“…more than 95 percent of the negative impact on the bird’s habitat would have been caused by grazing compared to the wild animals.”
wild burro captured by BLM ~ photo by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
A Washington D.C.-based nonprofit on Tuesday released an analysis of Bureau of Land Management data that calls into question the agency’s study of the relative habitat impacts of wild horse and burros, and cattle grazing.
The organization, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, argued that the methods the BLM used to study Western range conditions overstates the role that burros and wild horses have on habitat destruction, while understating the impacts of cattle grazing.
“The implication is that if the agency tells us the wild horses and burros have larger impact, they can argue roundups (of horses and burros) will have positive impacts on… habitat and livestock grazing can go unchanged,” the nonprofit’s advocacy director Kirsten Stade said.
Peter Lattin, who used to work as a contractor with BLM but moved to PEER after disagreements with the agency’s methods, said he and the organization have put together a database of BLM grazing allotments by pulling together hundreds records from a Freedom of Information Act request.
The analysis dealt primarily with habitat of the sage-grouse, a ground-dwelling chicken located largely in Nevada that is under consideration for endangered species status, but the organization has compiled data on BLM land management throughout the West. The BLM does not manage for sage-grouse habitat in Arizona.
In the BLM’s study of impacts on sage-grouse habitat, they measured all acres that had burros and wild horses but only the grazing allotments that had scored poorly on habitat health assessments, Lattin said. As a result the BLM reported nearly twice as much of the sage-grouse habitat is negatively impacted by burros and wild horses as by livestock grazing.
“They used the same term but treated them with entirely different methods,” he said.
Lattin said that if BLM had used the same methods, more than 95 percent of the negative impact on the bird’s habitat would have been caused by grazing compared to the wild animals.
Stade said that by downplaying impact that cattle grazing has on sage-grouse habitat the BLM makes it more difficult that the species could become listed and distorts policymaking as land managers set out to protect the species…(CONTINUED)
Related articles
Categories: Horse News, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Reblogged this on hocuspocus13 and commented:
jinxx xoxo
LikeLike
God forbid that the BLM should egger tell the truth about anything.
LikeLike
The Casper Star Tribune
BLM removes wild horses from checkerboard lands in SW Wyoming
http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/blm-removes-wild-horses-from-checkerboard-lands-in-sw-wyoming/article_f2ee30a2-91d3-5997-a5b3-57aad81aa9b7.html
The small band of horses, one a streak-faced bay and the others black, heard the foreign sound of a rotor on the horizon.
Troy Cattoor stood at the skid of a $300,000 Bell helicopter. He was giving final instructions to one of his two pilots on the 10th day of the Bureau of Land Management’s checkerboard lands wild horse removal.
BLM officials estimate a cost of more than $300,000 for the this roundup. Commercially contracted helicopter pilots can cost as much as $800 per hour, according to Troy Cattoor.
By the numbers
521 Wild horses gathered through Friday
10 Horses killed or euthanized in roundup activities
2 Hughes helicopters used by Cattoor Livestock
$300,000 Average cost of a helicopter used by the Cattoor’s pilots
$300,000 Estimated cost of the roundup, according to BLM officials
6 Hours of daily flight time for Cattoor roundup pilots, on average
18 Years of experience between the two chopper pilots in the checkerboard
900 Wild horses expected to be caught in the gather
Source: BLM and Cattoor Livestock
LikeLike
Our Tax Dollars at work.
http://usaspending.gov/search?form_fields=%7B%22search_term%22%3A%22CATTOOR+LIVESTOCK+ROUNDUP+INC%22%2C%22fyear%22%3A%5B%222014%22%5D%7D&sort_by=dollars&per_page=25
Transaction # 1 (Delivery Order)
IDVPIID/PIID/MOD: INL10PC00593 / INL14PD00691 / 0
Recipient: CATTOOR LIVESTOCK ROUNDUP INC
475 S 200 W, NEPHI, Utah
Program Source: 14-1109
Department/Agency: Department of the Interior: Bureau of Land Management
Product/Service: F016: NATURAL RESOURCES/CONSERVATION- WILDHORSE/BURRO CONTROL
Description: CHECKERBOARD HORSE GATHER IGF::OT::IGF
Signed Date:
07-14-2014
Obligation Amount:
$396,776
PLUS
Transaction # 9 (Delivery Order)
IDVPIID/PIID/MOD: INL10PC00593 / INL14PD00691 / 1
Recipient: CATTOOR LIVESTOCK ROUNDUP INC
475 S 200 W, NEPHI, Utah
Reason for Modification: CHANGE ORDER
Program Source: 14-1109
Department/Agency: Department of the Interior: Bureau of Land Management
Product/Service: F016: NATURAL RESOURCES/CONSERVATION- WILDHORSE/BURRO CONTROL
Description: CHECKERBOARD HORSE GATHER IGF::OT::IGF
Signed Date:
07-28-2014
Obligation Amount:
$111,538
LikeLike
It really is too bad that there is not some way to specify that you do not want your tax dollars spent on specific things, like helicopter roundups. It sickens me to think that my taxes are being used to destroy wild horses and burros. Damn the BLM, and welfare ranchers and oil/gas companies and mining interests and all others who want to destroy public lands and the wildlife there just to make money. Hope you all choke on your money.
LikeLike
I posted several comments on the Casper Star Tribune (factual comments).
I don’t see them published so far.
LikeLike
Thank you so much Louie for the information. I am going to be sending emails off as soon as I can. Its absolutely pathetic that our tax dollars are used this way. Do they think there is a never ending bottom? I don’t want to burst your bubble, but do you really think they would print the truth? The government in DC and just about every state is so corrupt, I cat believe it. These roundups make me sick every time I read about them. 10 horses dead or euthanized – What a bunch of A___________! Will this ever stop? I bet the next step by our lively politicians/government will be to try and save money by sending them to slaughter thru some of these horse dealers. Do they all think that we are STUPID!!!! Too late for Washington today, but tomorrow my phone will be burning off the hook. Again, thank you Louie for the stats because they don’t lie (most of the time). Please keep the Faith everyone as we fight this cancerous part of our government!
LikeLike
With all that land the hose move on they do not stay in one place to long they eat and crap and move on, which is good for the land
LikeLike
We all know its not about Sage Grouse
The BLM has managed to almost zero populations
Horses and Wolf are the biggest losers
When all is said and done
We will see this is all about
Water and Fracking
LikeLike