by Carol Walker, Director of Field Documentation for Wild Horse Freedom Federation, as published on Wild Hoofbeats
Wild Horses in Short Term Holding – a Target for Slaughte
After the proposal to experiment on sterilizing wild mares at the Burns BLM Facility in Oregon, I wondered how the situation facing our wild horses could be come more dire. Now there is news about the Bureau of Land Management’s Budget Proposal for 2017. In this proposal, there is a clause that would remove the protection for wild horses and burros from being sent to slaughter.
Here is Section 110 of the President’s Interior Budget Request:
TRANSFER OF EXCESS ANIMALS
SEC. 110. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Interior may transfer excess wild horses or burros that have been removed from the public lands to other Federal, State, and local government agencies for use as work animals: Provided, That the Secretary may make any such transfer immediately upon request of such Federal, State, or local government agency: Provided further, That any excess animal transferred under this provision shall lose its status as a wild free-roaming horse or burro as defined in the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
You can look at the whole document here:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2017/assets/int.pdf
This extremely disturbing proposed change to the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act puts thousands of our wild horses held captive in Short and Long Term Holding by the BLM at risk of getting sent to slaughter. The BLM may say that this is to expedite the transfer of horses to other agencies that might have jobs for the horses, but in actual fact, stripping the protection of the Act from the horses makes them a target for slaughter, with no over site, and no responsibility taken by the BLM. Remember the 1794 wild horses sold under the sale Authority Act, without limitation, to Tom Davis that ended up at slaughter?
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29014000/federal-report-colorado-wild-horse-buyer-sold-mustangs
Given that state and local authorities in many states have repeatedly called for the slaughter of wild horses in holding facilities, it is easy to see that once transferred to the states and other agencies, they will in fact be sold for slaughter. This becomes a convenient way for the BLM to get rid of some of its “wild horse problem” – those pesky “excess horses” whose care absorbs so much of the BLM’s budget.
But the American people do not want the slaughter of our wild horses – the vast majority would like to see wild horses remain wild and free on our public lands, and managed on the range, not rounded up with helicopters, warehoused in holding facilities, and secretly shipped off to slaughter.
Another section of this budget includes the BLM’s “Budget in Brief” which indicates a priority for the BLM in the coming year will be to continue to carry out dangerous and cruel experimental sterilization methods on our wild horses.
“The BLM will also continue expanding the use of contraceptives and the application of spay and neuter to begin to reduce program costs and help address the unsustainable proliferation of wild horses and burros on public lands.”
You can read the whole document here:
From: https://edit.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/uploads/FY2017_BIB_BH007.pdf
The American public would like to see wild horses and burros managed humanely, not experimented upon and sterilized.
As far as “unsustainable proliferation of wild horses” – the simple facts are that wild horses are in only 12 percent of our public lands, and there are currently more wild horses that are captive in holding facilities than on the range. Their numbers are completely dwarfed by the vast amounts of livestock that graze on these same public lands.
The news is not good, but at least now we have the ulterior motives of the BLM laid out in the budget: Opening the door to slaughtering wild horses and burros, sterilizing herds of wild horses and burros without regard to their sustainability, welfare, and continued presence on our public lands.
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
The BLM, USFS and USFWS continuously conduct dangerous programs without public oversight and input. They fund them with OUR taxpayer dollars as the debt climbs at a monstrous rate. We should NOT go around throwing temper-tantrums like three-year-olds, but we must constantly remind them that their job is work for us, NOT the other way around. It is time for “We the People” to micromanage these federal agencies until their tails are far between their legs and they start listening to us.
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Well ..think we need to have a more vigilant.approach.
Obviously talk, petitions, letters dontt work. NOT WITH this bunch of cronies in office.
Need a groundswell of people protesting, law suits against the BLM . Demonstrations , rallies. Fund raisers .bumper stickers.
Need the press involved, news coverage don’t need to have tantrums but don’t need to be sitting mute either.
Do you really think the BLM cares if they make more work for anyone? Hahhh ,All they care about is their big fat paycheck . Your talking about a group that conducts horrible ,experiments, cruel roundups advocates kill buyers They have no ethics, no morals, no conscience, no shame..
Would save taxpayers a lot of money if the BLM, FD,were revamped or shut down
But Going to have to pull out all the stops with this group to get anywhere
. And like J &C BUTLER suggested.In a recent comment
Why not see about the possibility of leasING land for the horses?
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Our government agencies are so hierarchal, and it bothers me to no end that all down the line, people just do as they are told, bowing and scraping. Not only should Americans who want to keep and protect our horses protest loudly and together (a collective ‘temper tantrum’ if you will, because doing as we’re told and pretending we are reasonable just ain’t working and is allowing evil to flourish), government employees ought to stand up and question their orders. I’m sick of hearing, ‘well, what can we do? We get too much pressure from all sides, and I need my job, I’ve worked all my life for my career, etc etc ad nauseam. Someone needs to grow a pair. It’s not always about us, how we appear, blah, blah. I’d have more respect for a man who did the right thing and could only find work as a garbage pickup because of it.
