This beautiful horse broke out (jumped the panel after capture at the trap) and stood by the jute… moving forward and back… forward and back… as his family loaded.
After the trailer (with his mares) went past him he shot up the hill behind us… then eyed the trap from the other side of the hill calling to the babies… he moved off as vehicles came in but stopped as a trailer came back up the road… and called to see if his family had come back.
Off in the distance you could see a chopper… he briefly headed toward the band being chased and then so very slowly… with head down… went down the road… and over the horizon.
I have seen thousands and thousand of horses loose everything they have. I don’t normally name them.
But this horse is “Allegiance.”
It is what he demonstrated and what we owe him.
I will edit video and get images together as soon as I can… but I am exhausted… have hours of tape and pics to log of over-driving, atrocious flying, BLM admits hotshot use and more.
As well as a few tears to shed tonight.
A local auto shop fixed my truck today even though I couldn’t pay… he said to bring the money when I get it… but to get out to the range and keep an eye on “our” horses….
Tears for many reasons tonight… these people that live here love these horses… but they are not a mine or ranching interest… they are just people that read the local paper and live their lives in this hard, but beautiful place… and cherish the ideals of Freedom and survival that “our” horses represent.
I sit here as the clock turns midnight. Today is the fortieth anniversary of the unanimous passage of the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act.
§ 1331. Congressional findings and declaration of policy
Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene. It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.
Forty years later it appears that “mustanging” has simply become a government enterprise. Instead of humane management of herds in the wild, we now have a system where the government simply chooses the profiteers.
A complex system of mostly private contractors warehouse our National Treasure at public expense, yet off limits to public scrutiny. Roundups that occur without any meaningful access to assess the condition or actions of the contractors, at public expense. Policy that is so outrageous and contrary to the Act carried out on a daily basis.
“Have you commented on the EA(Environmental Assessment?” is a common response from BLM (Bureau of Land Management).
Well I don’t know about you, but hundreds of thousands of comments that disagree with policy are considered “of no significance.” After a while you feel like your voice as an American means nothing to the current administration.
It also appears neither does the law.
There are several lawsuits that are pushing that issue within the Judicial system. In Twin Peaks we still have a case very much alive holding feet to the fire on accountability to protocol. The West Douglas herd was saved for yet another year through litigation. The First Amendment violations very becoming very clear to a vast majority of the media as a dangerous precedent to documenting the actions of government in a “Democratic society.”
We are forced to take our government to the Courts to demand accountability within the government that supposedly holds our Constitution as it’s blueprint.
The absurdity is mind boggling.
As advocates we are now fighting to stop the spread of wild mares being given hysterectomies in the field. This is not new. It has occurred under the oversight of the Department of Interior through Fish and Wildlife. Now this butchery is attempting to make it’s way into “protocol.”
Let’s paint a clear picture. BLM manages about 252 million acres (and that depends on which website you check). Within that only about 10% are “managed” for wild equid populations. Some of those areas have AML’s (Appropriate Management Level) set ridiculously low. We even have an HMA (Herd Management Area) with an AML of 3.
Genetic bankruptcy is very real. It is happening with an animal that Congress passed an entire Act to protect. The Multiple Use Mandate has truly become “Multiple Ruse.”
We are truly in an age of Industrialization of your public land. The biggest pocket is calling the shots in the way your resources are being used. Your public resources are putting cash into the pockets of large corporations (often foreign owned). The entities that operate on public land often do so subsidized. Yes, in America we run a “welfare” program on the taxpayers back to make the rich, well, rich.
Roundups will begin again July 1 during foaling season. Just because an entity that behaves like a sociopath says something is the truth does not make it so. July 1 IS foaling season. Newborn babies and pregnant mares will be stampeded without a care for their true welfare. The concern is for convenient scheduling and budgets. The concern is to clear the land of horses, not manage the land for horses.
I will lay a flower on Velma Johnston’s grave. Known as “Wild Horse Annie” she was instrumental in passing Legislation to protect our wild herds. I wonder if she knows that what she fought for has not come to reality?
But we go on. We are getting faster. we are not reporting what happened yesterday, but we are uncovering what is planned for tomorrow. We are also getting better at the tools we have: litigation, media and the great mover of mountains, public pressure.
Stay strong, stay smart and watch the “dark side, Luke.”
After 40 years it’s long overdue to have our wild herds protected in the spirit of the Act.
Many of the horses in this video died. I can’t show you those mages because documentation is not allowed. Music Courtesy of the Amazing Maria Daines:
The battle to see our horses continues, as horses continue to die behind closed doors
Wild Horse Education is continuing the legal battle for transparency against the Department of Interior (DOI) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Because the public is continually denied consistent access to roundups and holding facilities that house the American public’s wild horses, taken from public land with public funds, this action is gaining increasing importance.
On February 14, 2011 Plaintiff Laura Leigh filed for permission to appeal her First Amendment Rights case against the BLM to the Ninth Circuit Court. Her plea was based on the fact that there had been no ruling by the Federal Court in Reno to her request for Emergency Injunctive Relief in a case she had filed five months previous. Her request cited that “no action” in a case requiring emergency relief was an essential denial of her motion.
Judge Larry Hicks of the Federal District Court in Reno has now denied Leigh’s motion as “moot.” However in his ruling he does allow written testimony to stand in the record that had been objected to by the BLM.
“Basically this is good news,” said Leigh “What the Judge has now given me is an opportunity to present this case without first going through the process of gaining the Court’s permission. He has also ruled that the entire record of the case remains intact and that is vital to demonstrate the repetitive behavior that has precedent in higher Courts as not moot.”
Leigh has spent the last year observing more roundups than any government personnel and bringing the public daily reports. The suit she brought earlier last year, to the same Court over closure of public land and a roundup during the heat of summer for the Owyhee Herd Management Area, bore fruit for public observers. That suit found that closure of public land was a prior restraint to First Amendment Rights, creating the beginning of a daily observation platform for the public.
“The current suit is NOT about observing a single roundup,” Leigh stated “The emergency relief requested extends to the repetitive battle for observation. We have a right to know how our money is spent in the hands-on management of our horses throughout the process. From roundup through holding and their ultimate disposition, wherever that may be, it is our right to see it.”
This winter horses from the Eagle Complex joined those named in Leigh’s suit from the Silver King Herd Management Area behind the locked doors of the BLM Indian Lakes (Broken Arrow) facility in Fallon Nevada. Horses continue to die and suffer disease out of sight of public scrutiny. Horses in that facility continue to die at an alarming rate as indicated in the weekly reports.
Last spring the BLM closed the doors of the facility, which had previously offered weekly public tours, because of the intensity of public outrage. In an email from Dean Bolstad, of the Nevada state office in Reno to his superiors, dated May 25 of last year he writes: “The impact of stopping the tours pales in comparison to the impact to our employees and BLM’s image.”
Is this a reason to deny the public basic rights guaranteed in the Constitution? Or is this a reason to “clean up your act?”
The full Appeal is expected to be filed by Leigh and her attorney Gordon Cowan of Reno soon.
The legal efforts are supported solely by Wild Horse Education, a registered non-profit in the state of Nevada.
