by ANDREW COHEN as it appears in The Atlantic
“…moved to push the nation’s horses off public range lands”
The Denver Post reported first this morning that Ken Salazar, the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, will soon resign and leave his federal post in March. It’s not an easy job. There are inherent tensions between nurturing industry and protecting the environment, between the pull to serve as a steward for public lands and the push to use that land for commerce or recreation. But by many measures, excluding his often laudable work on Native American issues, the Salazar era at the Interior Department has been a grim one, from the Gulf oil spill on down.
Conservatives have their own reasons for disliking Salazar’s tenure at Interior. To them, he didn’t move quickly enough to open up public lands to oil exploration. To them, our high gas prices are his fault and not the fault of the oil companies who set prices.
To me, Salazar’s failures have been most pronounced in his oversight of the Bureau of Land Management as it has overseen the fate of the nation’s wild horses. They are supposed to be protected and managed under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, a 1971 federal law which gave to the Interior Department vast discretion to do right by the horses.
Part of a longtime Colorado ranching family, eschewing reasonable alternatives, largely unaccountable to public opinion, Salazar consistently sided with ranching and livestock interests as they moved to push the nation’s horses off public range lands. In so doing, he created additional burdens for American taxpayers– who now are paying for the costs of wild horses in round-up pens– while endorsing policies and practices which benefited these private industries. These are the same industries, incidentally, which already have long benefited from “welfare ranching“– far-below-market lease rates for public grazing land out West.
Specifically, Salazar has allowed the BLM to: 1) round up tens of thousands of our wild horses from the patchwork of public and private lands and deposit them into ruinous holding pens in the Midwest; 2) allowed known advocates of horse slaughter to purchase thousands of those doomed horses; 3) refused to publicly discipline one of his deputies, a former BP oil executive, after she seemed to encourage ranchers to sue her own department to gain an advantage over the horses, and; 4) generated no viable plan for the continuing protection and management of these horses, which virtually guarantees their destruction.
This morning, I asked Suzanne Roy, director of the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, an advocate who has watched Salazar’s work every day over the past four years, to comment upon his tenure. Here’s her response:
Secretary Salazar failed to deliver on his promise to reform the federal wild horse and burro program. Under Salazar’s administration the pace of government wild horse roundups has accelerated. Over 35,000 mustangs have been removed from our public lands during his tenure. For the first time in history, the government stockpiles more wild horses in captivity than remain free in the wild. Meanwhile, practical, humane and cost-effective solutions, such as birth control, have been given only token attention.
Roy says that Salazar’s consistent antipathy toward the horses paradoxically “rallied tens of thousands of Americans” to their cause. And she says that the next Interior Secretary will have to grapple with these energized activists. But the hard truth is that Salazar– and the Obama Administration– never really paid a political price for the industry-friendly policies they employed, and for the damage they are doing to the horses, because the wild horse lobby is but a mere snowflake in the blizzard of corporate influence over politics in Washington.
Both President Obama and Vice President Biden fawned over Salazar during their tenure. He repaid their loyalty many times over by campaigning hard for the administration during the last two presidential campaigns — both of which resulted in Obama victories in the Rocky Mountain battleground state. Indeed, by early Wednesday, the White House had issued a statement on behalf of the president thanking the outgoing secretary for his public service and acknowledging his return to Colorado: (continued…)
Click (HERE) to read the rest of the story and to comment
Related Articles
- Wild Horse Preservation Coalition Hails Resignation of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar (yubanet.com)
- Reprint: Madeleine Pickens PRAISES Salazar Wild Horse Plan (rtfitchauthor.com)
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
YEA!!!!!!!
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Gotta love Mr Cohen…a legal eagle of this time and superb journalist.
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One huge blizzard on behalf of the horses! Proud to be a snowflake!
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I would like to add….WHAT REALLY TEES ME OFF IS THE US PRESS.
Not a word about a cabinet position out side of State and Defense that actually controls the vast resources of the US. It just pi$$es me off….Mr Prez and press?
BTW, Vilsack (USDA) is staying (forest [forrest?] service is big on whacking wild equines) ain’t no change coming folks.
