It happened just like clockwork, the timing was excellent. There had been no local “Ranchers” to speak of at the Twin Peaks roundup the day before, but today was different. There was a reporter from the New York Times on hand with a photographer documenting the carefully orchestrated “gather” and for the grand finale, wild horse advocates were on the menu.
SUSANVILLE, CA (SFTHH) – For weeks the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has kept the American public and concerned citizens at extreme distances from the wild horse trapping operations at the Twin Peaks helicopter stampede. Each morning observers must tolerate a law enforcement briefing by BLM Security Chief Jason Parker who clearly states that the public will be held back from the private land, where the trap is located, due to safety and liability issues and should anyone not comply, “things will be escalated to the next level”. Today that changed when the BLM allowed a New York Times photographer to not only locate himself on the private land but to be within the chute of the trap and exposed to both the horses and the aggressive, low altitude helicopter.
With no advanced commentary or notice my wife, and talented photographer, Terry and I have arrived at the Twin Peaks stampede. I flew directly from the other side of the world to meet Terry in Denver, who had just been in the Pryor Mts., and then on to Reno to tag up with Laura Leigh, Coordinator of Herd Watch.
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – When Horseback Magazine asked the federal Bureau of Land Management for a report on the number of horses suffering from laminitis after being stampeded by a roaring helicopter, we actually expected an answer. What we got instead was a tap dance.
Portland, OR (August 18, 2010)—The Stinkingwater wild horse herd of Southeastern Oregon is slated for a near complete removal in a summer helicopter roundup scheduled to begin today. Concerned citizens in Oregon and across the country have been calling for a stop to this unnecessary and costly action.
We have spent so much time addressing the inequities, injustices and cruelties surrounding the roundups, we sometimes forget to notice there is a beauty within all this ugliness, the reasons why we fight the fight.
On Aug 17th federal officials released a report stating that the holes in the carcass of a young foal found by wild horse advocates probably came from scavenger birds and not gunshot wounds.
Two days after the remains were found by concerned U.S. citizens a vet from the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service examined the carcass and stated that the cause of death could not be determined due to advance stages of decomposition according to BLM spokesperson Jan Bedrosian.
Our friend George Knapp called me over the weekend to inform me that the BLM is at it again. As we covered in our ATSNews Video series, the BLM has been rounding up the Federally Protected Wild Mustangs because they claim the range can’t sustain them.
Babies screaming for their mothers, lame horses, horses down and this is all for the good of the wild horses?!?!?
Arriving at the Litchfield Holding Facility at around 6:00 a.m., just before dawn, we were briefed by ‘Jeff’, a uniformed BLM representative on the rules of conduct. Most pointed: Disruptions or jeopardizing of safety would discontinue regular observation day. This was punctuated by 3 armed Law Enforcement officers; one, wore a Kevlar vest.
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