1/31/2011
Personal Note: This suit has been a tremendous effort. You can ask anyone that has travelled with me how many hours I spend researching and crafting documents. Researching and collecting evidence and data in the field daily. The “concept of law” in this country is a complex process and the learning curve is steep.
Yet historically the evidence points to the fact that documentation and exposure changed practices that occured in the past. Documentation is creating a broader base of exposure throughout the world for what America is doing to it’s own symbol of Freedom.
We need to push this program into the light. The closed door facilities need to open. Meaningful observation MUST be allowed at roundups and facilities.
But I need your help. Support this action that benefits YOUR right to know.
Our founding fathers made an incredibly brave stand and wrote the Declaration of Independence. They knew by making a stand for what they believed in that they would not win an across the board popularity contest.
Next came the great Constitution of the United States.
The premises within that document began to build the consciousness of a nation. When I walk through the law libraries and touch the pages (yes, I feel books give a sense that the electronic age desensitizes) you literally feel the development of the identity of this nation.
Case law that demonstrates the evolution of the premises within the Constitution can literally remind you of the pride that is “America.” Sometimes it appears this occurs in spite of ourselves. Civil and human rights cases exist that when you read the cases themselves there is shame that what seems like a “no brainer” in current times was actually an issue that had to be decided within the judicial system. The pages are filled with “bad children” being given rules filtered through the guidelines our “founding fathers” left for us.
Within the Bill of Rights a concept was so important to our “fathers” that it was listed first. (The right to bear arms was second).
“The founding fathers gave the press the mission to inform the people and promote the free flow of facts and ideas, however untimely or challenging or disagreeable those facts and ideas may be.” — Katharine Graham, publisher, The Washington Post, 1973
The concept of a free press is to allow the public an opportunity to investigate and report on the activities of it’s government without fear of reprisal and censorship. The intention is that the true power of decision making in a Democratic society comes from an educated public conveying ideas to a representative that then advocates those positions in debate within a Senate and House toward shaping our nation.
Within the dialogue of “Wild Horse and Burro Program” implemented by the BLM we have a serious breakdown of this process. Plain and simple the public, Congress and often BLM employess themselves are seriously uninformed.
There is currently a lawsuit that has been patiently waiting to actually be heard within the judicial system. A synopsis of the case can (and should) be read at http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=11713 this is an article written by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Congress asks for information and the BLM will chose an “independent” organization (read “pro-slaughter”) to do an investigation or an investigation occurs in house. The reports are continually bias or outright filled with ommisions and inaccuracies. Would we allow the tobacco industry to self-police? Would we make an appointment before showing up to do a search of a crime scene with a suspected perpetrator?
It appears yet again that an “independent” review is being prepared for the BLM by those chosen by the BLM. Those doing the review were suposedly on site Wednesday and Thursday of last week. I was not given the same access to the trap that they were. Activity at holding was very different when the government observers showed up with BLM public relations.
Last week Representative Burton made these statements to the House as a proposal to cut the BLM’s budget in a “slap on the wrist” gesture was made: “It seems to me that we ought to be frugal with the public’s money. We ought to cut the Bureau of Land Management’s budget so that we can save the money and save the mustangs.”
The wild horse advocate community has expressed sincere gratitude toward Burton. He has demonstrated bravery displayed by our founding fathers in bringing this dialogue into a forum that has the power to effect the change needed.
But in all honesty how can any dialogue be effective if that dialogue addresses symptoms of a long standing problem without taking the time to look for the root cause? Any symptomatic reaction has the potential to create a reality that has consequense worse than the current situation. A full investigation of the program and the consequence of placing the implementation of the 1971 Legislation into the hands of an agency with an apparent conflict of interest and often literally “inbred” with those that perpetrated the actions that spurred the need to pass the 71 Act in the first place is sorely absent. Why would any “change” be expected to be implemented any differently? It’s like changing the product you put in a meat grinder… it still comes out in the same fashion.
Until a dialogue actually begins to exist that addresses the root causes, arbitrary boundaries and policy that caters to special interests, the change needed to protect the “living symbol of the pioneer spirit of the west” will not happen.
If the information about the hands on care being done “humanely,” the most basic premise of the 71 Act, remains in the realm of “content control” … how can dialogue in any real fashion exist?
The first step in acheiving that dialogue are independent observations that can only occur when the rights of the public to investigate and formulate opinion is protected. The closed door facilities must be open. Records must be made available in a timely manner for review without the need to file Freedom of Information Act requests. The ability to independently observe the hands on actions of contractors and government employees must occur on an extended basis and not in “periodic windows” at the discretion of those under scrutiny.
“I have taken an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States more times than I can count,” said attorney Gordon Cowan, “that’s what this case is all about.”
1/31/2011
2/6/2011
2/9/2011 (horses dying from pneumonia from treatment similiar)
1/29/2011
2/2/2011 Antelope Roundup
As photos get out access gets worse. I have not been able to get a respiration rate in over a year.
Can you see condition of any horses from here?
*******note: posts containing certain uses of profanity go into a folder that WordPress set up as a filter. Any posts that are profane attacks and not an attempt at dialogue go into a spam folder. Also be aware that if you posts alot of links you also get tagged as spam by WordPress………
I am still waiting to see if the Judge is going to listen…
You all know the story out in Owyhee.
Two years to plan a gather. Last year grazing leases were reissued and a round up called off.
This year they declare an emergency after a court case was filed. They were out there in May and never declared any such emergency. The day of court they create a document claiming 75% of horses would be dead if the judge granted my order.
Yet they did not tell the judge the alleged emergency was finite.
They then played a cat and mouse game with my First Amendment rights. Not a single horse from the Owyhee HMA was witnessed.
Then they played a game using the same two observation days planned pre-lawsuit to say they were complying with the court.
I saw less than 100 horses rounded up from the 1400 (that’s the number Ken Miller testified to in front of the state Legislature on Friday in Ely).
Here is the first day of activity:
I apologize for the camera shake but I had to shoot through the jute and many of the “observers” were rather inconsiderate of those with cameras and the jute was often pulled on.
If you tube doesn’t work I’ll check bugs later. I have to run……. more work to do.
I forgot to add this map. (too much to do)
Anyway, note fences. Is it possible that the BLM misleads? Or just doesn’t have the information? The guy in the video that says he “hasn’t been up there,” is the field offfice manager.
If you can be there please notify whatever advocate organization you belong to. Many will have representatives there.
Because we all care about wild horses and burros.
Wild Utah baby taken just weeks ago
The current administration speaks of a “new direction” and dialogue toward that end.
Yet as it comes to the table not a single concrete action has been taken to demonstrate that is the intention.
The 2010 gather schedule runs full steam ahead. July 1 Owyhee and Rock Creek in Nevada will begin to hear the thrumming of helicopter blades over the horizon. They will drive over a thousand horses through the desert in summer including just weeks, days old, babies miles into their traps to forever loose their freedom. Actions that will be taken based on a broken system.
Mid-July the baby in the photograph above will have his family torn apart at Winter Ridge. This gather will zero out any horses in the area that is exclusively utilized for extraction.
The horses from the Calico Complex are being dispersed.
Calico Filly (photo Elyse Gardner)
The are heading to adoption events, internet competitive bid, long term holding without any real post gather census. The Calico Complex gather was suspended because the projected number of horses were not found.