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oops, make that ‘I’d have more respect for a man or woman who did the right thing…..’ For example, the PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) group has to remain anonymous because of retaliation. But they are the brave ones; I wish we had more of them.
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idaursine, I understand. However, our conduct has an affect on would-be advocates. There are many individuals that won’t so much as get involved due to the radical agenda of some within the animal welfare/rights community — I’m not referring to anyone in particular. Our wild horses and burros cannot afford to lose their support. It’s not about “looking good”, it is about doing the right thing. We can be firm and get things done while being rational.
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I know what you mean – but it isn’t working. Speaking out is not a radical thing to do, and should not be framed in that manner that it is, which is what I believe would intimidate and silence potential advocates. Speaking out and protesting are not temper tantrums.
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I actually don’t even know where a comment like yours is coming from. People have been collecting facts and presenting them rationally, a very small minority are radical, and I don’t think any are part of the horses and burros protection movement. When people who claim to be advocates are tearing the movement down, such as yourself, I don’t know what to say. We are being firm and getting things done, slowly, because those entrusted to protect our defenseless horses and wildlife are not playing fairly. They are the radicals. I think you have a prejudice you’d best consider.
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If it were possible to lease land, seems like many of us could afford a small amount to do so. But unless I’m wrong, doesnt any lessor have to own their own land in order to use the grazing allotments? It seems I read that somewhere.
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Personally, I’ve been hearing about that “radical agenda” since 2003 but so far I have yet so see any real evidence of that such a “threat” is real, which leads me to think it is just an ideological prejudice from the conservative camp.
If we want to help wild horses we need to get rid of those, as it is obvious that “working with the system” and waving comments, petitions and TROs in the air is not working, when the system is dead-locked on exterminating them and disregard any opinion that is contrary to the establishment’s policy of eradicating them.
Leasing land will only help a minimum fraction of wild horses and may not work in the very long run since we would be totally at the mercy of the lessors (which I presume will be grazing permit holders / welfare ranchers) which will exploit our desperate need by raising prices. It would be the same than paying a ransom to pirates to release someone they captured… you can expect them to not to release him and start playing to see if they can extort and rake in more money. In fact we see that everyday with those messages saying a number of horses are slated to go to slaughter on day X if they are not purchased / saved. The KBs will always play their cards to extort us as much money as possible; I don’t think grazing permit holders would be different.
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It wasn’t my intention to sound accusatory. That’s why I made it clear that I was not referring to anyone in particular. I agree that the majority of us are genuinely caring individuals. However, I know for a fact that we as advocates have been falsely accused of being extremists with a self-serving agenda. Again, I’m not accusing those of us who honestly love and care for our wild horses and burros. And as regards to the first paragraph in Daniel’s comment, animal welfare is not a left or right issue. It is a right and wrong issue. I hope and pray that the candidates on both sides of the political spectrum will recognize that these beautiful creatures are worth preserving.
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Is there a way that this part of the budget can be removed?
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Yes. The budget is in the Senate and House Appropriations Committees right now there is time to get it changed.
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We need to get the federal slaughter ban passed, how else are we ever going to stop wild horses from going to slaughter? And how many decades does it take for Congress to do the right thing? If they weren’t such prostitutes to agriculture special interest this could’ve been done 15 years ago.
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Report to Congress
Regarding
The Wild Horse and Burro Program
The Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Department of the Interior
REFUTING FY2011 BUDGET JUSTIFICATIONS
And
REQUEST TO DEFUND ROUNDUPS AND REMOVALS
THROUGH APPROPRIATIONS FOR FY2011 AND FY2012
Click to access Report_Congress_BLM_WH_B__Program_FY11.pdf
Written and compiled by C. Bowers, L. Peeples and C.R. MacDonald
On behalf of America’s Wild Horses and Burros
and the American Taxpayer
November 2010
In conjunction with America’s Wild Horse Advocates, Animal Law Coalition, Equine
Welfare Alliance, Grassrootshorse, Respect4Horses and their thousands of supporters
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These management people are not on our side. They don’t want 2 see nor hear about anything equine. They only want them gone…so that we may go ahead with whatever may b on their sites to get our decedent down..& if that means the wild horse & borrows will go 2 slaughter 2 achieve their quota …then that’s what their gonna do.
Our government has been purchased!!
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“The Budget funds rangeland management activities
through a combination of direct appropriations and offsetting collections
generated from a proposed three-year pilot program to assess an administrative
processing fee on grazing permits. The fee recovers some costs associated
with issuing grazing permits/leases on BLM lands. The funds from
the fee will be used to address pending applications for grazing permit renewals.
The BLM proposes a $2.50 per Animal Unit Month fee, collected
along with current grazing fees. The BLM will promulgate regulations for
the continuation of the grazing administrative fee for cost recovery after
the pilot expires.”
