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BLM Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board Member Endorses Horse Slaughter during Public Session

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story by R.T. Fitch ~ volunteer president of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Amid “Slaughtergate” Allegations BLM Appointee Gives Thumbs Up to Horse Slaughter

Pro-Horse Slaughter BLM Board Member Jim Stephenson buried behind listing of 113,526 signatures calling for an investigation in BLM’s sale of wild horses to slaughter ~ photo by R.T. Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Salt Lake (SFTHH) – During a tense first day of the BLM’s Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board meeting, being held in Salt Lake City UT, board member Jim Stephenson shocked the attendees by closing the session with the final comment that he believes that the answer to appropriate management of federally protected wild horses and burros is the “slaughter market“.

Reeling from questions and comments circulating around the credible allegations that kill buyer Tom Davis purchased over 1,700 wild horses from the BLM which were then sold to slaughter in Mexico the Stephenson statement could not have come at a more inopportune time for the BLM and it’s advisory board.

The first day of meeting was spent in an obvious attempt by the board and the BLM to build an illusion of transparency and cooperation between the beleaguered agency and the public was deftly dashed and destroyed when Stephenson made the comment and further punctuated the delivery with clarity of malicious intent by hollering to the audience, “and my name is Jim Stephenson!” Pro-horse slaughter board member Callie Hendrickson remained silent during the Stephenson commentary.

Just several hours prior wild horse advocacy groups the Cloud Foundation, Respect4Horses and Wild Horse Freedom Federation held a well attended media event, in an adjacent meeting room, decrying the BLM’s reckless helicopter stampedes and demanding an external investigation into what is rapidly being referred to as the BLM “Slaughtergate.”

Likewise, minutes prior to the Stephenson outburst WHFF president R.T. Fitch read a letter from 11 year old Robin Warren, during the public comment period, who initiated a petition calling for an investigation into the Davis scandal and WHFF co-founder Terry Fitch and Cloud Foundation director Ginger Kathrens hand carried and dramatically piled on the desk before Stephenson the 800 page, printed signatures of 113,526 American citizens who have, to date, signed the Warren petition.

After the conclusion of the meeting the general public mingled with the board members and attempted to gain clarity on the official stance of the varied members while Stephenson was engaged by attending “cattle” special interest representatives who were obviously pleased by his outburst and were not shy in publicly slapping him on his back and shaking his hand.

Day two of the meeting commences at 0800 hrs Mountain Time and can be witnessed live by clicking (HERE)

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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs

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89 replies »

  1. R.T. , as the BLM stated in the last Live Stream meeting I watched that the LTH and adoption are not working , well, they knew this all along…..Of course, thousands of Mustangs rounded up , it does not take a rocket scientist to know that they are not going to find someone to adopt each and every Mustang, they knew this, just as they knew when Tom Davis was buying Mustangs @ $10 a head that there was no way he could find adopters for them..Sally (forgot last name) stated she has no reason to question Tom Davis’s activity while purchasing these 1700 Mustangs, REALLY, she knew darn well what he was going to do with these beauties, they all knew and it insults ME that they think we are so stupid…Oh but then again, they I am sure knew that we would know what TD was doing with them, it is just that they are allowed to get away with Murder and their lies as usual….This is the road they walk and the lies they always talk. Shame on all of them and I will say it again, I do not believe that all BLM are deceitful but the ones that are, are really disgusting and shameful and should not hold any job that involves our horses…..”It is A ROUND WORLD”

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  2. I am a firm believer in Karma. What goes around, comes around. These horrible people, who are responsible for the extermination of our federally protected wild horses will get theirs. It is so important for us to try to help as many of our captive horses in to good – permanent adoptive homes. Until the day when they can be returned to the wild, we must continue to fight for them and help them have healthy productive lives. My heart breaks every day when I think of these beautiful horses in the hands of murderers.

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  3. We need to vote to get the hell rid of you ruthless uncaring cannibals who don’t give a rats ass about the the welfare, safety and lives that are deserved by these horses. round em up and can em and then onto another nice fat paycheck the citizens of the USA make sure you get to have a good safe and happy life. You people of the BLM don’t do your job. YOU just clean up the population of horses that hav the right to roam our lands, and kill em off. You people are a shame to our world. Your group is mercifullless and cruel in your lack of care and compassion for life. Life the horses have the right to live their lives on the lands that are theirs. People are the most dangerous creature on this earth. And the BLM continue to be strong in getting their ways of killing due to the lack of laws. If we don’t get laws that THEY have to obide with, they will forever and ever continue to do what they choose to do. And what they choose to do is the easy way to gather and kill and RiD of these wonderful horses. I am ashamed of our Government who pays them well. They turn their ears and eyes on the desperate importance of making laws to finally once and for all…Protect these dear innocent beautiful creatures. Our United States is a greedy money making uncaring Country. They have no worth of the animals or of each other.