Right now range surveys are beginning as the Calico is part of the new “MegaPlex” being planned in that area. In weeks data might be available that concludes horses could have (allowed under current protocol) been returned… but the horses will be gone. An independent proposal from RTF/Kudrna sits awaiting a simple “ok” that would keep those horses in that area toward return as protocol within the complex actually begins to do range “repair.” Private dialogue has occurred attempting to hold the “powers that be” to statements made concerning the supposed intent of that complex.
Do you see any indications that a “new direction” is anything more than words? Conversations, meetings, proposals put forward all fall on deaf hearts.
Policy moves as it always has.
More, more, more…. clear the facility because it will need to house another 1,600 before the end of July.
“Move ‘em in … move ‘em out… rawhide.”
But we will go to this meeting and keep talking with the hope that someone will find the integrity to actually back up their words.
My daddy told me once “In this life you truly own nothing but your word. It’s all that really matters.”
Most folks “have a life.” My friday night was spent reading doc’s and searching the web…. hopefully that explains some of the links that were added for my own entertainment.
Someone once said “One door closes, another opens.”
So I have my flashlight out and every mental skeleton key I can grasp.
Y’all do the same. Read everything you can get your hands on. Go to the DOI website and read USGS, BIA, USFWS as well as BLM… Go to USDA…. read, read, read.
Read EA’s. Look at maps. Read geological surveys…. read.
The doors to observe the horses at the Broken Arrow have closed.
Yes, it hurts. But it has created a dialogue, again, about the fact that facilities ARE being contracted as “private” without any consideration to the fact that these are “public” horses.
It reminds us of how many… so many… that have been removed from our sight. But yet BLM continues to funnel tax dollars to a very select few that do have access to your horses.
It speaks directly to the mindset.
Remember that when you put on your “game” glasses. I know you don’t need any more reminders of how screwed up this system is, sorry.
I was sent a link today to a BLM web page with a bit of concern attached to the presentation.
If you look at the content, nothing new. It says “updated May 24, 2010.” (I suggest screen grabs to compare with “updates done later” that have figures for years included in this page. It might make someone great fodder for a “Saturday Night Live” script someday. Is that still on?)
If you watch the video and read the page it has NOTHING new.
OK BLM. You say “annual growth rates average 20%” at the meetings. That’s five years… 4 x 20 = 80%, 5 x 20= 100%. A 100% increase is doubling in size. Oh… now it is a 25% increase?
We will not address the gather schedules that have BLM counts that show figures that have herds increasing in numbers that would imply every mare and even the stallions had twins. (That could be a whole blog post in itself…. as well as more late night TV imagery).
But I get ahead of myself…
Let’s deal with the first line…
“The Bureau of Land Management estimates that approximately 38,400 wild horses and burros (about 33,700 horses and 4,700 burros) are roaming on BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states based on the latest data available, compiled as of February 28, 2010.”
Game “glasses” on:
“estimates that approximately” and “based on the latest data available.”
This page never qualifies either statement. It never gives you a reference or methodology. That’s because within those two statements are fatal flaws of the system.
Look for things they never explain… only “tell.”
The truth is that the BLM does NOT have a database that uses a single methodology for data collection.
Those systems are all created “in district” based on the way a former guy did stuff. Then you take all this “stuff” that is formulated based on the guesswork of the guy that had the job before, add it to the same “stuff” that comes from the guy in the district you border, and create a management plan based on “stuff,” that isn’t the same “stuff,” that has to fit into the system of “stuff” some other state made to create national policy? You know what you should do with that “stuff?” And if the “stuff” is old and you mix it with new “stuff?”
You want to tell me how many horses are out there and how many the land can sustain based on this …. “Stuff?”
In 2008… yes, 2008, BLM created a document titled “Final Report for the Analysis of Inventory and Monitoring Activities in BLM.”
It is a recommendation that states in part:
“new demands for compliance monitoring to meet the needs of wind farms, solar farms, and oil and gas pads are rapidly increasing to the point that FO’s (Field Offices) are struggling or unable to keep up”
This document includes recommendations such as:
“Consider adopting over the longer term a full cost recovery system for permits and monitoring of permitted activity. Landscape monitoring is what is needed but very often field offices and/or states cannot afford to go to a landscape-based monitoring program. Part of the overall cost recovery scheme could very well have an option to have other parties do the monitoring required during the permitting process.”
Did he just write that Field offices can’t keep up with the demands to monitor our public lands because of increased permits? Did he just suggest that one of the ways to handle this issue is to actually have permitees and lease holders actually cover the costs of monitoring our land so they can use it instead of burdening the American tax payer? Did he say maybe get someone else to actually get to the “landscape?”
Damn… he sounds like one of those wild horse advocates.
2008 folks. Recommendations in this report are still not implemented as they continue to round up our horses without accurate data from FO’s that can’t keep up.
And the video on the webpage?
It shows the same two holding “pastures” that the BLM always shows. They leave out the rest.
Wouldn’t you like to have your own private herd of mustangs that only you and your golf buddies could see? Paid for at the tune of $500. per head?
And ADD the numbers in the video folks.
9,660. short term 36,000 long term 12,000 2010 gather schedule
That’s 57,660 horses that you, the tax payer, has no right to see! Sounds like a great strategy to keep up the same old crap and burden a system already in crisis.
If this were a drilling platform it would blow….
“New Direction?”
Gee… I never got past the first paragraph on that page… too much “stuff.” And it leads down the same old dusty road…
I’m out collecting range data… I will report on those findings soon.
“Sorro,” as Elyse named the baby, was overlooked at the Broken Arrow. We were told by Dean Bolstad that the vet is out daily.
A “triage” of sorts was done and three foals given to a wild horse group. The foals given to that group all came from the pen that the weekend observers raised a stink about the weeks prior.
Sorro was not in that pen.
Sorro was in the pen at the rear of the facility. The last pens you see as you go on the tour.
No determination of intervention had been made on that mare/foal pair, none. (After supposedly witnessing that foal for days). The vet came to treat that foal AFTER advocates left that day. By that time it was too late to do anything.
When asked if the vet noted any anomalies (after death) that could have led to the issue, ie. parrot mouth or other dental or structural issue Dean replied… “I don’t think so, nothing in the memo.” But he was unsure if anything was even looked for.
I’m sure he will answer questions on Sunday.
Discussing the issues at the Broken Arrow is not distraction from the main issue. The main issue is competent management of our wild herds… top to bottom. Any agency or piece of the protocol that fails in that mandate should fall under scrutiny. Just because a horse leaves the range does not decrease the scrutiny needed by the advocate community toward the welfare of that life.
I see faulty practices top to bottom.
A massive gather was done in the harshest portion of the winter. Almost 2000 horses were then trucked to a facility that was still under construction. Hospital pens in January and February did not have wind breaks.
A reported 300 births now brings that total to over 2000 horses. Wooden barriers have been placed to keep the hay near the pens. A piece of wood that forms a 45 degree angle is inserted to keep the hay close to the pen after we were told the abscesses were due to pushing against the fence in order to get hay.
However the 45 degree angle piece that keep that hay close to the animals is missing from the pens that contain the animals with the greatest nutritional needs. No slanted pieces are in place for the mares nursing foals…. but the stallion pen that holds the horses the advocates have named…. has one.