So now they are proposing an additional? administrative fee on top of the grazing fee? OR just bringing up the fee to $2.50! Still a long long ways from private grazing fees, huh?
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It seems it is an additional fee but it is actually a drop in the bucket, no way near real market value.
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“CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS FOR WILD HORSE AND BURRO HOLDING FACILITIES
SEC. 109. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Secretary of the
Interior may enter into multiyear cooperative agreements with nonprofit organizations
and other appropriate entities, and may enter into multiyear contracts in accordance
with the provisions of section 3903 of title 41, United States Code (except that the
5-year term restriction in subsection (a) shall not apply), for the long-term care and
maintenance of excess wild free roaming horses and burros by such organizations
or entities on private land. Such cooperative agreements and contracts may not exceed 10 years, subject to renewal at the discretion of the Secretary.
TRANSFER OF EXCESS ANIMALS
SEC. 110. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Interior
may transfer excess wild horses or burros that have been removed from the public
lands to other Federal, State, and local government agencies for use as work animals:
Provided, That the Secretary may make any such transfer immediately upon request
of such Federal, State, or local government agency: Provided further, That any excess animal transferred under this provision shall lose its status as a wild free-roaming horse or burro as defined in the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act”
Shouldnt we all be forwarding this to our representatives? And possibly V P Biden?
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Yes, we should do that and demand this Section 110 to be dropped as its the creation of that chartered BLM phony think-tank.
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How does this square with the Udall amendment, recently passed in the omnibus budget? Someone should direct this information to Senator Udall to make sure he understands his work is now under fire.
https://rtfitchauthor.com/2015/12/16/sen-tom-udall-adds-language-to-omnibus-spending-bill-to-protect-wild-horses-burros-from-going-to-slaughter-for-any-reason/
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The key lies in the transfer of title. The Udall amendment prevents DOI from using fees to destroy (that is shoot or sell openly for slaughter) wild horses that are recognized as such under the WHFBA, but since Section 110 is automatically removing from the subject wild horses their status as wild horses under the WHFBA it is now OK to sell them for slaughter since they are no longer regarded as wild horses but domestic stock.
So answering your question, yes, they are making a way around the Udall amendment. That’s why I said this the same as the Burns amednment but issued directly by DOI instead of tucked in the buget bill by some sellout politician.
We must contact both our Representatives and two Senators and demand them that Section 110 be removed from the Appropriations bill. It would be a good idea as well to contact Sen. Udall, VP Biden and both Clinton and Sanders asking them to remove this amendment.
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I did contact both Senators & my Rep, plus VP Biden. Hope enough of us do so, possibly it might at the very least bring it to their attention – because I doubt they all know every detail in that budget!
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Thank you. I put out an action alert in the old against slaughter yahoo board. Let’s hope it gets circulated on FB and Tweeter. Please feel free to use and edit at will:
https://rtfitchauthor.com/2016/02/13/2017-budget-for-the-blm-leads-toward-slaughter-and-sterilization-for-our-wild-horses/#comment-164396
It seems that the day when horse haters, welfare ranchers and slaughter fanboys pushing for the overturning of the 1971 Wild, Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act has finally arrived.
DOI is including a provision, known as Section 110, to the 2017 Interior Appropriations Bill which:
a) Removes the wild horse status and hence federal protection under the 1971 WFHBA to horses in short and long term holding facilities
b) Transfers them, now legally domestic stock, to local, state and federal (I stress the local and state part) for use as “work animals”.
c) Once the transfer is complete, ownership and any responsibility for the horses care falls entirely on the recipient, which is free to manage the horses at will, including their disposal or free sale for whatever purpose, including slaughter.
Now, by virtue of this amendment, any rogue state or local agency (e.g. Utah’s Iron Country sheriff office that threatened to shoot wild horses a couple years ago) will be able to get horses for FREE and rake in a substantial amount of money by selling them for slaughter at public auction via intermediaries, like in the Tom Davis wild horse scam affair.
Here is the offending language:
Click to access int.pdf
TRANSFER OF EXCESS ANIMALS
SEC. 110. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Interior
may transfer excess wild horses or burros that have been removed from the public
lands to other Federal, State, and local government agencies for use as work animals:
Provided, That the Secretary may make any such transfer immediately upon request
of such Federal, State, or local government agency: Provided further, That any excess
animal transferred under this provision shall lose its status as a wild free-roaming
horse or burro as defined in the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act
In other words, this is like the Burns Amendment but on steroids.
In addition to that, BLM is proposing to create a phony “non-profit” foundation to promote “BLM’s multiple use and sustained yield mission and foster productive partnerships”… in other words, a front think-thank to peddle pro-slaughter, welfare-rancher anti-horse propoganda that of course will be staffed and run by horsemeat industry henchmen, pretty much like the nefarious BLM’s Wild Horse Advisory Board. Yup… now all the Duquettes and Wallis wannabes will have a cozy position on a pseudo-governmental office, quite convenient to bulk up their resumes.