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  4. Forget trying to influence the BLM.. They have circled their vested interest wagons, denied the dangers, and ignored the solutions. Will be interesting to see why these Bastards lie their way out of this.

    The American people are sick and tired of a few abusively vocal, special interest driven politicians attempting to shove their distorted and whacked agendas up our collective behinds without even the courtesy of asking us to bend over, enough is enough.

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  6. When soldiers of the SS and Ustasa shipped people in crowded cattle cars for death my shooting or nerve gas it was listed as a crime against humanity. To ship horses under worse conditions to a death that they are stunned or only paralyzed from the neck back so their heart and lungs are still working to better bleed out when they are hung by their back leg and have their throat cut prior to disemboweling

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  7. This guy certainly has put his foot & entire leg in his mouth. Possibly this outright statement will force something to be done – as well as enlighten many more people to the inhumane brutal end these horses have. These so called WH&B “advisors” should be ridden out on a rail & THAT is a mild end compared to the one many of our horses get.

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  8. The BLM has a historical record. Although they say they realize what they’ve been doing in the past hasn’t worked and they want to try new ideas…what new ideas have they come up with? Offering grant money to folks for eco-sanctuaries? More dangerous drugs to stop conception for longer periods of time? Will they even consider getting rid of the cows? NO! Will they even consider releasing thousands of captive horses back to the wild? NO!

    In other words their historical record of accomplishment is dubious at best. Their lies become more intricate and they get caught in them more and more because they’ve forgotten the truth.

    We as the voice for the horses and burros have to take the matter to a higher court…NO…I do not mean Washington D.C….I mean the PEOPLE. WE THE PEOPLE are the only ones who can get this maniacal government agency looking out only for their own jobs under control.

    The current Wild Horse and Burro Program has to be disbanded, the current hierarchy replaced with qualified personnel chosen to reorganize it, make new contracts with contractors, get Congress to re-address the WFRHBA to assure the welfare of the horses is first and foremost…not the pocketbooks of the ranchers, oil and gas, mineral miners, congressmen and other Washington potentates.

    I’m so mad I hope this makes sense…I’m about ready to be civilly disobedient!

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  9. This was the 1st Advisory Board Meeting I’ve seen where the cast of characters had a semblance of professionalism. Meaning, not obviously gross, rotten apples, from the start. But this all unravelled at the end. Their sham fell apart. The evil oozed out. I felt Timothy Harvey, the new guy, the “Humane Advocate,” gave a few tries for the horses’ welfare. But for sure, anyone truly for the horses’ welfare will NOT last on the Board. At the end, the young man (dark hair) w/computer gave info about eco-sanctuaries: private, public lands, etc. He was sweating under the collar, as he was attacked by the Board for even suggesting that land be taken away from the cattle for an eco-sanctuary!! And the Humane Advocate DiD say land should NOT be taken away from a existing herd for a sanctuary. You know, common sense!! Bottom line, they need to get rid of the horses in holding (as they con’t to round-up 1,000’s!). And of course, the goal is to get rid of all the wild horses. It appears we need to advocate for a CONGRESSIONAL HEARING! For this immoral, brutal, corrupt, against the law, merry-go-round with the BLM continues, year after year. The BLM has reached the max, the apex now, with blatant wild horse slaughter. They have laid all their (bloody) cards on the table. I would think this is positive, something to really work with.

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  10. Yes, it may come to that, Steve. As we had heard this past year the new way to discuss wild horses is to never mention the cattle. The allotments got talk; for and against retiring or using for wild horses. Stevenson had not mentioned the horses at all until the last moment. The list of volunteer needs Paul Durbin had for wildlife made me wonder if all of these projects they want help with are on HMAs? Big horn sheep, elk, trophy mule deer. Again we had a rancher from the West Douglas region saying horses looked bad. They looked good to me in 2010 when another rancher lied and they looked good this year according to eyewitness advocates and photographers and a judge!