So what exactly is motivating change over there? It is not a “thinking” toward the horses. It is a reactionary response to the “aggravation” of actually allowing the public an opportunity to react to what they see.
If they want to dismiss it by calling it “daily snivel” it shows the continued use of dismissive, derogatory dialogue.
Think back to grammar school… a bully locks a nerd in the locker. When the kid is found by the janitor crying the bully makes fun of him. But the bully is wrong.
Issues that deal with health of the range, viability of herds, numbers of lease holders, adherence to law…. and the life of an overlooked foal… ALL OF IT MATTERS.
Not only the continued smoke screen of “multiple use.” The BLM manages over 262 million acres of land. Horses currently occupy about 10% of that land…. by definition that IS multiple use.
I’m sure when we flood the faxes in DC they have a cute derogatory term for it, too.
And if that means we turn the “daily snivel” into a tidal wave…. good. Maybe then the concept of how much American’s care about EACH LIFE that is born of a wild horse will finally sink in.
I have written a few times about the adoption events held by the BLM. Recently I posted concern over some of the horses that get very little publicity and move from first adoption event into the realm of “three-strikes” without much fanfare.
Photo taken from BLM INet site
This pretty girl is at PVC. She is in her second adoption event. The second event uses the same awful pictures as the first. No real publicity campaign associated with either event. Just days ago she had no bids. Today she does! Thirteen of the horses listed actually have bids this time.
Often we hear claims that the public does not “step up.” Those claims are always so outrageous. The public steps up to advocate, adopt and rescue so many that get into trouble. The public at large adores it’s wild horses. People that have never seen a wild horse in person, nor ever will, adore our horses.
But we need our government to really recognize what these animals mean to the moral of it’s people at a time when pride in being American is waning. We really do stand at a cross-roads where WE as a nation can rebuild our economy and social structure not on the backs of it’s people by supporting a select few and selling our land to foreign interests. We can create a real pride by protecting our country and reminding ourselves that being American does not mean being a “sell-out,” but it means being a resourceful survivor… like the mustang.
An effort by those in power could go a real long way right now. They need to show US that the willingness to restore US actually includes the things that matter to US.
I want to take just a minute to point out another horse at PVC that has no bids. This mare is gorgeous… but she’s a bay. Being a bay is a “bad thing” in the wild horse world. I was out looking at horses on private land (checkered land that illustrate that horses only have protection not by where they were born but only by the land they stand on in a moment), where someone may very well have “culled” the bays from the herd he gathers horses from for sale so they don’t breed the color out of the “stock.” Not much I can do about it except recognize the truth of the lack of protection many horses have in our world and the sad truth of what it means to be “just a bay.”
Notes:
#3616 – 3 yr old brown mare, captured Dec 08, from the Callaghan HMA, Nevada.
This horse is currently located in Palomino Valley, NV. For more information, call 775-475-2222 or email John_Parsons@blm.gov or Timothy_Green@nv.blm.gov.
And please….
Visit IDA’s action page often for new Alerts even if you are on the mailing list. Sometimes actions are required very quickly and the few hours you can save by forwarding an ALERT before it hits your inbox could prove valuable.
I was given a copy of American Outrage at Christmas time by Lacy J. Dalton. I was told “You understand but you need to watch this as part of your understanding.”
I don’t watch much television and it’s hard for me to sit still long enough to watch a film… so the DVD went into the boxes I carry in my pick up.
I’m getting ready to hit the road again and decided I would sit still for a minute and watch the film.
This film is an amazing testimonial to the strength and spirit of the Dann sisters. Embroiled in a battle with the US government over their right to use their own land for so many years and in such an outrageous fashion, yet it never removed their humanity.
Many of us know the story. But Lacy was right… now I know the story.
If you haven’t seen the video you can order a copy at the WIN website. WIN is a non profit devoted to the “freedom, safety and well being of the WIN Western Shoshone Indian Horse Herd. You can pick up copies of Lacy’s CD in the shop at the site, too. All sales go to care for the horses.
Jean Marie of WIN is the source of my camera that covered the Calico round up. Without it I would not have captured the images I did of Little Hope, the foal whose feet sloughed off.
Considering today’s date I thought sharing this with you was important.
Accused to Stand Trial for Wild Horse Shootings in Nevada
Wild Horse Advocates will bear witness at court.
Reno, NV (April 21, 2010)—The Cloud Foundation and other wild horse advocates are coming to Reno on April 27, 2010 at 3 p.m. to witness Todd Davis and Joshua Keathly make their first court appearance for allegedly harassing and killing five federally protected American wild mustangs—shot on or about November 28, 2009 in Washoe county, Nevada. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. McQuaid, Jr. will preside in Federal District Court, 400 S. Virginia Street, Reno.
Wild horse advocates find it unsettling to learn that Davis & Keathley are only charged with one count of causing the death of five wild horses for each man. Advocates are calling for charges of five counts, one for each horse as is standard with murder cases. If convicted of one count, each man will face a maximum of one year in prison and a maximum $100,000 fine.
“If convicted, the maximum penalties need to be applied to send a clear message—you kill America’s federally protected mustangs and you will pay the price,” states Emmy-Award winning filmmaker and Director of The Cloud Foundation, Ginger Kathrens.
The public is encouraged to attend the trial on behalf of the murdered horses. The Cloud Foundation joins the public in calling for increased charges in the violent deaths of five American mustangs on public land who are protected by the Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971.
LAS VEGAS — The Calico Hills wild horse roundup has been characterized by the Bureau of Land Management as a huge success. But wild horse advocates say it was a disaster, and one that grows worse every day.
The roundup ended months ago, but the horses are still paying the price — many with their lives — according to animal activists.
The case for the Calico wild horse roundup continues to deteriorate months after the government spent nearly $2 million to capture every mustang it could find in the rugged and remote terrain adjacent to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
From the beginning, the BLM claimed the gather was for the good of the horses and the good of the range, but it doesn’t appear either of those justifications were on the up and up.
First, there weren’t nearly as many mustangs on the range as BLM predicted. The roundup of about 1,900 mustangs fell short of the target by about 700. Second, the vast majority of the horses gathered were in good shape — not starving or emaciated.
BLM manager Gene Seidlitz said his agency was trying to avert a disaster down the road when food might be more scarce. As it turned out, the roundup itself was a disaster for the herds.
Links to Award Winning reports by George Knapp can be found under “Ways to Help” in the menu at the top of this page. It is an honor to have my footage used in these reports.
If anyone finds an embed code on Knapp’s video send it on. : )
A group of wild horse advocates have asked a federal judge to order the return of 1,800 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mustangs to the Calico Mountain Complex range in Nevada. The BLM relocated the horses from the range to holding facilities during a controversial gather earlier this year.
In a brief filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., March 31 by Atty. Bill Spriggs, In Defense of Animals, ecologist Craig Downer, and Terri Farley asked Judge Paul L. Friedman to order the BLM to return to the horses to the range on the grounds that long-term holding violates the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. The Act places wild horses and burros under BLM jurisdiction.