(Go to Bureau of Land Management Foundation section of the document linked below):
Click to access FY2017_BIB_BH007.pdf
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1) Write AND call your US Representative and demand him/her that Section 110 of the 2017 Interior Appropriations Budget as proposed by DOI to be dropped, together with any measure to set up a “Bureau of Land Management Foundation”. The budget proposal is currently under revision by the Senate / House Appropriations Committees… no formal bill has been introduced yet.
2) Write AND call your two US Senators demanding them that that Section 110 of the 2017 Interior Appropriations Budget as proposed by DOI to be dropped, together with any measure to set up a “Bureau of Land Management Foundation”.
You can find your legislators’ contact info at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
3) Call the White House Comments line at 202-456-6213 and let the President know how outraged you are for this cover attempt at dismantiling the 1971 Wild, Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act and slaughter all of America’s wild horses.
4) Call Vice President Biden (which was supposed to be supportive of wild horses) at 202-456-1414 and ask him that his administration drop Section 110 from the Department of Interior 2017 budget as well as the plan to create the Bureau of Land Management Foundation. If you can fax him as well at 202-456-2461. He really needs to hear from all of us since rogue agency DOI is undermining his administration and 45 years of federal policy.
5) Call Senator Tom Udall at 202-224-6621 / 505-346-6791 and let him know of this covert attempt by DOI to legalize wild horse slaughter that is undermining his work on the 2016 budget (which precisely contains an amendment prohibiting BLM from using any funds to discretionally kill wild horses under its care). Make him feel angry at BLM.
Please share this email with your contacts and circulate it on FB and tweeter. Thank you.
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«Bureau of Land Management Foundation
–
The BLM proposes to establish a congressionally chartered foundation to help link individual Americans to public lands. The BLM’s Foundation will raise private funds to promote BLM’s multiple use and sustained yield mission and foster productive partnerships.»
Note the “multiple use” thing and the emphasis they put on the Wild Horse Program… (not included in the lines above). In other words, they also want to set up a front, phony non-profit to peddle welfare rancher and fracking propaganda that of course will be staffed by horse slaughter fanboys, just like the Wild Horse “Advisory” Board.
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http://appropriations.house.gov/about/members/
Unfortunately Hal Rogers is the head and he is no friend of horses.
Subcommittees are listed on the right also –Interior, etc.
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http://www.senate.gov/general/committee_membership/committee_memberships_SSAP.htm
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“Provided further, That any excess animal transferred under this provision shall lose its status as a wild free-roaming horse or burro as defined in the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act”
Just ‘recategorize’ them and funnel them off in a different route. So coldly devious it is difficult to accept. You bet I’m going to contact our spokespeople in DC, and what about Raul Grijalva?
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Everybody is going to have to make lots of calls to fight the amendment like hell.
How can an alert be sent out ?
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I have posted a makeshift one in the old againstslaughter board but it would be great if people with active FB or Tweeter accounts could start circulating it. I guess the groups like AWHPC will release a more elaborate one later this week.
<<<>>
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Maybe setting up something on Change.org?
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A view from within
Testimony of Elaine Downing, Vice President National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 2152, California Bureau of Land Management Before the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Regarding Restoring the Federal Public Lands Workforce March 19, 2009
http://www.nffe.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/8617
Overall, employee morale within BLM is relatively low, as evidenced in the recent government-wide employee satisfaction survey.
There is much concern among rank and file employees at BLM that upper level management officials do not adequately manage how the work within the department is done.
In my opinion, far too high of a percentage of agency resources are allocated toward supporting higher level managers residing mostly in district and state offices, while the field offices, where the majority of the agency’s mission is actually accomplished, get too small of a percentage. Many field offices are severely understaffed and overworked. There is also concern that management officials build hierarchies to protect their position and grade at the state and district levels, while leaving protracted vacancies in critical positions at the field level.
Some people, particularly high level management officials, will point to budget shortfalls as a primary cause of low employee morale. It is true that most employees are disheartened by inadequate funding within their programs. However, we hear more complaints about the lack of integrity in how and which vacancies are filled than complaints of a shortfall of appropriated funds.
Additionally, upper level management seems to lack an ability to manage workload. Rank and file employees at all levels, but particularly in field offices, are bombarded by data requests and work assignments from many sources including: Washington office, state office, district office, other field offices, etc.
Prior to 9/11, the ranger corps of BLM was dedicated to resource protection as prescribed under FLPMA. After 9/11, and with the formation of Homeland Security, several high level BLM law enforcement officials were hired into the Bureau from outside the agency. Generally speaking, these new managers were less oriented toward natural resources and more focused on homeland security. These new law enforcement managers also brought a stricter, more militaristic style of management to the Ranger force. This shift in focus has caused a lot of distress for many BLM law enforcement rangers and field office managers.
