By Debbie Coffey, V.P. & Dir. of Wild Horse Affairs, Wild Horse Freedom Federation
The Bureau of Land Management announced three new members to the BLM National wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board. One of them is Barry L. Perryman. The BLM had this to say about him: “Dr. Barry Perryman of Reno, Nevada, has been appointed for the category of public interest with a special knowledge about protection of wild horses and burros, management of wildlife, animal husbandry or natural resource management.”
We’re not quite sure what Mr. Perryman’s “special knowledge about protection of wild horses and burros” entails, because Barry L. Perryman is the Director of Society for Range Management, an organization that is a member of the National Wild Horse & Burro Rangeland Management Coalition, the organizers of the 2017 “Slaughter Summit” in Utah.
Only the BLM (and the Slaughter Summit folks) would equate “slaughter” with “protection.”
It’s also interesting that the BLM chose the location of Salt Lake City, the heart of the Slaughter Summit, to hold it’s National Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board meeting on Oct. 9-11, 2018.
In my opinion, Ginger Kathrens, the Exec. Dir. of The Cloud Foundation, is the only member of this Advisory Board who truly cares about the welfare and sustainability of America’s wild horses & burros. Most of the other members of this advisory board are livestock grazing activists and their viewpoints are extremely biased (AGAINST wild horses & burros). They wear this “hat” no matter what category they supposedly represent.
The Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture approve and appoint the new advisory board members. These new appointments were approved by Ryan Zinke (Sec. of the Interior) and Sonny Perdue (Sec. of Agriculture).
As a reminder, we’re re-posting a Dec. 2017 article below:
Researcher Marybeth Devlin corrects the misinformation in a biased OpEd written by Barry L. Perryman
Researcher Marybeth Devlin has corrected the misinformation in an OpEd in the Daily Caller, found HERE. This inaccurate OpEd, titled “It’s Five Minutes To Midnight: The Wild Horse And Burro Tragedy,” more aptly should’ve been titled “It’s Five Minutes to Bullshit: Let’s Ignore The Livestock Grazing Tragedy on Public Lands ” The OpEd was written by Barry L. Perryman, a professor of rangeland ecology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Our thanks to Marybeth Devlin for setting the record straight, and for allowing us to share her comments (below) with you.
Barry L. Perryman, who did not mention livestock grazing on public lands once in his inaccurate OpEd
by Marybeth Devlin
Tragedy … or travesty? The “overpopulation” of wild horses and burros is a pernicious lie. The government doesn’t have a wild-horse problem — the wild horses have a government problem. Overpopulation is a fraud. Birth control and roundups do not fix fraud.
Arbitrary management level (AML): The maximum number of wild horses that BLM says the Western range can sustain — 26,715 — is a political construct. BLM uses the AML to concoct the perception of a crisis. BLM must have a crisis. Why? Politically, agencies have to justify their existence. They must show they are needed. Nothing works better than a perceived “crisis” to secure continued and even increased funding. It’s a way to protect jobs and paychecks. BLM then chooses high-cost management-methods, such as multi-million-dollar contracts for helicopter-roundups — contracts against which the agency can add on its 20% administrative fee.
Sparsely populated, widely dispersed: Wild horses are few and far between. Per the 31,583,386 acres — 49,349 square miles — of dedicated wild-horse habitat across the Western states, the AML establishes a maximumstocking density of 1 wild horse per 1,182 acres — nearly 2 square miles. Imagine if cattle were held to the same standard! However, many herds are more severely restricted. Here are examples of stocking densities that BLM deems “appropriate” in Nevada.
1 wild horse per 3,102 acres ( 5 square miles) — Antelope Complex
1 wild horse per 3,566 acres ( 5½ square miles) — Triple B Complex
1 wild horse per 6,606 acres ( 10 square miles) — Eagle herd
1 wild horse per 9,591 acres ( 15 square miles) — Silver King herd
Contrast with livestock density: To put this in perspective, nationally, BLM allows a stocking density of 1 cow-with-calf pair (or 5 sheep) per 76 acres, which means 8 cow+calf pairs (or 40 sheep) per square mile. Further, within dedicated wild-horse habitats — where the mustangs are, by law, supposed to receive principal benefit of resources — livestock are often awarded 90% or more of the grazing slots. Examples from Nevada:
96% of AUMs to livestock — Antelope Complex
94% of AUMs to livestock — Triple B Complex
Normative annual herd-growth = at most, 5%: Gregg, LeBlanc, and Johnston (2014) found the average birth rate across wild-horse herds to be just under 20%. But they also found that 50% of foals perish before their first birthday. Thus, the birth rate is just a temporary blip in the data. Starting with the surviving-foal rate (10%), and then subtracting a conservativeestimate of adult-mortality (5%), the expected normative herd-growth rate would be, at most, 5%. At that rate, it would take 14 years for a wild-horse herd to double. Meanwhile, the corresponding growth-rate for wild-burro herds is 2%. At that rate, it would take 35 years for a burro-herd to double.
Fraudulent figures on the range: Why am I and other advocates persuaded that there can’t be anywhere near as many wild horses as BLM alleges? Because BLM’s herd-growth figures are falsified. Repeatedly, we find BLM reporting one-year increases that are 50, 100, even 200 times the norm, far beyond what is biologically possible. Examples:
237% — 47 times the norm — Great Divide Basin — WY
260% — 52 times the norm — Shawave Mountains — NV
293% — 59 times the norm — Diamond Hills South — NV
317% — 63 times the norm — Jackies Butte — OR
418% — 84 times the norm — Black Rock Range East — NV *
522% — 104 times the norm — Salt Wells Creek — WY
525% — 105 times the norm — Carracas Mesa — NM **
1,218% — 244 times the norm — Centennial — CA
1,257% — 251 times the norm — Carter — CA
* BLM claimed the Black Rock Range East’s population grew from 88 horses to 456 horses in one year, an increase of 368. If so, that would mean each filly and mare gave birth to 17 foals.