Latest Press Release From In Defense of Animals on the Calico Horses
SAN RAFAEL, CA (IDA) – In Defense of Animals’s lawsuit to stop the roundup of wild horses in the Calico Mountain Complex in northwest Nevada proceeds. Last week, our generous pro bono legal team at Buchanan, Ingersoll and Rooney in Washington DC filed the final brief in the case. We continue to highlight the illegality of the government’s practice of removing wild horses from the wild only to stockpile them in government holding facilities in the midwest. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for April 30 in Washington DC, and the court is expected to issue a ruling by the end of May.
The roundup of the Calico horses exemplifies what is wrong and illegal with the government’s management of wild horses.
The tragedy of the Calico horses began with the helicopter stampeding of horses into traps and the separation of family members. It continues today at the holding facility which confines these wild horses in unnatural, zoo-like conditions. Of the reported 1,922 Calico horses rounded up, from December 28, 2009 to Feb 4, 2010, at least 83 have died from roundup-related problems. More than 40 heavily-pregnant mares have spontaneously aborted, and an uncounted number of foals born at the facility have died. (The BLM does not report foals born at the facility who have died.) The government officials claim this is the typical cost of a roundup and they make our point for us – it is too high a cost. It is an unnecessary cost. It is wrong and it must be stopped.
The Calico horses are kept at a newly-built, feedlot-like facility in Fallon, Nevada – approximately 200 to 300 miles from their home range. They are forced to stand and lie in their own waste. The horses are stressed from the confinement, being kept with unfamiliar horses, separated from their family members and the boredom.
Stress tends to weaken immune systems, which can increase susceptibility to health problems that could otherwise (under healthy, stress-free conditions) be warded off. The government recently revealed that a highly-contagious bacterial disease called “pigeon fever” is present at the holding facility. This bacteria, which lives and multiplies in dry soil and manure, is spread by flies and creates large, open intramuscular abscesses on the horse (the abscesses can also be internal). The government states between 50-100 horses are currently infected. This is just the latest misery to befall these innocent victims. We will continue to monitor this situation and let you know how you can help.
Often we see accusations that the Wild horse Advocates are a bunch of “tree hugging hippies that want the horses to run free and over-run the range.” I have read these accusations over and over until I want to scream.
Yet we have never seen these principles used by a branch of government tasked with managing wild horses and burros as “integral” to the American landscape as outlined by Congress.
When we bring up these scientific concepts to a branch of government we hear responses like: “We are not the bureau of wild horses. We are the Bureau of Land management.”Or they will act as if these principles will only apply to some “Complex” system or “Reserve” in the east.
None of the responses are the truth. Each response is created to further the current agenda. The current agenda continues to find ways to zero out our herds.
Even after the West Douglas decision where BLM was found to overstep their authority, they found ways to break the spirit of law without breaking the letter. The Tobin herd was brought down to between 20-45 animals. I asked Alan Shepard of the BLM if that was genetically sustainable. He answered “Probably not.”
So why does this “assault” continue?
There is a long history in the west. Many of us interpret the wild horse as a symbol of freedom and resilience. Yet there are those that see the horse as a pest or simply a resource. In that lies the divide. Yet the divide become meaningless when you look at the law.
When you bring this up to the BLM they will answer that they are mandated by Congress to gather horses. The truth is that they are not.They are mandated to “manage.” They make the choice to use the “gather and process” as the first line strategy. It has lead to the current crisis.
The time to put the breaks on this current protocol is long overdue. Instead in 2010 our Secretary of the Department of Interior plans to hit the gas pedal. Does that sound like a rational decision from the head of the DOI?
With the dialogue about a new “Tri-state Mega Complex” confirmed in Nevada, isn’t it time to begin to look at alternatives? Alternatives that may very well need no new legislation to implement?
Reserve Design in a nutshell.
Much of the documentation on Reserve Design is dry, yet the priciple is very basic.
You begin with a “Core zone” managed for ecological balance based on species diversity and resource. This zone is created for “minimal management.” The theory is that these places create a balanced ecological system that creates many benefits to man.
Then outside the “Core” is a “Buffer zone.” The buffer is managed for multiple use. The buffer allows for grazing and industry that does NOT interfere with the core. The buffer also creates opportunity for community involvement in other areas that benefit the community, not just a few through subsidized industry. Eco-tourism opportunities, social programs etc. that directly benefit the surrounding area.
Each original HA (Herd Area) outlined in 1971 could currently fall into this category including areas that the BLM has zeroed out. Current law states that these areas can be re-evaluated and horses and burros returned. Many of these areas are economically depressed and could use the jobs such a program would generate. As opposed to say a Uranium mine that ultimately benefits imported workers and a select few, this type of program would benefit regular Americans. The potential for infusing not only income, but community pride and unity, exists in the dynamic of Reserve Design.
When BLM is approached with this theory they simply state it wont work or “we don’t have the land.”
I will state again that this CAN work in each original HA. But in order for that to happen perhaps we need a new organization to implement a dialogue?
Perhaps the BLM/DOI has too many conflicts of interest to effectively manage wild horses and burros?
Or will we actually see new faces invited into the planning process?
Will we ever see anyone within the DOI to have the brass to stop the current protocol?
Why are we continuing to do something we know doesn’t work?
It appears that there is some rather interesting “chatter” in the wild horse world today. I’ll start with this one and post again in a bit…
Maureen Harmonay wrote in an article for the Examiner about the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association reports posted on the BLM webpage about previously undisclosed deaths of Calico horses.
I wont comment to the specifics she addresses, but urge you to read the article. Instead I want to point out a bit more “food for thought” in the reports.
In the report dated Feb. 13, Dr. Davis (ASVMA), writes: “We did not see any indication of infectious disease.” He then goes on to note a horse in quarantine with an abscess that was suspected to have strangles.
comment: A horse with an abscess was in quarantine on Feb 13. A single horse with “no other signs of infectious disease” in the population. I thought we were being told horses had signs of pigeon fever and abscesses since they came in off the range?
He comments about the foals with sloughed hooves. He notes that only “verbal” information was available. He then notes that the foal was “emaciated,” and the metabolic issues associated with re-feeding may contribute to the condition causing eventual hoof slough.
comment: I will send Dr. Davis pictures of the “emaciated” foal with hoof slough.Then he will have visual confirmation that the colt was not emaciated. Perhaps he will delete the justification spin he hands the BLM in this report?
Foal euthanized at Fallon Facilty
He also notes the average body score is 5 or above with a few at 3 or less. 12 horses in the hospital pen were of a 2 or less (mares).
comment: I was there at the end of January and saw a handful of 2′s, not in the hospital pens. The hospital pens held horses suffering from some form of lameness or another. I have photographs, no “2′s.”
However I agree the vast majority of horses were a 5 or better. The high percentage of older horses also refutes a claim of an unhealthy range.
I have too many comments about the reasons horses can drop weight quickly and if you read his report you will see the significant number of issues he left out.
He also notes that Dr. Sanford mentioned pregnant mares, gathered in winter, are usually in the poorest condition.
comment: So why did you do such a large gather during winter against the advice of a federal judge?
I have re-edited the piece “Calico Complex In Retrospect” for viewing on the web.I was approached to provide video for a group pressing DVD’s for DC. They ran a test group and went only with my footage. I felt that the project I had begun was important because it told a more complete story of Calico.