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Voluntary resignation or forced.? Good riddance.
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I think we should all stand there as he leaves and throw rocks at him!! lol!
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I like that idea..lol
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Horse manure aka road apples would be best….on his car, the plane he leaves and arrives on (back in CO) and at his house/ranch gate.
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OMG! He really is green, definitely a descendent of the wicked witch of the west!!!!! Seriously though, isn’t it great news he’s leaving?
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As we bid a fond good ridence to the Slaughterczar , we see off in the distance one lone man for this Job Senator Raul Grijalva armed with the tools to clean up !!!!! COMPASSION !!!!!!! for America and The Wild Mustangs !!!!!!
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Yes, if they don’t find something to keep him out of that position..
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we need to Keep calling comment line 202-456-1111 everyday from tomorrow on !!!!!!
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Give the horses back to the land Mr Salazar and to the next Sec.of Interior. We expect restortution times 10. BLM and Forest Service needs to honor the wishes of the Earth and W H & B advocates. You need to have committee in which we don’t take down these wonderful equines and burros The frack ing explosions of the earth to kingdom comes and so called “unnatural bision ~ the beef cow” is depleting our oxygen levels.
The oceans are heating over their banks. I think the cattle industry thinks the wild horse advocates and W H & B are the anti -christ ~ This is silly myth and is not real. To speak as a human being is our devine right.
Our enemy is human greed ~ greed will take away their cattle and land as soon as the horses and burros are gone.
If you want to take all the lives of wild horses you are wrong. Lastly I hope you know one is allowed to look down on horses but GOD.
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Today has been a good day for all of us. The Slaughterman is leaving. It can’t happen soon enough. I hope his cows keep him awake every night with all their mooing. Me? Even sick I’ve been doing the happy dance.
I particularly dislike a government official who abuses his office and authority–threatening to punch someone out cause he doesn’t like the questions.
As an aside I have nothing against cows. My new neighbors turned about a dozen or so out at the intersection near my house. I really do live in the country now. It’s awfully new to me…
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Okay horse advocates we have a great opportunity to change the course of history for our horses. Lets play on our terms and demand that the true laws be preserved for history. Saving our wild horses we can provide plans to put them back out on the range where they belong. We have to get them back out on the ranges. They need to be on their home ranges with complete protection.. Salzaar was brutal and wicked to our wild horses. Now is the time to blast the government with our new approach to saving our wild horses and providing the proper care they really need to be back out on the range. All of the employees that have been abusive to our beloved wild horses and burros, under Ken Salzaar’s management must be held accountable for their actions in court proceedings. Also Ken Salzaar himself must be held accountable for all of the abuse and secret meetings he has had with officials regarding their plans to rid the western plains of our natural icons that must be protected under the 1971 Horse and Burros Act.
He will never live in peace. He has a lot of information that must come out in a court of law someday. Documentation is vital to this in a court of law. The legal approach is important and many are involved in this. I see ecosystems viable and long lasting. Placing the proper food sources planted for our horses to survive and be nourished is important and water wells that be solar driven would be a possibility. I am looking into many things right now. Anyway we must think of ways to help get our horses and burros back out on the ranges. It is clear we need legal intervention. We need great lawyers with vision and love horses. We need eco engineers, horticultural experts that love horses, moms and dads, children that love horses, veterinarian’s that love horses, plant experts that love horses to come together and help each other develop solutions to this huge problem. I am working together with other horticulturalists in Florida right now and we are looking at different plants that horses feed upon in water and dry land. We can do this. We have the ability to create incredible environments. I have seen this on a smaller scale at Disney World. Hydoponics, vitroponics, airoponics, plants can be planted in the desert that take little water. We can put solar run wells in strategic locations to give our horses and wildlife water.
Remember the Keeper of the Well, Dick Senior, you are awesome and you made an impression on me that will last a lifetime.I had a chance to purchase two of his books from the International Equine Conference several months ago We can do this. Let us get creative horse advocates and come up with solutions.