Disparate Treatment between Managers and Rank and File Employees
For example, a management official who was caught with inappropriate material on a BLM-issued computer was disciplined with a suspension, while rank and file employees would be, and have been, fired for virtually identical offenses
Whistleblower Protection
Our union believes that current whistle blower protections, as they have been enforced by the Office of Special Counsel, are inadequate to protect federal workers. Whether it is through stricter enforcement of existing whistleblower protections, or through legislation, we strongly support strengthening these key protections, which are such a critical element of government accountability. BLM employees are in desperate need of a Special Counsel that will protect employees who open themselves up to reprisal when coming forward with information on waste, frauds, and abuse.
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We have to keep going back to the original point…Wild Horses & Burros are NOT the cause of range degradation…PERIOD.
There is and never has been verifiable data to prove otherwise because range evaluation has either been ignored or NOT DONE AT ALL
ANIMAL PROTECTION INSTITUTE OF AMERICA
IBLA 89-285, 89-286 Decided October 16, 1990
Appeals from decisions of the State Director, Nevada, Bureau of Land Management, approving
final plans for removal of excess wild horses in the Carson City, Battle Mountain, and Winnemucca Districts,
Nevada, Bureau of Land Management. NV 03337 and NV N6-89-1.
Affirmed in part, and reversed in part.
1. Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act
The Board will set aside a BLM decision to remove wild horses from a
herd management area where removal is not properly predicated on an
appropriate determination that removal is necessary to restore the range
to a thriving natural ecological balance and prevent a deterioration of the
range, in accordance with sec. 3(b) of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses
and Burros Act, as amended, 16 U.S.C. § 1333(b) (1982).
APPEARANCES: Nancy Whitaker, Animal Protection Institute of America, Sacramento, California, for
appellant; Burton J. Stanley, Esq., Office
of the Regional Solicitor, U.S. Department of the Interior, Sacramento, California, for the Bureau of Land
Management.
OPINION BY ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE KELLY
The Animal Protection Institute of America (APIA) has appealed from two decisions of the
Nevada State Director, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), approving final plans for the removal of
approximately 1,358 excess wild horses from certain areas of the public range situated within 11 designated
herd management areas (HMA) in the Battle Mountain, Carson City,
and Winnemucca BLM districts. These appeals were docketed as IBLA 89-285 and IBLA 89-286 and are
hereby consolidated because they involve similar issues. 1/
1/ IBLA 89-285 involves APIA’s appeal from the State Director’s Jan. 3, 1989, approval of a final plan for
the removal of 627 excess wild horses from the Augusta Mountain, Lahontan, Horse Mountain, Dogskin
Mountain,
and Granite Peak HMA’s in the Carson City, Battle Mountain, and Winnemucca Districts in conformance
with the Lahontan Resource Management Plan. IBLA 89-286 involves APIA’s appeal from the State
Director’s Jan. 9, 1989, approval of a final plan for the removal of 731 excess wild horses/burros from the
Goldfield, Lone Mountain-Paymaster, Montezuma Peak, Stonewall,
116 IBLA
Public Employees for Environmental Protection (PEER)
BLM WEIGHS WILD HORSE IMPACT MUCH MORE HEAVILY THAN CATTLE
Agency Sage Grouse Review Puts Thumb on Scale to Magnify Wild Horse and Burro Effects
Posted on Sep 16, 2014
http://www.peer.org/news/news-releases/2014/09/16/blm-weighs-wild-horse-impact-much-more-heavily-than-cattle/
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They will propose the building of slaughter houses on our own soil just for this. Disturbing!! While the goons at BLM tell us reform and transparency they were cooking this up all along…. We really need a revolution in America. Wake up people it’s a wicked regime- whether you like the sound of it or not.
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So as I read this language, it would take only the simple request of any federal, state, or local agency to sign away the lives of the 50,000 or so already captive wild horses.
Easy enough to see where this would go, and how quickly. Wyoming and Nevada, for starters, would empty every pen they could, as fast as they could get trucks on site.
If this language passes into law, we can kiss all the captive horses goodbye forever, and should then insist the BLMs budget to manage all captured wild horses and burros also disappear forever, since this is more than half their operating budget today.
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It’s election year and time to clean House. Check your representative’s voting record.
United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2016
Elections to the U.S. House will be held on November 8, 2016. All 435 seats will be up for election. Additionally, there will be special elections to fill vacancies that occur in the 114th United States Congress.
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U.S. Senate Races
http://www.senateconservatives.com/site/races
2016 Election Cycle
There are 34 U.S. Senate seats up for election in 2016. Of those seats, 24 are currently held by Republicans and only 10 are held by Democrats. Use our interactive map and the links below to learn more about each of these races
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“This country has gotten where it is in spite of politics, not by the aid of it. That we have carried as much political bunk as we have and still survived shows we are a super nation.”
Will Rogers
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http://focusingonwildlife.com/news/poll-should-congress-disband-wildlife-killing-services/#respond
Not sure where to put this but think we should all read this, and the recent Harper’s and National Geographic articles it references.This one evidently was written by a congressman, who met the same runaround we are all too familiar with.