    BLM is also trying to do science now. But the 71 Act says Independent science. Like it or not, we Must get scientists and doctoral candidates out there doing studies. Why should we accept what Dr. Jeff Manning tells us? Will his research become altered like other work in the past? He was the most interesting speaker. Maybe he likes what he does but will his findings find us or make a difference? Conflict of interest demands Independent Research. This is how to save range and wild ones on it. Science which has been ignored and made a mockery of. We need a base of real research. Even the frequency of roundups effects on the family bands has not been studied in the wild as it should be! Nothing has been so the choices are wide open.

    The Prison Programs got a lot of backup also. Just when we want to question their use. June Sewing has been involved with the set up of prison programs. But are they a real success when horses are dying and also being shipped to undisclosed destinations?

    BLM is not going to save the wild ones we have left. They are going to continue to remove healthy horses and then return back horses that have been tampered with using powerful drugs. We are not building a large enough platform for our wild ones. For all the talk about eco-sanctuaries I have to ask; What is the BLM definition??? Then I will know what Tim Harvey and Zech Reichold were talking about. With out an exact definition I have no idea what these people are debating among themselves. Vet. Boyd Spratling was keen on this also. Madeleine’s contract was mentioned and the 3 HMAs that could be zeroed out was brought up by Tim Harvey who seemed to be happy to say good things needed to be done. And the question remained; will it be private, public and private or public lands where our last wild horses will reside? We all need to know. Do we do the choosing ourselves? If so, we better get on the ball. Science is calling and it will speak like money when we have some research to use and express our goals with!!!!

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  11. So they want to field spay the mares. Have they even considered how sanitary it is to do operations on the ground. So I’m betting that they don’t care if the mares get infections, one less to worry about. We can not let this happen. They should remove all cattle before they do anything so drastic as to field spay mares and field geld geldings. Its just wrong!

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    • Spaying????Just another way to spread the evil wealth among their rotten henchmen when they don’t have any more wild equines TO ROUNDUP…..

      They have to find another “Program” to keep themselves and their murderous lackeys “funded” with government…err….taxpayer cash.

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    • One vet tried this by going thru the rectum and crushing the ovaries with his hand. He had a some 10% death rate.

      And SpayVac and Gonacon ARE permanent. BLM doesn’t need to waste money on another study cause they use that stuff on the Maryland side of Assateague. They should just accept facts. But oh no. That’s the definition of REALLY STOOPID (or was it insane?). Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

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    • The vet, Spratling is all for this. To be done by laparoscopy. A small incision with a small lighted tube inserted with the vet able to look in and do the removal of the ovaries. Usually this is done with the horse standing, with a local anesthetic block at the site…the vagina, abdomen, flank. The mare can be also slightly sedated. Takes about 1 hour. The mare will be watched for 24-48 hours and released. No more follow-up watching the mare. Can you imagine the chaos? Other horses. Capturing the WILD mare?! What about complications. This is in the FIELD NOT in a vet hospital. Then, the BLM will add the PZP, controversial Spay Vac as “trial” experiments on other mares. The laparoscopy spaying is to be done due to an *emergency **overpopulation. BTW, when the Board talked of this, there was some “restlessness” in the audience. The Board had to tell them to quiet down.

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      • There’s also a recovery period. Does the BLM intend to hold and monitor the mares for complications? If there are complications, will they treat them or put them down?

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  13. This is the same jerk off who started in about lawsuits. He needs to shut his pie hole! I get that working together tends to make things run a bit smoother BUT this agency is bent on needlessly hitting animals, I proper trap setups etc. and they won’t listen. What else are we to do?

    Pie hole Stephenson shut up!

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  14. Today we have more ‘drought evidence’ in a few photos and more testimonials for sage grouse and we are being told they come before the horses even on the horses’ range like everything else. No mention of developing water sources or removing fences for horses… just damning pictures and talk of ‘endangered species’ over wild horses and burros. “Of course we have far fewer burros” says Guilfoyle! Yeah, like next to none and BLM is preparing to finish them off first.

    We want to save horses and manage on the range and I think BLM is going to have to stop this full scale downgrading of the Wild and Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act! Where we can save and protect and study and manage wild horses we must circumvent BLM authority and presence. What have we got to offer? Will we step up to the plate and show we can do better? That is the point of all this, isn’t it??!!!