I researched distribution and each option was expensive. This would slow down getting the images to the public in a manner that was timely. These horses need our attention now more than ever. So I created a public viewing option (click on Theatre) here at a site devoted to the project.
I am having difficulty posting photos on the site. I will add pictures when I get to a new location. I can’t add tags to the blog today either. (I found a way around the WordPress glitch. Amazing what you can accomplish if you look for solutions. What a concept! Maybe you all can sense I’m a bit sarcastic today?) For Action Alerts please go to The Cloud Foundation. I will get them posted here soon, but some require immediate action.
Included under today’s date is the first mention of Pigeon Fever. It also includes a link to a “report” on Pigeon Fever by Dr. Sanford.
It also lists another death for yesterday: One 12 year-old mare was euthanized for a spinal fracture due to collision with a fence while sorting.
And one on March 27th: One five year old stallion was found dead in general population and died of unknown causes.
Here is Sanford’s piece on Pigeon Fever.
Pigeon Fever at Indian Lakes Road Facility in Fallon, NV
Veterinarian report prepared by: Richard Sanford, DVM. NV# 565
Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis: bacteria which is found in the soil, is most likely transmitted by biting flies and has a very long incubation period (weeks – months). The disease has nothing to do with pigeons. The name comes from the large chest abscesses that some horses can get, which look like the large breast of a pigeon. (Also known as “Dryland Distemper” or “Pigeon Breast”)
Of the Calico Complex horses gathered from December 29, 2009 – February 4, 2010, approximately 2 percent of the 1,922 horses received at the facility showed clinical signs of healed chest abscesses from recent Pigeon Fever infection and .25 percent to .50 percent showed more recent or currently were infected with Pigeon Fever.
As of March 31, 2010, at the Indian Lakes Road facility, Pigeon Fever is still noted at the .25 percent to .50 percent rate, mostly found in the juvenile horses. The incidence of Pigeon Fever at the Indian Lakes Facility is at the same percentages that exist on the Calico Complex. The chest swellings range from golf ball size to grapefruit size. Fly season occurs at the end of summer. Therefore, it is expected that incidents of Pigeon Fever will decrease over time. Disease may or may not reoccur during the 2010 fly season based on environmental factors, such as temperatures, precipitation levels, soil conditions, fly conditions, etc. It is noted that California had severe Pigeon Fever conditions during the 2009 fly season. It is speculated those conditions apply to Nevada as well.
Horses housed at the Indian Lakes Road facility that have active Pigeon Fever are being monitored. No treatments have been administered to date. Abscesses have all resolved without treatment. No deaths or complications have been associated with infection. Based on 25 years of past experience with wild horses and burros, Pigeon Fever can exist in many of our wild herds depending on current year environmental conditions.
Now here are a few comments:
1. Let’s look at this first
Of the Calico Complex horses gathered from December 29, 2009 – February 4, 2010, approximately 2 percent of the 1,922 horses received at the facility showed clinical signs of healed chest abscesses from recent Pigeon Fever infection and .25 percent to .50 percent showed more recent or currently were infected with Pigeon Fever.
We can now ask “if” this was the case why would it not be part of the information posted on updates? And why was Don Glenn of the BLM completely unaware that Pigeon Fever was even present? Why were the horses from the areas where Pigeon Fever symptoms were present processed and moved into pens with horses from other areas?
2. This blanket statement may be a temporary current statement about the horses at the facility but it is NOT true about Pigeon Fever in general.
No deaths or complications have been associated with infection.
Death is rare, but can occur. Complications, including infection after rupture or from internal abscesses, are possible without proper care. There is also a death listed above that I’m sure “unknown cause” works fine without a necropsy in a diseased population….
3. All I need is this piece of the last statement:
Based on 25 years of past experience with wild horses and burros,
Based on 25 years with horses and burros you consider a feral invasive species. The entire program seems more designed like a “pest control” company than a branch of the US government tasked by Congress to protect “WILD” horses as integral to the American landscape. 25 years of Equine Veterinary experience (or even mucking a boarding barn!) would create a different situation where precautions to protect the horses and the facility itself would have occurred.
If you don’t remember Sanford here’s the “complete” vet report on “Hope.”
February 6, 2010
History and Report on Sloughed Hoof Colt
An eight month old colt arrived at the Indian Lakes Facility on about 1/20/2010
and was in very poor body condition and had sore feet. It was placed in the sick pen area where treatment could be administered. Over the next ten days, thecolt was treated with phenylbutazone (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), penicillin (an antibiotic) and foot bandages (one front foot and both hind feet) on three occasions before it was euthanized on 1/30/2010.
The colt alternately improved and regressed. The colt would be standing while eating and drinking one day and not on the next day. The colt never was able to actually gain weight, improve body condition or show increased energy.
Lameness improved with treatment but eventually the colt became too weak to stand. Hoof wall separation occurred on the front foot and one hind foot. The colt was euthanized for humane reasons.
The gather most likely caused the hoof trauma in this case. However, the poor body condition and weakness was most likely present before the gather.
One of the things that frustrates me the most is that they want to talk the language of “management.” Then they claim superior management in statements like “In 25 years of wild horse and burro management…”
The common definition of “insanity” is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
The horses gathered by the Bureau of Land Management from the Calico Complex in Nevada are currently held at the privately contracted facility named the Broken Arrow in Fallon Nevada. Observers have been allowed to monitor the horses through a two-hour window each Sunday. No observers will be allowed in this weekend due to the holiday.
Pigeon Fever at Broken Arrow this past Sunday (photo Craig Downer)
The presence of Pigeon Fever among the population was observed nearly two weeks ago.
Processing and sorting of horses has continued “business as usual,” with no change in protocol despite the highly contagious disease.
John Neill, currently the manager at the Broken Arrow for the BLM said, “Yes, there is pigeon fever but only a handful of cases.”
When asked if the cases were confined to the horses gathered from a specific area and isolated in the pens sorted by area gathered he replied, “No, we’ve been moving horses around.”
Many of you have sent me questions that seem to confuse Pigeon Fever with strangles. This is not a strangles outbreak.
*** I also need to add that Pigeon Fever does not come from pigeons. It is not a disease associated with “cities.” (Sometimes I don’t know where this stuff comes from.) It is called Pigeon Fever because the most common form causes abscesses that develop on the chest that give a resemblance to that of a pigeon.
What is Pigeon Fever?
From a COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY VETERINARIANS REPORT
Clinical signs: Early signs can include lameness, fever, lethargy, depression and weight loss.
Infections can range from mild, small, localized abscesses to a severe disease with multiple massive abscesses containing liters of liquid, tan-colored pus.
External, deep abscesses, swelling and multiple sores develop along the chest, midline and groin area, and, occasionally, on the back.
Incubation period: Horses may become infected but not develop abscesses for weeks.Animals affected:The disease usually manifests in younger horses, but can occur in any age, sex, and breed.
A different biotype of the organism is responsible for a chronic contagious disease of sheep and goats, Caseous lymphadenitis, or CL. Either biotype can occur in cattle.
Disease forms: Generally 3 types: external abscesses, internal abscesses or limb infection (ulcerative lymphangitis).
The ulcerative lymphangitis is the most common form worldwide and rarely involves more than one leg at a time. Usually, multiple small, draining sores develop above the fetlock.