At the end of Dick’s book he stated that being a steward of the land is vital to preserve the mountains and wildlife of the future. Dick the Keeper of Wheeler Well stated,. “Who will make sure that the birds and animals have water during the hot months? It will be whoever cares enough to clean up after themselves or who helps in any way they can to preserve the great gift we call the Spring Mountains,,,,someone young, someone who cares” IS IT YOU DEAR READER? Yes, it is all of us who choose to make a difference, it is me, I am one of them. I know. I need your help to do this too. Let us work together, we are a huge team and we need all of you to help. So I encourage you to put your thinking caps on and lets go change the world, we can help our horses get back home, yes it will be us. All of you and I. The time is present and now we have a lot of work to do.
I love all of my dear horse advocates, warriors, dreamers, doers, speakers, photographers, painters, writers, singers, horticulturalists, vets, lawyers, horse owners. We need all of you to do this and make a difference for the wild horses and burros. Ready to rock and roll my friends, We are getting ready to knock some socks over the moon. Happy horse manure throwing Salzaar, hope it smells mighty fine. Lets give him a ride for his life and then he might have thought twice what a mess he created. Now it is up to us to take this mess and clean it up for good wicked man. I am committed, I am passionate about saving our horses and burros as I know you are, join me my friends, we can change the world one person and horse at a time. Thank you J.
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Brilliantly written Judith !!!!!!
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I agree with Arlene! Brilliantly written! However, he does not deserve to have manure thrown at him.. it smells too good & is treasured by all of us. He belongs in another place.. Perhaps to be cast in a pools of blood and remnants of aborted foals in a slaughter house.. It will be a long journey to hell for him…Hope he gets to ride in a double-decker trailer..He will have to answer to a higher power.
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You are right about the manure !!!!! I would rather muck a stall bare handed then look at this Monster!!!!!!!
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This is what independent study is all about. Science. Scientists. Information to do right by. Creating management that is good for all the wild on an HMA. Many fine things can be done.
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this reminds me of the nuremburg trials after ww II. the nazis thought they were invincible and power corrupts. did they really think they wouldn’t have to someday answer for their crimes against humanity? what about salazar’s crimes against equines? let’s get him on trial regarding the tom davis sales of innocent equines. the very thought of these trusting, sweet beauties to a killer buyer is so disgusting and upsetting…they didn’t deserve that fate! we must not let him get away with it. if his crimes are exposed, then we’ll have the power of the american people behind us in cleaning up the corrupt blm and hopefully dismantling it. the horses must be moved back to their native homes and the roundups must stop for good! let’s cancel the leases the cattlemen have that are in hma’s…they are the non-native species and the ranchers should care for their cattle on their own lands!!
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As my local animal shelter says, “There must be a special place in hell for people like this”. Not going to elaborate here…Everyone else has verbalized my thoughts. Let us hope that the next S.O.I. has a conscience re: our wild horses and burros. (and other wildlife). In the meantime….WWHHOOO-HOOOOO! Time to celebrate at the end of March!! So sorry to see you retire! Good Luck Colorado! Ginger & Hillary will keep an eye on you!
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Good ridens and again, don’t let the door hit you in your ass This man has destroyed more in the last 4 years than any other one appointed to this post. I think we now need to contact all of our Legislators and insist that President Obama appoint the man who went forward for the Wild Horses and Burros. Perhaps with the new Congress, we might be able to get the slaughter and transportaton law finally into law and Wild Horse Protection reinstated. Things are certainly going
in the right direction…Thank God!
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Yay ! I hope we get somebody who cares and loves wildlife in his place … Ken Salazar needs to go back under the rock for which he came.
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people, this is just the opportunity for which we were waiting! salazar’s ties to the davis sales for slaughter were catching up with him so he ran for cover. i’ve checked most of the articles pertaining to his resignation and all they discuss is his record vis a vis the oil spill and the indians. they don’t even mention the horses! we need to flood these articles with our comments and let the american public know what’s REALLY been going on! do it on yahoo too…there’s a current article there and only a small % of folks are speaking about the equines. let’s put the pressure on. write your representatives and the white house. maybe we need to protest like they did in forrest gump! who’s with me??
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DEAR jUDY i AM !!!!!!!!!!!
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