    Again BLM used the sympathy for the horses in a harsh world; starving and thirsty… as if they will save the WiLd Horses from nature’s wrath! Nature is what we are all subject to; life and death. Wild horses need not be rescued from this myopic and deliberately anthropomorphic and dramatically sympathetic, non science based removal excuse- for their own good nonsense. Horses and all other wild life die of many natural causes In the WILD! Not in Long Term Holding or slaughter. And we are reminded that the Act does make provision for what to do with over populated and removed wild horses?? Euthanasia. So all of this has shown that little has changed and talk is just that.

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  15. That son of a b. So now it’s out in the open plain and simple. Is this what the Government wants. Why hasn’t anyone approached Obama on his campaign trail and asked him what he thinks about all of this; including the Anti Horse Slaughter Bill. He hasn’t been anywhere near where I am; but surely one of our people live somewhere near where he is speaking.

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    • The ones here in the Denver area are buy invitation only ~ you can’t get in ~ he doesn’t want questions that are not good for his campaign to be asked. Only supporters are invited. That simple.

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      • What about asking Romney? Do you believe that he doesn’t want to hear about it either? It just seems so absurd that this is such a big deal for us and no one has asked the candidates what position they take on the issue.

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  16. They showed pictures of the scorched earth of Twin Peaks, post-wildfire, but no pictures of the horses or burros themselves. There are folks who live up there, who visit and view the area on a regular basis, who DO have pictures of these horses and burros – big, muscular healthy animals, even given the lateness of the year and a forage deficit from a dry winter last year.

    Like the man said – it’s the Land, not the animals – the Bureau is there to manage. Twin Peaks was a bad example to illustrate – and not one picture of a horse or burro ‘suffering’. Other pictures of Nevada HMAs did show dried-up water sources and degraded landscapes, but, again, where are the pictures of the animals? And are those dried up and burned areas bad enough to keep livestock off of? No.

    It’s all about the spin – how best to show the crappiest environments possible, then cry about wild horse and burro health and safety, while churning out the best methods for physical and chemical alterations that will render these animals Null and Void. But before all these methods of sterility are rendered carved-in-stone policy, we need an independent and verifiable REAL census of how many wild horses and burros are ACTUALLY out there – not some lame-ass ‘estimates’ based on biology that can’t possibly be sustained by these animals.

    Slaughter as a management tool? What kind of psychotic mind-set can go THERE??

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  17. Stephenson is the one to watch. He is the Director of Yakama Nation Wildlife, Range Vegetation Mgmt Program and sits in the BLM Natural Resources cHair which traditionally handles the why’s and wherefores on the presence of the horses and burros on the land.

    The Yakima tribe is also home to one of the founding members of the original United Organization of the Horse.

    Stephenson has been drooling over slaughter of the horses for a while. He is a so-called “big game bilogist and wild horse project leader” for the Yakima tribe.

    His term expires March 2014. In view of his lack of professionalism and obvious desire to gain the support of people willing to go against the will of the people – we should petition he be dismissed.

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    • Along with Hendrickson who is ‘concerned over the Holding budget and who said ‘we will have to sell horses’. This has now been breached. Sell enough horses to reduce holding costs? She is talking in the thousands or even tens of thousands.

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    • I think the Yakima were one of the tribes with “horse problems” (including the Navajo) who contacted the BIA for assistance several years ago. The BIA, BLM, USFS, and HSUS responded were willing, but for some reason the tribes either turned them down or ignored an offer they themselves had solicited. I think some objected to HSUS involvement and some saw it as a potential threat to tribal sovereignty. Maybe they were holding off for slaughter inspections to be funded. Whatever the reason, the populations continue to increase.

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  18. Who decided that Sage Grouse should be the indicator species. The Sierra Club? The Sierra Club is not what we think it is. It is being funding through George Soros affiliated groups, and their goal is not to save the environment, but to empty the West of people so the government and the government’sselected corrupocracy can completely control our land and water. They can control what we eat, how it is grown, how much we eat, where we can live. There is a reason these public lands are being shut down, and it isn’t to benefit the tax payer and the human beings that want to use them.

    Silly, silly ranchers. Such fools these men are. Once the wild horses and burro herds go, they will be next. The government corruptocracy doesn’t want these little ranchers in the way of their profits from running the public lands the way they want to.