Here’s part of this article (which has a poll). Notice especially the last paragraph.
Why has hardly anyone heard of this agency?
These are not people who are forthcoming about information. I spent a year working on this story, and contacted Wildlife Services multiple times to ask to go out in the field with a trapper to observe their lethal control operations. They never granted me that request, claiming it would endanger me. Then I sent them a list of 35 questions, almost none of which were directly answered. If they’re not going to a respond to an informational request from a senior congressman in the House, do you think they’re going to answer a reporter?
You interviewed a former Wildlife Services trapper, Carter Niemeyer, who said ranchers refuse to accept the true cost of their business model. What does he mean by that?
Ranchers who run their livestock on public land impose a huge cost on the public in terms of direct subsidies provided by the federal government, and also via indirect subsidies like the government’s predator control programs. Take the case of Idaho sheep rancher John Peavey. He tells me that to feed his cattle with a haying outfit on private land would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. When he lets his sheep out to graze on public grass, that’s hundreds of thousands of dollars he keeps in his pocket. How he turns a profit, then, is by feeding off the taxpayer—a common loathsome practice of business known as corporate socialism. He also imposes a cost on the public’s wildlife: He has them killed to ensure the safety of his animals.
Accepting the real cost of running livestock in the backcountry of the public domain would mean accepting that when you put defenseless domesticated animals out into the wild, they are occasionally going to get eaten. And you have to also accept that wolves have every right to eat them. It’s their land too.
What do you want people to take away from this?
The public needs to be outraged, needs to take action. That means creating a countervailing public interest to the dominant special interest of the livestock industry. If there’s any sort of trouble on public lands that affects ranchers in any minor way, that stockman calls his congressman, calls his county commissioner, calls his councilman. He gets in their office, gets in their face, and starts yelling. We need a countervailing representative like that for the public interest, for the wild.
This article was first published by National Geographic on 12 Feb 2016.
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Many thanks for this , IcySpots. I voted NO at the end of the article and will share it and sign the petitions. The public needs to wake up and call D.C. and stop eating beef (all meat really).
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I guess you meant you voted “yes”?
«POLL: Should Congress disband Wildlife (Killing) Services?
Yes (95%, 178 Votes)
No (4%, 7 Votes)
Don’t Know (1%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 187»
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A Rogue agency: and it needs to go
http://harpers.org/archive/2016/03/the-rogue-agency
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Strange how WS kills & kills but the animals keep reproducing – sort of sounds like what the BLM is doing with the wild horses! Now, tell me, wouldnt an intelligent person figure out that if they keep doing the same thing over & over & it doesnt work – possibly try something else?????? Of course the BLM has figured that out – rounding them up doesnt work – so now we will spay the mares!! We are just now seeing how far this corrupt bureaucracy will go…
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Nature, life tries to fight back but it must be said so far it failed miserably to keep up with the wake of destruction brought by man and its ways.
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Yes, I meant I voted Yes. Thanks, Daniel. Old age and stressed about Spunky. Poor cat had a very swollen hind foot and a high fever. We managed to get thr. 5-6 inches of snow to the cleared, main road and take her to the local vet. She is spoiled rotten like all of my critters.
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Really good article – is this agency really that un-known? I’ve been reading about it for a long time. Another corrupt government agency with no oversight!!
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both Senator Udall and Vice President Biden were well aware of the back door approaches to thwart protection of The Wild Horses well before publicity had emerged , they are working together to circumvent the detour , please voce your support for them but they are much more than aware of the present issue
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I’m remiss in not including Sen. Udall and VP Joe Biden with Rep. Raul Grijalva in those politicians who are very worth a damn!
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Thank you Victoria for the update. I will update what I sent to make sure people is aware this is not the fault of either Biden, Obama or Sen. Udall. Maybe the next step now is writing the media denouncing this backdoor attempt and how the administration and Congress were in essence backstabbed by a rogue agency / small subset of individuals with an agenda.
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It would seem Senator Sanders has the limelight right now, and has the record which supports preventing slaughter so might be a friend also of wild horses. If there is some way to get a question on public lands/wild horses to him “live” somewhere along the campaign trail that could bring a lot of exposure nationally to this matter. I don’t know where the presidential candidates are heading next but someone surely does.
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We has in Las Vegas recently but according to his campaign calendar he will be back VT today for student town hall meeting at the University of Vermont.
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/events
Student Town Hall Meeting at University of Vermont »
Feb 17 2015 7:00PM Davis Center 417 (Livak Ballrooom)
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
Sure there must be some way to reach him or at least an aide… maybe through tweeter.
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Its a relief to really KNOW that there are people in the government who DO CARE! And I sure do support both of them.