** BLM claimed the Carracas Mesa population grew from 12 horses to 75 horses in one year, an increase of 63. If so, that would mean each filly and mare gave birth to 21 foals.
Fraudulent figures off the range: A report was just released following a 5-year investigation by Wild Horse Freedom Federation. It revealed that BLM has been publishing fictitious figures regarding the number of wild horses removed from the range and now supposedly boarded in private pastures. BLM is paying, but where are the horses?
http://wildhorsefreedomfederation.org/white-paper/
Fraud and embezzlement are crimes: BLM’s figures with regard to mustangs are false and misleading. Making false and misleading representations =fraud, which violates Title 18 USC 1001 of the Federal criminal code. Embezzlement and theft violate various sections of Title 18 USC Chapter 31.
Lagomorphs: Jackrabbits, cottontails, and hares — the lagomorphs — are dominant herbivores on the Western Range. A recent study in Utah found that jackrabbits were consuming 34% of the forage on local grazing-allotments.
Locusts: In normal times, grasshoppers and crickets — locusts — consume 20-to-25% of the forage in areas where they are present. However, in times of outbreaks, locusts can devour nearly all of it. The 2017 USDA map shows locust-infestations in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. The 2016 map revealed that Nevada was experiencing an outbreak.
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Celeste Carlisle of Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation has been appointed to the Board to accompany Ginger’s voice to represent our wild herds…. Now there are two.
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disgusting travesty
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Courtesy of the American Taxpayer
They really ought to NOT bite the hand that feeds it
Nevada Ranchers Launch Aggressive Ad Campaigns in 2017
On behalf of Nevada’s Public Land Ranchers, the Nevada Rangeland Resources Commission has approved an aggressive advertising effort scheduled throughout 2017.
Anually, the Commission has the responsibility of considering funding proposals that educate or inform the public about the rancher’s role in public land grazing. This year they considered requests from six applicants, all with programs designed to promote responsible grazing on Nevada’s rangelands. The grants were awarded at NRRC’s meeting, March 6th in Winnemucca,
Nevada ranchers with public land grazing allotments fund the NRRC based on the number of AUM’s they are authorized to graze on their respective allotments.
A major portion of the funding will, for the first time, be allocated to a year long, multimedia advertising campaign that that will include the airing of two hour long documentaries, a television advertising campaign and the launch of a social media program. All will be tied to an expanded educational series targeting both our state’s young people and their teachers, according to Rachel Buzzetti, NRRC Commission Secretary.
The successful advertising campaign launched in 2016 on Reno TV channels KAME Fox 11 and KRXI My21 will again be aired in 2017 and include 30 second and 15 second commercials under a “Responsible Ranching” theme that will inform viewers of the rancher’s perspective on the wild horse issue, sagegrouse, grazing fees and sustainable grazing. All commercials can be viewed on http://www.nevada rangelands.org by clicking on advertising campaigns.
The Stewards educational series originally funded and created in 2013 will be expanded and given new life in an alliance with the Nevada Department of Agriculture’s “Ag in the Classroom” program.
http://nevadarangelands.org/latest-news/
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So WELL SAID:
The “overpopulation” of wild horses and burros is a pernicious lie. The government doesn’t have a wild-horse problem — the wild horses have a government problem. Overpopulation is a fraud.
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Well the cards remain stacked against our wild equines and us but we ain’t giving up the ghost that easily, are we.
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Yep!!! 😠
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Just so we all know how the advisory board is chosen, here is the answer from BLM which proves it is not a representation of the public, but instead they are chosen “BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE TEAM” and we all know that management toward extinction is the objective of “the team” as instructed by the heads of the BLM & DOI & DOA.
I asked BLM’s Debbie Collins awhile back, what the process was for the decision of the Board’s new members and here is her reply (and notice there is NO mention of members of the public volunteering or even being considered … so much for democracy and the American way):
“Hi. No we can’t share who applied, only the final selectees. The selections start with recommendations from a BLM-FS team and moves up from there. The White House and DOI/DOA have the final say. The BLM-FS team memebers change based on the needs of the team. Selection process is still moving forward, but has not completed the process yet. Thanks.”
Debbie Collins
BLM National Wild Horse & Burro Program
Marketing and National Information Center
405-790-1056
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What are his credentials that support the “public interest” assignment, especially since he seems to support for-profit livestock grazing at massive puble expense?
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A very informative article! I am in this fight with my heart and soul. Our American Icons!
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Who are the other two new members, and will they be taking their new seats for the Oct. meeting?
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I’m going to be honest, I have no love of the BLM. They have allowed round up after round up of our wild horses. They are living on the blood of these beautiful animals, that are not starving and they are not over populating.
The things that are over populated are the cattle.
The BLM has used excuses such as over population, starvation and saying that cattle and horses can’t live together.
In my book the BLM is nothing but the legal ,government backed extermination squad that gets it pockets lined by the big cattle companies. The wild horses and burro’s all lived just fine for hundreds of years without the BLM. They could live for hundreds more if the BLM and the cattle companies were gone.
Cattle companies don’t belong there anyway.
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Agenda link:
Click to access wildhorse_advbrdagenda_2018SLC.pdf
Interesting ALL the rangeland specialists for a national advisory board meeting come from UTAH.
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