    These silly ranchers, they think they are such big stuff with their silver belt buckles, cowboy hats, and their connections with the BLM. They will be crying the loudest and the saddest of all when the government seizes their lands and sends them to live in the cities with stacked houses. Imagine these cowboys trading their horses for bicycles.

    If they had been smart, they would have begged the BLM to leave our horses on the land. They would show how having horses on the land heals the soil, and they would talk about how the horses help rest the soil be eating what the cows don’t eat. That is what most people learn when they take a class in pasture management.

    But these arrogant fools are trying to get rid of the one species beloved by the American people from East to West to make us all unite to save them. We don’t care about cattle. We can grow five times the number of cattle that these ranchers can grow on a fraction of the land, the land that the cattle sometimes share with horses.

    But take the horses away. Worse, yet, tell the BLM to remove and slaughter our wild horses, and we dance across your unirrigated fields and we will not cry when the government turns off the water to feed the springs and the cattle that you think you own die of thirst or else the government seizes them from you to sell for their own profit.

    What fools these mortals be! They cannot see that these wild horses on these lands are the way that we know we are still free. The day that the last wild horse and burros disappear from the land will be the last day of freedom for all us, and it is coming.

    Arrogant, unaware scheming cowboys, take your blinders off.

    Oh, by the way, the government wants our wild horses off the land because they know that as long as our wild horses are on the land, the people will find a way to see them. The fastest way to get people (the general public off the land) is to remove the horses. And the last thing the government wants is for we the people to see what they are doing.

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    • Sage grouse is non-native. Zeroed out HMA’s means no EA necessary to drill/frack/mine every inch of resources on PUBLIC lands leaving toxic waste and poison water in their wake. Corporate ranchers (i.e. Barrick Gold) retain water rights w/ their grazing permits. Kleptocracy.

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    • Such beautiful writing hoofhugs, you almost sound like “black elk” when he gave his amazing speach……..NAMASTE” Peace go with you !!!!

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  19. Excuse me for being dense, here….but I thought they were spending monies on contraception?????

    I’m telling ya’….this is about GETTING MONEY to keep in the wild equine program because they KNOW there aren’t any wild equines left to roundup!!!!!!

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  20. This is not what I signed up for my tax dollars to go. Genocide or culling of horses! How dare the gov. impose our hard working dollars that we already spend on rescue animals. Then have to set aside money for taxes to pay for this crap load gov. dept.

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  21. Sounds like this bloodthirsty man Jim Stephenson acted like an utter slob and pandered to the very worse elements in the room, those so blinded by greed and gut interest that they are oblivious to the wonderful value of wild and free living horses and burros and the amazing positive contribution they make to restoring and healing life on planet Earth.

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  22. A “Callie Moment” … this morning she almost had a vein pop while trying to tell the board that she is worried about the Sage Grouse population. Anyone that truly is worried about the sage grouse population would simply say, “STOP hunting them” … plus we all know that the livestock generally has from 5 to 10 times the forage allocation on the Wild Horse and Burro land than the WH&B and thus are the major tramplers of any nests … so remove the livestock off the HMAs (where many of the remaining SG populations are trying to survive) … and the third worst enemy of the Sage Grouse population is the mega-gallons of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (the major ingredient of Agent Orange) that our government pollutes our public land and water with.

    Now, why on earth would Callie not give us those truths? Because (as anyone who watched the meeting already knows) it is ALL about the money for Callie and the money comes from big hunting organizations and big livestock organizations and big chemical companies. Follow the money.

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  23. Sorry I missed seeing the boogie man come unglued during the last minutes of yesterday’s meeting. Does anyone have the meeting available for the public to watch online? Thanks.

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  25. What I’d like to comment won’t pass the censors. Evil to those who do evil and may they go to hell.
    I will be meeting Congrssman Ed Whitfield this Friday and will ask him about a Congressional investigation. The continual “managing for extinction” and the corruption behind it cannot continue any longer. Our wild horses and burros should already be listed as endangered.

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    • So true. This congress will not put any species on endangered list because it hinders their extraction/frack & destroy agenda. They will try to dissolve the Endangered Species Act & the EPA. These are the “regulations” hindering job growth according to the paid mouthpieces; what they are really saying is “we should be allowed to drill/frack/mine/pipe & pollute whatever and where ever we want”.

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  26. Everything the BLM does is predicated on revenue returned to the treasury. Whomever pays the most gets priority. They lose millions on the WH&B Program. It’s a financial no-brainer.