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LAWSUIT. THIS ACTUALLY DEFIES THE REASON THE ACT WAS PLACED ON THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE. THEIR PROTECTION FROM SLAUGHTER. What did you think would happen? They were keeping Advocates from viewing horses and counting horses. Their welfare being masked online through Humane handling and kid gloves wording meant to mislead the Public and Government. The fact DD has been hanging out there and flying all over the Universe poking into Animal issues and destroying legitimate cases of abuse. Please. I may not be an Advocate but ive Always been Entrenched in the Reality of the Entire Industry. Propaganda online isnt the only way I hear it. We get it first hand. They are turning the tables. I offered this probability repeatedly. We have to Stop this. BEING LAX THIS WINTER WHILE THEY MANIPULATE THE SAFE ACT AND PENDING LEGISLATION IN WASHINGTON state and This plus Salt Fork horses. I bet you have NOT considered what will happen when the States steal the Public Lands from the Horses and have enough Control to DESTROY THEM COMPLETELY. Right now they are toying with you but its coming. Then where will the Infamous Wild Horses be? Packaged? We have to Jump Out in front of this Train. Read all the quips by proslaughters deceptive leaders and it seems they have laid low. Not the case….that was just restricted online infor. Your on a Need to know basis. They only believe Advocates need to know after Slaughter has reared its ugly deceptive head. Its divide and conquer. They are dividing wild horses then they will invoke States Right to Farm and clause “right to slaughter” and poof the vanishing act is complete
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One Donkey bled to death
Assessment of spay techniques for mares in field conditions
Panel meeting held at USGS Fort Collins Science Center
September 24, 2015
Regina Turner: What is the effect of operator experience?
This is a practical technique. Leon taught 9 vets in Arizona when spaying 5 donkeys. Any vet who generally works with equine reproduction can pick it up, however there is a learning curve.
On one donkey they had trouble getting the left ovary out, after they
finally succeeded the donkey bled to death.
Are there enough trained people?
Plenty of vets would be interested in learning the technique. If there is a complication it can be used as a learning experience to avoid future complications. There were
complications with the donkeys as multiple people were learning how to do it. The
chance of complications increases with the number of times you go in and out of the
animal.
It seems as though the training contributed significantly to the mortality there?
If there are unusual situations then generally complications arise, and this is used as a learning curve to create a better procedure.
It is also worth noting that the number of learning surgeons entering the body cavity
of those burros could have contributed to the one in five mortality rate for those
burros. Dr. Asa noted that one of the major complications could have been the
training itself.
http://www.wildhorsepreservation.org/media/blm-spay-research-vet-panel
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So, they don’t content themselves with just sterilizating them forever… they have to repeat the procedure 9-10 times for all attendants to “experience” and learn it?
Makes me feel sick… truly mengelian in the worst sort of way.
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November 24,2014
Dean Bolstad
Acting Division Chief
Wld Horse and Burro Program
Bureau of Land Management, WO-260
20 M Street
Washington, DC 20003
Dear Mr. Bolstad,
Attached please find a summary table and notes resulting from expert panel
discussions orl Septernber 24,201,5, exploring several alternative rnethods for
wild horse spaying. ln addition to veterinary and academic equine experts,
several USGS, BLM, USDA-APHIS, and Colorado State University staff also
observed and contributed to discussions.
These materials do not provide BLM with recommendations, but provide
information for BLM to consider. The materials reflect the professional opinions
on the current state of understanding about the pros and cons of four spay
methods currently used on domestic horses, as represented and discussed by
panel members during and after the day-long meeting.
Sincerely,
Research Scientist, CSU
Attachments.
Sarah R. B. King
Attendees
In person: Zach Bowen (USGS),
Jason Bruemmer (CSU),
Doug Eckery (USDA/APHIS),
Paul Griffin (BLM),
Al Kane (USDA/APHIS),
Sarah King (CSU),
Joanna Ruffino (USGS),
Kate Schoenecker (USGS).
By WebEx/Phone:
Cheryl Asa (St. Louis Zoo),
Gail Collins (NPS),
Robert Cope, Jay D’Ewart (BLM),
Bryan Fuell (BLM),
Dean Hendrickson (CSU),
Katrin Hinrichs (Texas A&M), Sue
McDonnell (U. Penn.),
Leon Pielstick (DVM),
Patricia Sertich (U. Penn.),
Mark Stetter (CSU),
Regina Turner (U. Penn.),
Julie Weikel (DVM).
Information provided after the panel: Paul Zancanella (DVM)
http://www.wildhorsepreservation.org/media/blm-spay-research-vet-panel
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Will the BLM please leave the wild horses alone? Definitely do not send them to slaughter! !! The wild horses are part of our history and should not be treated so shamefully. The ranchers have enough land. There us plenty of land for all I am not authorizing any of my tax money for any of this vile handling of the horses
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Came across this today:
http://www.tsln.com/news/20603792-113/president-proposes-blm-budget-of-13-billion
The FY 2017 budget requests $1.3 billion for BLM operations and activities, more than $7 million above the BLM’s FY 2016 enacted budget, and positions the agency for success by restoring the health of the West’s 65 million acres of sage-steppe ecosystem and ensuring responsible development of energy resources on the public lands. It also invests in the agency’s National Conservation Lands — including many of the Nation’s most precious and wildest areas — and seeks new tools to address a rapidly growing and unsustainable wild horse and burro population.