The most common form of the disease in the United States is external abscessation, which often form deep in the muscles and can be very large. Usually they appear in the pectoral region, the ventral abdomen and the groin area. After spontaneous rupture, or lancing, the wound will exude liquid, light tan-colored, malodorous pus.
Internal abscesses can occur and are very difficult to treat
Note: There is a low incidence in foals.It has also been diagnosed in cattle, and a similar disease affects sheep and goats. The disease is not transmissible to humans, although humans can carry the infectious agent on shoes, clothing, hands or barn tools and transfer it to another animal. Although the disease is considered seasonal, with most cases occurring in early fall, a number of cases have been confirmed during winter months and other times of the year as well..
Treatment: Hot packs or poultices should be applied to abscesses to encourage opening. Open abscesses should be drained and regularly flushed with saline.
Surgical or deep lancing may be required, depending on the depth of the abscess or the thickness of the capsule, and should be done by your veterinarian.
Ultrasound can aid in locating deep abscesses so that drainage can be accomplished.
External abscesses can be cleaned with a 0.1 percent povidone-iodine solution
Antiseptic soaked gauze may be packed into the open wound
A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as phenylbutazone can be used to control swelling and pain
Antibiotics are controversial. Their use in these cases has sometimes been associated with chronic abscessation and, if inadequately used, may contribute to abscesses, according to one study.
The most commonly used antibiotic for the treatment of this condition is procaine penicillin G, administered intramuscularly, or trimethoprim-sulfa.
In the case of internal abscesses, prolonged penicillin therapy is necessary
Care required: Buckets or other containers should be used to collect pus from draining abscesses and this infectious material should be disposed of properly.
Consistent and careful disposal of infected bedding, hay, straw or other material used in the stall is vitally important.
Thoroughly clean and disinfect stalls, paddocks, all utensils and tack.
Pest control for insects is also very important.
Recovery time: Usually anywhere from two weeks to 77 days.
The BLM is moving forward with preparation toward an adoption event of Calico horses currently scheduled for May 15th and 16th at the Palomino Valley Center in Nevada.
I first met Rob Pliskin at the Society for Range Management Conference in Reno a few months back.
Rob Pliskin with Duster and Mel (photo Tracy Gantz)
The conference is supposedly a dialogue toward solutions to issues surrounding the management of public range land. The conference provides continuing education credits for Bureau of Land Management employees. If you have the extra money order a copy of the event, it is pretty interesting. It has little gems on it that include Bud Cribley (last minute substitute for Bob Abbey) of the BLM admitting that the Salazar plan was created because of fear of ROAM. Repeatedly they express a lack of confidence in any Congressional legislation… often to laughter from the audience. A priceless statement to the credibility of the event, Sue Wallis was the Ethics speaker at the conference (OK, stop choking). But I’m getting off track.
I was told to look for Rob that he might have some questions. He sat next to me for the entire second day. (Three day conference). I watched Rob become increasingly vocal and passionate.
Rob Pliskin is a volunteer for the BLM. You may differ in opinion on some of his positions, you may not. In truth we all have subtle differences that in the big picture wont amount to anything if current protocol does not stop now.
I asked Rob if he would send me a copy of his speech from DC and a photo.
These are Rob’s words….
Rob Pliskin (photo by Mom and Tom)
(First, let me say, don’t ever introduce yourself as “just a volunteer.” Like “hi, I’m Rob Pliskin, I’m just a volunteer for….” You people who volunteered to come here are the most important horse people in the world today.)
(Now, look behind me. What do you see? I see the powerful flanks of the horse that General Lafayette rode in on, helping to bring a positive change to a new America that needed some help. Remember that, because in a few minutes I am going to ask you a question about the horse we Americans rode in on.)
Since 1998 I have had the privilege of my life. To be a volunteer for the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Program, gentling wild horses and burros at BLM corrals, in adoption events around the west, and in workshops that teach the public about gentling them. Here is my BLM Volunteer I.D. badge right here. I am wearing it throughout our events. I say this is the privilege of my life, because on one level or another, every one of these horses let me meet them where they live, and some of them despite their superior size, strength, speed, agility, and brains, even trust me enough to put their heart in my hands.
Ironically to some people, this privilege came to me from President Richard Nixon in 1971 when he signed the Wild Horse Annie act into law, protecting our American wild horses and burros. It’s he, and all the good BLMers I know, because there are some, who I can thank for this badge. It’s hard for me to tell you this right now, I used to wear this badge proudly, but today I just can’t. I can no longer look at this badge, without seeing that it is terribly tarnished.
Today, while I still wear it, and these horses still courageously give me their hearts, the BLM lets men and women with steel and dollar signs in their eyes and blood in their throats remove wild horses from their own federally protected lands. And we pay the BLM to do it with our tax dollars. Some of these same men and women will tell you, you know, out on our western lands, we have a real horse problem. Right there is where I stop listening. Because in my experience, a lot of what you learn in horsemanship from the horses, you can apply to the rest of life. And you know what? People don’t have horse problems. Oh no. Horses have people problems. And our wild horses have people problems too, with the govt. that is supposed to protect them.
We can ask important data based questions about this. Like, why did the BLM take away over 19 million acres of wild horse areas and let even more cows and sheep back on some of them, but no horses? Or, why did our BLM management team have to kill 79 wild horses and cause 39 mares to abort their foals in the recent Calico Complex roundup, and pay a contractor over 697 thousand dollars to help them do it? If you had a nice big ranch and 118 of your horses were killed by your own crew in just a few weeks of work, would your manager still be working for you? Would you have paid them 697 thousand dollars and just gone on business as usual? Or would you be saying hold everything, we need to take a serious look at how we do things around here, and nothing moves until we do.
Make no mistake, Federally protected lands in the Great Basin are YOUR ranch, the wild horses that live there are YOUR horses, and YOU pay the BLM with YOUR dollars to do what they do with YOUR horses every day.
There are too many questions like these whose answers the BLM offers just make this badge dirtier and dirtier. They betray the horses they are supposed to protect and they betray the American people. Doesn’t a horse just want a leader who is honest, kind, and effective? BLM, if you want to lead, then you need to start telling the truth.
Let me close now with that one question I told you to remember I was going to ask. In the words of Deanne Stillman, author of Mustang, why are we, a cowboy nation, destroying the horse we rode in on? President Obama, I ask you why? Secretary Salazar, BLM Director Abbey, Wild Horse and Burro Program Director Glenn, why are we killing our horses and removing them from their own ranges when we are supposed to be protecting them? And what’s the name of the agency charged with this duty to protect? The U.S. Bureau of Land Management. And what does U. S. spell? It spells US. It is up to us, all of us, to protect our horses. It always has been up to us.
Richard Nixon described wild horses as America’s living legacy, which deserved protection “historically.” Instead, the history our president, our Congress, and the BLM write today takes wild horses away to the tune of millions of our dollars every year. So I ask you, in closing, please, pray for the wisdom we need to write a different history. I ask you as a citizen or a leader to act with that wisdom, and protect our horses. If in your native language, you have a horse song, I ask you to sing it for the horses. So that they may be protected. So that we may all act rightly. So that one day, this badge – this badge – will be redeemed. If you believe in Change for America, then believe in Change for America’s Wild Horses. Thank you very much.