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    • Yes, everything the BLM does is predicated on revenue returned to the treasury EXCEPT the livestock industry (welfare ranching) which BLM is now and for decades has consistently LOST large amounts of money on.
      As I heard Callie Hendrickson continue to emphasize the importance of money in the WH&B program … I am sure there were others of you who were jumping up and down saying “Hey Callie, What about making THE LIVESTOCK PAY THEIR WAY!” She is a welfare cattle advocate to the utmost so of course would avoid that subject!

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  27. http://prophoto7journal.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/a-short-note-to-wild-horse-herd-advocates/

    Legal Violations cost the taxpayers money

    I speak with my neighbors, they have never heard of some of this stuff. But I will tell you here and now, when they find out they are pissed. Another Advocate has been born.

    James Sebastian, accountant/CPA, generated the following from a perusal of BLM expenditure, precisely the Wild Horse Roundups, holding corrals, and shipping:
    1. $2.6 Billion Dollars BLM Horse Herd Management of Taxpayer Money Spent;
    2. Benefits to Taxpayers while spending taxpayer money = $0;
    3. Benefits to Local Area Ranchers/politicians/oil industry accumulative, pay-offs and continuing profit = $12.4 billion dollars and rising.

    “This is significant,” Mr. Sebastian states, “. . . as this becomes, and has been, a slice of our public debt, and unfortunately hidden from the public at large. Taxpayers should know where their money is going, it should not be hidden. Right now it is hidden in the BLM, with no credibility or attempt to show the tax paying public the real figures and costs of the roundups. This compared to simply leaving the Wild Herds alone, at an approximate cost-field-management amount of perhaps $852,000.00 per year, for grassland management, horse management, and cattle grazing management.” (i.e. Grassland Management Principles) et al.
    Conclusion
    This is not meant as an article as such, rather a short synopsis of a few laws and policy situations for information only. It is up to the individual Advocate to explore the variety of things and options available to everyone. This is also meant to give the Advocate a slight understanding of the legal-speak required when filing a complaint with the FBI or other government agencies. Further research is required before making a complaint. More to come, as Note to WHHA, so this is not the definitive list, simply a short list, version 1.

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    • Thank you for posting that. Numbers don’t lie. 2 + 2 is 4 all day long and people should wake up and read this and weep. DOLLARS we put out to help kill horses is simple truth. None of us seem to have a say because it is goverment ran.

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  28. HIT THE PUBLIC UP WITH- WHAT THIS IS COSTING THEM. Then they might take notice of what is going on. You mention horses and slaughter and I hate to say it, but some heartless people just dont care. I can’t tell you the numerous times I have had to explain why slaughtering a horse to put on your dinner table, is not acceptable here or anywhere!

    You start showing the public the cost and where their taxes are going toward. Then you will get interest .. WASTFUL GOV. SPENDING. THIS EFFECTS EVERYONE!

    Loiu’s comment prior says it all in the breakdown. Money talks rather it be making it or loosing it. The general public will say they dont support ROUND UP’S and they dont support horses being sold off to kill brokers to be shipped off for slaughter. When you start telling them this cost tax payers at the end of day. Then you really have their support and interest.

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  29. It’s time to RALLY & take action against these anti-mustang– pro-slaughter “advisors” on the BLM’s Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board. Have a peaceful protest. Meet with your senators and representative and REQUEST AND INVESTIGATION into the CONFLICT OF INTERESTS on the Board and more: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=2841

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  31. Re Sage Grouse. I went to the Tri-RAC meeting last year and spoke with a biologist specifically about the sage grouse. I was informed that the most serious threat to the habitat and livelihood of this species is the Juniper Pine which is encroaching by coming down the hills into the sagebrush. I was told the work and study is why the trees are expanding their migration and how to retard it. I asked specifically if the wild horses had anything to do with the troubles of this species and the answer was a direct No. Accompaned with a roll of the eyes.

    I would think if BLM is really concerned with the demise of the bird, they might try dealing with the truth. To hear tell, wild horses and burros are responsble for all that is ill on the range – NOT the hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep – because, as we all know cattle and sheep browse and graze DIFFERENT food.

    So the few plants that must be left for the wild horses and burros are what BLM is worried about because there are lots more uses for those few plants and BLM’s job is to make sure they (the few remaining plants) are righteously muti-used. Glad I could clear that up for ya.

