset (and have complained to my Representatives) that the cattle are permitted on our public lands while our wild ones are paying a terrible price…how is it that the BLM can get away with breaking the law???
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This makes one “ill!!” I will phone/e-mail, my State Senators, again!!! The rights of all animals and humans, are being compromised!!
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Are you aware of the DeSaroya Mounains, horse removal?BLM plans to gather 450-525 wild horses!!Contact Teresa Knutson, Field Manager, Stillwater Field Office, Carson City, Nevada. Contact: John Axtell, at 775-885-6146.
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The BLM has been Unlawfully compromising ALL the rules,laws and also their own rules ,any agency that does this has compromised themselves and America , need to be dismantled and replaced tried in a COURT of LAW….They are and have been Government Criminals !!!!! You can call ,fax, demand ,proven fact it will do nothing !!!!! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?????? SIT around bitterly complaining, while they continue till there isnt one MUSTANG left???????? The Mustangs silent def-inning cries can be heard all over the US………… Do we have a Hail Mary ???? we better use it now !!!!!
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Arlene: You are “so right.!!!!
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https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/s3374/report#nation
sign to support this bill by Neb,,rep bill nelson to stop welfare ranching
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when you sign, it goes to your representatives in congress
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Will do & pass along..
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TO MY UNDERSTANDING THE BLM IS TO MANAGE THE HORSES ON PUBLIC LAND SO WHERE DID THEY OBTAIN THE RIGHT TO LEASE, SELL, AND EVERYTHING ELSE THEY ARE DOING? IF IT WAS LOOKED INTO WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FILE A LAWSUIT ON THESE GROUNDS. CHECK SALAZAR’S PAST BEFORE HE BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE BLM/DOI AND YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED WHAT YOU FIND.
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Worth a try thats for sure……………………….
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WHAT CAN WE DO??????????????. Give us fliers, with phone numbers, so we can call, give us Addresses, where we can write, The BLM HAS to stop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, they are the NAZIS of America., The Court, the Judge’s, they HAVE to listen to us, We are the PEOPLE of AMERICA. The Wild Horses, they belong to us, they are part of our History. This STEALING and KILLING may not go on,…While I am writing this, Horses are beeing SLAUGHTERED .Beautiful Healthy Horses, who were living with their Families, on the land given to them!!!. The BLM, with their exuse, of “Drought”. How come, there is no Drought for their cattle???????????????. Give us Fliers, we can give around, to Stables,— Pet stores,— Vet’s===Waiting Rooms- hang them up in Laundry Rooms=== Super Markets,, and so on. The Public HAS to know, what is going on, with their Wild Horses. There has to be an “OUTCRY”, of all the people. And they wiil, once they know.
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Good point about the Desatoya HMA, Jane!
Do the WH&B have the legal right “primarily” or “comparatively” on their HMA/HA land? Essentially the HMA is supposed to be designated “principally” to their welfare and the FLMPA say they will be provided resources “comparatively” with other resource users.
“Principally” is in the WH&B Act
“Comparatively” is in the FLMPA
An excellent but sickening example of the BLM’s “lack of understanding” (to put it politely) of the words “principally” and “comparatively” is their allocation of forage on the Desatoya HMA which will soon be gathered by helicopter with a follow up of ten years of wild horse bait trapping behind closed doors. The Smith Creek Ranch (owned by Hendrix et al) has 10,541 active AUMs on two grazing allotment permits – Porter Canyon which is 603 cattle year round and Edwards Creek which is 275 cattle year round.
This would equal 878 AML (livestock population so to speak), yet the wild horses who legally have the principal/comparative right to the land will only be allowed to have a population of 127-180 AML, thus 1524-2160 AUMs giving the rancher about FIVE times the forage usage that the wild horses have a legal right to graze “Principally/Comparatively”.
And isn’t it “funny” that in the Smith Creek Ranch promotional information for the ranch they say they have 250,000 acres (those are OUR acres – not theirs!) and about 800 head of cattle BUT in truth they own only about 2,800 acres which would only run about a dozen or so head of livestock year round … so this ranch truthfully lives off you and me … and again the wild horses get the blame for the forage and water usage.
(allotment data from BLM – and there may be more than just these two that I found)
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Totally despicable and Horrible, and so totally wrong !!!!!Our Mustangs are getting the SHAFT , now the question is ????? what are we going to do about it ?????? I am so totally sick over this I could BARF, but it wouldnt help….discussions are great but what are we going to do, the MUSTANGS need action…………………………………………………
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law~WHAT law? our laws aren’t worth a plugged nickel where our American Mustangs are concerned.
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No wonder BLM doesn’t want ‘grazing’ included in the range study!
It’s disturbing – that photo – to see SO many animals out there so late in the year, wallowing in the remnants of a lake bed when other wildlife is dependent on that same source, but probably won’t use it (and now, CAN’T) because there are so many sheep. And if the inevitable were to happen – cougars or coyotes, doin’ what they do – what do you suppose happens to them?
Public lands grazing has so many far-reaching consequences, and has had for so many years; it is the perfect demonstration of ‘unsustainable’. The rules and protocols of The Grazing Act are archaeic and outdated – and should be redefined or at least, looked at on a seasonal basis rather than every decade or so.
Allotment data is inconsistent and hard to find, which is odd, isn’t it, for documents that directly relate to how Public Lands are managed?
Well done, GG!
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THANK YOU, Grandma Gregg! The hours of work that you put into research are truly a Labor of Love.
We need to be asking WHERE those Horses are to be relocated and WHEN will they be returned to their Legal Herd Management Area?
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Great article – Grandma Gregg – thanks for all the research and the time spent.
Its absolutely indecent what the BLM has done & continues to do. Also a shame
that Ben Nelson didnt come forth earlier in his term to attempt to do something about the
welfare grazing.
All across the country its so dry – if something isnt done soon the lack of water
is going to be our biggest problem. (altho according to our magnificent politicians
theres no such thing as global warming, right?)
It breaks my heart to hear about & watch these g.d. roundups & think of these horses
& burros just torn away from their homes & families – never to go back.
Theres GOT to be a way to stop this.
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Even when Horses are relocated to another part of the Herd Management Area, there is still cause for concern.
Comment from another blog:
“….what if the wild horses were removed to another part of the HMA, then migrated OFF THAT portion of the HMA onto non-HMA land…you know what happens then…off to slaughter.”
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Just another excuse to get rid of them, huh?
As always.
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Thanks for you great research, Grandma Gregg!!!
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Thanks for all the work. Now who can we write and what fax number can we overload? We also have to call the WH to request a moratorium to be placed on all the roundups including Desatoya HMA.
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Seeing all the sheep on public land is regrettable, as the poor things will only be slaughtered. But they are taking precious resources and cannot be herded out there by welfare ranchers.
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Surprise Field Office:
Surprise Field Office
602 Cressler Street
Cedarville, CA 96104
Phone: (530) 279-6101
Fax: (530) 279-2171
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klep·toc·ra·cy
[klep-tok-ruh-see] Show IPA
noun, plural klep·toc·ra·cies.
a government or state in which those in power exploit national resources and steal; rule by a thief or thieves.
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Dear Lisa, Yes , that sums it up for sure !!!!!
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Great word – applies to a LOT of organizations and governments.
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That’s exposing these ne’er do wells, Kathy! It is so outrageous how in cahoots with ranchers and other exploiters of the public lands these wonderful healers and returned natives are being set up and victimized. This must simply stop NOW!!! Get the livestock off the wild horses’ land! Learn to share freedom, people! This is living!
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