The recent New York Times video report of the BLM’s destruction of the Wild Horse herd of Twin Peaks captures Helicopter Stampede contractor, David Cattoor, clearly stating how he and the BLM will shoot and hide the death of an injured horse so that “we aren’t going to give them the shot that they want.”
It’s rare that I either have the time or the inclination to personally respond to individuals who take issue with what we publish and question the depth of our convictions. Most assaults come from phony email addresses and are only meant to damage or demean with four letter words used in rants; so it goes for the opposition. But today I received an email from a woman who claims to be the wife of one of the “ranchers” who set upon the female observers, last week, at the Twin Peaks debacle. Being that I was there, listened, recorded, photographed and elected to disengage during the conversation I feel that it is necessary to respond to this individual, who will be known as “Linda” during this conversation.
LAS VEGAS — Government contractors have fired up their helicopters for yet another roundup of Nevada wild horses. The latest gather targets a remote area north of Ely, Nevada.
Four more roundup operations are on the schedule in our state this year. They will not only thin the herds, but wipe them out altogether.
Several days ago we ran a “tongue-in-cheek” article about the poor math skills of a much recognized individual, Mr. BLiM. That piece was published in an effort to prime the public for the following information, facts and figures. We now have a real sense of urgency upon us as the BLM’s recent release of thier 2011 Stampede schedule indicates their misguided plans to remove 11,000 wild horses from their rightful land…by their OWN numbers that is all that will be left in the wild after their assualt on the horses in 2010. There will be NO MORE wild horses, by their numbers, after 2011.
We wrote on Sunday regarding the impact that visiting a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse Concentration Camp can have upon one’s soul. The facility that we highlighted was Palomino Valley north of Sparks, NV where we were granted unfettered access and did not experience the feeling of being watched or guarded, unlike our experiences at the Litchfield facility outside of Susanville, NV…ground zero for the Twin Peaks Wild Horse extermination.
Just for fun, imagine Ms. Average American standing on stage and questioning our main actor, Mr. BLiM…it’s a short play but one we are confident that you will find interesting.
With stampede operations allegedly shut down for August 28th at the Twin Peaks location Terry and I decided to head in one direction while Herd Watch Coordinator, Laura Leigh went in another. We had visited the Litchfield Holding Facility everyday for almost a week so we packed up the rental SUV and headed to Palomino Valley north of Sparks, NV. Palomino Valley is where the remainder of the captive Twin Peaks horses will go now that Litchfield is full. As of Friday, 909 wild souls had been captured and stripped of their freedom and futures, we wanted to see what the fate of the remaining captives would look like and we are sorry that we did.
Colorado Springs, CO (August 27, 2010)— The Cloud Foundation fully supports the independent review of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) mismanagement of America’s Wild Horses and Burros by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), but only if it is coupled with an immediate moratorium on all wild horse and burro roundups. 54 members of Congress requested both the review and an immediate moratorium in a letter sent to Secretary of Interior Salazar on July 31, 2010. Each herd is an integral part of the ecosystem and without a moratorium there will be few genetically viable herds on Western lands in left to study.
TWIN PEAKS, CA (Horseback) – A heavy, armed police presence protected America and the Federal Bureau of Land Management wild horse stampede contractor from four journalists and no anti-BLM activists at the “gather” held today at Twin Peaks, according to Horseback Magazine’s R.T. Fitch at the site. There were two reporters and a photographer representing the Texas based magazine, as well as a videographer working for the New York Times, a paper which was provided unfettered access earlier this week while other media organizations and citizen observers were kept at bay.
Washington D.C. (August 27, 2010)— On August 25th United States District Judge, James S. Gwin, granted a legal request by The Cloud Foundation, Front Range Equine Rescue and photographer/author Carol Walker, to file a Second Amended Complaint against the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) actions in the mismanagement of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horses. The ruling allows addition of the United States Forest Service (USFS) to the suit. The Custer National Forest is presently moving forward with building a restrictive boundary fence to prevent the wild horses from accessing crucial current and historical summer grazing lands. Judge Gwin ruled that the Plaintiffs’ claim against the fence is not moot as the fence could be removed or further fence building activities stopped should subsequent legal decisions rule in the Plaintiffs’ favor. Judge Gwin ordered the BLM and USFS to answer the Second Amended Complaint within 30 days.
“BLM’s tactic of completing removals of wild horses and burros from the range in whirlwind fashion and avoiding legal challenges to its underlying management of these animals did not work in this case,” explained Valerie J. Stanley. Attorneys Valerie J. Stanley and Bruce A. Wagman represent the Plaintiffs in this action.
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