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  33. How do we impeach this guy from the board? If he is directly opposed to Law which gives protection to the Wild Horses and Burros, then he should be removed and censured, bottom line! It’s obvious we cannot entrust the lives of these precious animals to anyone so callous and cavalier. I am so emotional about this and so angry and that I can barely write this out. I have two adopted mustangs who are so very sweet and loving and they trust so quickly and easily…..I am appalled at this man’s (and I use this term loosely, for he trully is a coward) lack of impunity for the wild ones……

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  34. Ken Salazaar’s BLM is pre-occupied managing the lands for the oil & gas companies to drill, fracking and wildlife isn’t a valued factor. Davis buying 100’s of wildhorses at a time at $10 a head helps the BLM’s bottom line in DC. Truth be known the number sent to slaughter is far greater than 1,700. An investigation should be launched into ‘Slaughtergate’ as well as the gift bags BLM employees receive at roundups. Is the BLM beyond regulations most corporations must abide by? Time to demand our elected officials created a separate agency to manage the Wild Horse & Burro program and enforce federal law that the BLM scuffs at the expense of our vanishing wild ones. If the agency is split, just how much of the BLM’s budget is split, $2.6 billion?

    Impeaching Stephenson & Callie are pipedreams, SAD to say. Will the BLM accept Simone Netherlands onto the ad board in Jan? How many wild mares will develop complications from being spayed & immediately released? Why not start with those in lth and then begin a release program with males/females in holding? The foals could be given PZP. Truck ’em back to original herd areas. I’m not a fan of either spaying or PZP but, I am pro-horse/pro-freedom as Wild Horse Annie fought so hard so long ago to establish. When a feral cat been spayed or neutered a tiny clip is made in one ear so if there captured again you know right away they’ve been fixed. Salazaar’s BLM isn’t honest enough to launch a Wild Horse & Burro humane, fair, birth control/release program. The agency needs to be separated/split and managed by scientific pro-horse brilliant minded people, no pro-slaughter activists.

    SLAUGHTER IS NOT AN OPTION

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  35. I live in Michigan, I know many of you live all over the U.S as well. I realize that the majority of wild horses and their range is west of the Mississippi but why are all the “in person” public meetings held there? No, wait, I know WHY they’re held there. But, how can we get something held farther east where more of us can show up for support and discussion?

    I may not live in a “wild horse state” but I live in America and those are just as much MY horses as anyone’s. I believe I have the right to have my voice heard. We don’t live on thousands of acres of land but we do live in the country. We have horses and yes, I understand the work involved.

    By painting all of the opposition as a crazy animal activists who don’t understand the issues faced on a farm or in this debate, the pro slaughter folks and the BLM try to invalidate our online comments.

    I’m ready to show them exactly who I am and why this is so important to me and millions of others, face to face but I can’t pack up and travel out west to do so. I would, however, attend sa meeting or public session in the east or midwest or even mid south.

    Is there one coming up? And, yes….I’m growling through my teeth. My maiden name was Wolf, after all. .

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    • Becki, you’re right . There needs to be a Board meeting east of the MS River for those who can’t go out West. I think they have them out there for the convience of the wild horse haters.

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  36. YES, Becki, the Wild Horses and Burros belong to YOU just as much as they do to those who live west of the Rocky Mountains. The PUBLIC LANDS, the NATURAL RESOURCES , and the WILDLIFE that live on the Public Lands belong to YOU and to every one of the American Taxpayers..
    NONE of it can be replaced and we must stand together to protect and preserve it. YOU BET your Voice needs to be heard.

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    • Yes, Anne.

      They do not care about the wild horses and burros nor any wildlife nor the land nor the water nor the air and they certainly do not care about you and me.

      I altered (sorry) this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “What they do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what they say”.

      The GOOD news is that we do care and they can not stop us from caring.