…
The FY 2017 budget proposes $1.2 billion for BLM operations, which is $2.1 million above the 2016 enacted level. The request includes $107 million for the Oregon and California Grant Lands appropriation and $1.1 billion for the Management of Lands and Resources appropriation. The change in total program resources relative to 2016 reflects the budget’s proposed offsetting user fees in the Rangeland Management and Oil and Gas Management programs, which together offset the total request by $64.5 million allowing support for additional priorities.
…
Collaboratively Managing Wild Horses and Burros: With more than 100,000 horses in BLM’s care both on and off the range, the agency is redoubling its efforts to reduce the number of horses in holding facilities. The FY 2017 budget request supports new, innovative efforts to secure safe and cost-effective placement for unadopted animals, including proposed legislation to better facilitate the transfer of animals to other public entities at the local, state, and Federal levels. This proposal will work in tandem with other proactive efforts beginning in 2016 to better manage the nation’s large and growing population of wild horses and burros. Each animal placed into private care can save taxpayers almost $50,000.
It’s not clear what they intend by “offsetting” user fees in rangeland management (propping up the paltry returns on grazing leases?), what those “innovative efforts to secure safe and effective placements” means (no surgeries? no shipping to slaughter?) or what transfers to “other public entities” entails. It would also be useful to know how they calculated the $50,000 cost per wild horse saved if costs are shifted off taxpayers to, um, private taxpayers, or how any dollars thus “saved” are subtracted from their annual operating budget.
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We the public must really amp up our objections and raise heck. We have signed petitions emailed & sent letters, always polite when voicing our objections to BLM practices, perhaps now our anger must be more apparent. This cronyism with cattle industry must end!
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Reblogged this on nk4g2.
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IT IS TIME TO BRING OUT EVERY CONVOY, EVERY BUSINESS, EVERY PERSON TO CREATE THE BIGGEST MARCH FOR SAVING OUR WILD HORSES. WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING HUGE AND WE HAVE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR WILD ONES. THEY ARE COUNTING ON ALL OF US TO HELP THEM. THE GOVERNMENT IS A MESS AND THE OFFICIALS MAKING THESE TERRIBLE DECISIONS MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO EVERYTHING THEY HAVE DONE. IT IS TIME TO RISE UP AND MAKE OUR PRESENCE KNOWN. I AM JUST LIKE ALL OF YOU. I LOVE OUR WILD HORSES AND BURROS, I WILL FIGHT TO KEEP THEM FREE FROM THE CHAINS THAT BIND THEM. I WILL SPEAK AND DO WHAT I CAN TO BE THEIR VOICES. THEY ARE CRYING OUT TO US NOW. WE NEED TO HELP THEM FROM BECOMING EXTINCT. WE ARE THE MASSES AND WE HAVE CLOUT. RISE UP WARRIORS AND PUT YOUR ARMOR ON. WE ARE IN THIS BATTLE TO SAVE ALL OF THEM FROM SLAUGHTER MONGRELS OUT THERE. WE MUST CHANGE THOSE BLATANT LAWS AND REMOVE THE TRASH FROM THE AMENDMENTS. CALL, SPEAK UP AND SHARE TO THE POWER HOUSES OF THE WORLD. LETS GET SOME OF THESE MINING, OIL, GAS COMPANIES ON OUR SIDE TO HELP US KEEP OUR WILD HORSES AND BURROS SAFE. BRING BACK THE 1971 WILD HORSE AND BURRO ACT THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE. I AM A WILD HORSE OWNER AND ADVOCATE. HORSES ARE OUR PASSION. WE MUST KEEP THEIR LEGACY AND SPIRIT ALIVE. WE MUST DO IT TOGETHER NOW, NOW, NOW. I WILL DO WHAT EVER I CAN TO KEEP OUR WILD ONES SAFE AND FREE. JOIN ALL OF US IN THIS LEGACY TO SAVE OUR WILD HORSES AND BURROS. SAY TO ALL OF WASHINGTON AND ACROSS THIS NATION THAT WE WILL STAND STRONG WITH OUR WILD HORSES AND BURROS. SAY NO TO SLAUGHTER, OOVECTOMY ON OUR WILD MARES. ADOPT AS MANY AS YOU CAN TAKE. LETS PUT THE BIGGEST MARCH EVER FOR OUR WILD HORSES AND BURROS. ARE YOU WITH ME. I AM READY TO RIDE, YOU BE READY TO FIGHT FOR THIER FREEDOM. DO IT NOW. THANK YOU JUDITH HAMILTON WILD HORSE WARRIOR, ADVOCATE AND WILD HORSE OWNER.
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The blm I hope God forgives you I do not.America wake up Stand up for our wild horses now .
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