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    • A VERY long, searchable recommendation for restoration of the Sage Grouse habitats and populations by Wild Earth Guardians. Lots of entries about wild horses and burros as one of a number of prioritized threats. Among grazing species they rank third – behind cattle and sheep. Notice “wild” is either crossed out or missing. Search for AML and note what’s been crossed out. To me their position is reductions in AMLs – perhaps to zero. And nothing about wild horses or burros in the citations. IMO, that indicates this is based on assumptions, not science. http://www.wildearthguardians.org/site/DocServer/Sage_Grouse_Comments_and_Recovery_Alternative.pdf

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      • KILLING SAGE GROUSE DOES NOT HURT THEM AT ALL PER BLM:

        Does hunting Sage-grouse pose a threat to the species?
        In its March 2010 warranted but precluded finding on listing the Greater Sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) specifically looked at the threats to the species posed by hunting. The FWS found that “In the United States, sage-grouse hunting is regulated by State wildlife agencies and hunting regulations are . …we find that this threat is not significant to the species such that it causes the species to warrant listing under the Act .”

        http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/sagegrouse/frequently_asked_questions.print.html#hunt

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      • ES listing would be threat to energy companies, mining, ranching, etc. I’m sure the Ruby Pipeline is in there somewhere. This article talks about a voluntary program rather than a government mandate. They don’t list and get money to support grouse programs in return. I wonder how that’s working out. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=20466235

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  41. Just got an email that said that Gus Warr is the person to contact regarding video and written minutes of the meeting for the WH&B advisory board if anyone wants to ask for them – we need to have them and “advertise” to the public just exactly what some of them said about how they propose to “manage” our wild ones.

    Gus gwarr@blm.gov His the telephone number is 801-539-4001.

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  42. To EVERYBODY who have been writing their comment’s, and to everybody, who will be writing after me:.. Ofcourse, I agree with every one. But it doesn’t help the Horses. Yes, we have to get an OUTCRY of the PEOPLE. They do not know, what the BLM is doing with the Wild Horses. WE, have to inform them, and how? Call the Radio stations, Call and better yet, E.Mail them. I E.mailed ” 60 minutes”. you come right awy in their Mailbox.. Give them all the inf. and tell them know, how important this all is, , the Horses are disappearing, , these horses do belong to the PEOPLE, E.Mail to ‘Ellen de GENERES,… to DATE-LINE. etc. etc. We HAVE very little time left, so lets try, to get as many people INVOLVED. And keep calling the WHITE HOUSE. 202-456-1111. Don’t hang up, when you are put on hold, it can take 15 minutes, or even more, but you WILL get a real voice, Demand for a ” stop the Round-Ups ” Demand , to have ” Ken Salazar” removed from office SALAZAR , who also was involved with the Kill buyer, who sold 1.700 Horses to be Slaughtered in Mexico,,, and ofcourse, keep talking about the Horses. . I asked twice, if my message will be delivered, the person said yes, and actualy, read me back some of my points,. So please, CALL, and Do Not Hang Up!!!!! NOW: …. For the person after me, please give my message in YOUR commen, again to the person AFTER YOU! And ofcourse, THAT person will as again the same to the next. And so on and on. Thanks.

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  43. Hi all concerned people,I have been reading thru these comments and all of a sudden, I realized what had been pulling at my ear was the thought that these horses are being treated like the Native Americans were when they were herded to those wonderful reservations !! With promise of bountiful game, fertile soil , and a wonderful place to co habitat, not with the whites, but habitat the land..what they got was barren useless land not fit for anything ! And then when gold,silver,or oil was discovered on the reservations, or ranchers wanted the land for grazing cattle they were moved off them, onto “better’ lands..These horses are the Native Americans of the land, and they are facing similar obsticles…left to the BLM to do “whats best for them ” !!!! My stomach turns as I ponder these things…I pledge to bring my grandkids to the desert to see these wonderful animals, as I know that without help, they will not exist long enough for our great grandchildren to see..driven to extinction by man .And mind you, we are the ONLY species that will hunt to extinction even our own kind !!!!! And its due to GREED , and showing that they (government) ARE the BOSS !!!!

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    • You are seeing this correctly, Alice and I hope you and your family will be able to see our wild ones while there are still a few free.

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    • Alice, I wrote about this in an essay last fall, the parallels are inescapable.
      Here’s how I see the pattern:

      ISOLATE
      RELOCATE
      EDUCATE (attempt to train)
      EXTERMINATE

      It’s unethical, illegal, and unconscionable. Have we learned nothing?

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  44. As per SOLVEJG ZAFERES request…Get involved call : WHITE HOUSE 202 456 1111 DO NOT HANG UP !!! You WILL get a person !! E-MAIL 60 MIN, KOLO 8 NEWS, CHANNEL 11, DATE LINE, please repost !

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  45. SOB’S stop killing the horses….look what happen to the buffalo. Why does this nation think it is right to kill off our animals-for big business…….Stop using my tax dollars for that hellicopter…..

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