P.S. Rob just sent me this:
Tonight is Erev Pesach, the Eve of Passover — an old festival celebrating freedom from captivity. Tonight, let’s remember the wild horses and burros. We can’t celebrate freedom with them yet. So we continue to work towards their modern day exodus, repairing the world in their name, until we can. They can’t say Let My People Go, so we will say it for them.
Here is the March 29 reading from Joyce Sequichie Hifler’s A Cherokee Feast of Days. Imagine that it was written for the horses and burros and us as their voice this night. (Stanzas mine)
Nothing ever quite remains the same –
But a time comes when we have to
Follow new guidelines and think new thoughts
And do new things.
It does not take a superhuman,
But it does take a believer –
A worker with ears to hear and eyes to see –
Not just the physical but the spiritual.
We cannot take for granted that any other human
Can have accurate perception and spell things out
For us.
The miracles are not all in other heads, other hands,
Other methods.
There must be a burst of inner fire that sparks a miracle,
That opens a door to a greater life,
A greater calm.
We are never so blind as when we close ourselves off
By our critical views, our hardened hearts, our failure
To perceive the greatness of gentle things.
O friend, look away from lack and need and pain.
Alter your vision and it will alter life.
O, great blue sky; see me roaming here. I trust in you,
protect me!
PAWNEE
As if they could talk, and all of us could listen,
I have spent the day attempting to construct a way to convey to you all that happened in DC.
There is so much to share. The meetings, James Kleinert’s film Desperation Valley, more meetings, the rally, more meetings… and so many wonderful people.
So many wonderful moments.
Hope Ryden and Ginger Kathrens (photo Laura Leigh)
Like when Hope Ryden took to the podium with a small box in her hands. I wondered if they were letters she had saved from children during the fight years ago that helped inspire our legislators to action in 1971? Then Hope passionately removed the contents from the box, held it up and pounded it on the podium. It was a mustang hoof! “You could pound nails with this!” she exclaimed as she extolled the virtues of our mustangs. (I have to admit I did not see that one coming). It was something I wont forget.
So many wonderful people, some I have known for years but never met. I often refer to Vicki Tobin as “the best friend I never met,” I can’t say that anymore.
But there is a single event that best sums up the “feeling” I have after DC. There is a real sense that our voices are beginning to be heard. A real sense that if we continue to raise our voices and unify as a group… we will see change.
I had meetings to attend the morning of the rally. The day was hectic and there was not even time to change clothes. Un-tucked my shirt, grabbed my cowboy hat and headed down the street, 10 minutes late, to meet the others already walking to Lafayette park.
We listened to amazing speaker after speaker as the crowd continued to grow.
Then we marched to the Department of Interior to hand deliver a letter to Secretary Salazar. The crowd stretched for blocks as we made our way through the streets of our capitol. When we reached our destination we chanted, held up our signs and delivered that letter.
And then it happened….
Coming down the street toward our group were four members of the mounted patrol. Aboard mighty steeds the officers moved in and took their position across the street.
The "cavalry" arrives! (photo by Vicki Tobin)
What a beautiful sight they were. This symbol of what the horse means to our country and to the history of the entire world of man. Those horses represented every horse that stood in battle with us, plowed our fields, carried our burdens and inspired us.
Our group cheered and gathered around the horses.
(photo Vicki Tobin)
In an excerpt taken from an article by John Holland from Horseback Online:
I told him that if they were looking to intimidate us, they picked the wrong crowd! I said I face three times that many horses every morning for their feed. He said “We are not here to intimidate you.”
Perhaps they were there to support us? Because that is what they did.
Our “cavalry,” our symbol, our horses stood there as we raised our voices with words they can’t speak. But their presence is something we can never truly express, only allude to.
So they came and stood with us. They spoke as only they can.
Louder than words (photo by Mom and Tom)
I have a renewed sense of Hope.
I was also able to use the example the next day in my meetings at the Capitol. Horses have always been an integral part of our history… and they still play an essential role in our present. This is an important issue for us as a country. At a time of restructuring our economy, health care… our country, the symbols of what it means to be “American” can aide and inspire us to become a greater nation.
March for Mustangs (photo Vicki Tobin)
Video by RT and Terry Fitch to the amazing voice of Maria Danes.
So much happened in DC. meetings with Representatives, the protest, great media coverage.
But the piece that stands out the most in my mind are the advocates themselves. I have several stories I want to share with you. I will post them this afternoon.
But for now I am going to share stories written by others and a link to the wonderful coverage by CNN.
I spoke with Vicki Tobin just a minute ago and she is working on an update for Equine Welfare Alliance.
EWA photo Elyse Gardner
Here is a picture from the rally of some of the EWA folks Elyse Gardner sent to me last night. Left to right… RT Fitch, Craig Downer, John Holland, Vicki Tobin and myself… and the “support” troops standing behind us.
It says so much that when we as a nation need to make a “statement,” we send in the mounted patrol.
Need to add this release from Sen. Landrieu:
WASHINGTON. (Laudrieu) – U.S. Senator Mary , D-La., today joined the call for a better federal plan for the treatment of wild horses and an end to the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) unnecessary wild horse roundups.
The international March for Mustangs, a public protest against the inhumane treatment of wild horses, took place today in four cities across the globe: London, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. Led by celebrity activist, Wendie Malick, in Washington, D.C., the protest comes in reaction to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s attempts to persuade Congress to provide more than $42 million to move animals from the West to the East.
“I have repeatedly called for an end to these inhumane roundups until a more sufficient plan is set in place by the BLM,”said Sen. Landrieu. “There is a civilized way that we can handle these horses, by providing for their adoption or their relocation to a sanctuary. But the cruel and horrific roundups, such as the recent Calico roundup that resulted in painful injury and even death for some horses, cannot continue.”
Last year, Sen. Landrieu fought to protect wild horses by championing language in the Interior Appropriations Bill to prohibit the BLM from using taxpayer dollars for the destruction of healthy, unadopted horses and burros. At Sen. Landrieu’s urging, the Senate directed BLM to develop a new comprehensive long-term plan for wild horse populations by September 30, 2010.
Sen. Landrieu also supported language that encouraged all federal agencies that use horses to acquire a wild horse from the BLM prior to seeking another supplier. In addition, Sen. Landrieu supports the BLM developing an expedited process for providing wild horses to local and state police forces.
As a result of the recent 40-day BLM Calico Roundup, at least 79 mustangs have died and nearly 40 females have aborted their late term foals in the Fallon, Nevada holding pens—where the death toll rises daily as a result of the winter roundup.
Currently, the wild horse and burro population in the United States is about 69,000, and there are 36,000 horses in short-term and long-term BLM holding facilities.
As I prepare to head off to DC to join other advocates to raise our voice for the wild horses and burros I am putting the finishing touches on many projects. The one I am most proud of is a new video of the Calico Complex gather. The pride stems not only from the piece itself, but from the process of creating the piece.
This effort came together very quickly. It required fast communication and a real cooperative effort from many people. The process truly speaks of the effort that is needed to be that voice for our horses and burros. This is an effort made by “just people.” People that devote their time and resources to stand for something they believe in.
In that space personal differences become meaningless… self transcends into a collective space of “voice.”
The complete DVD will have a short film and history of the gather as well as personal statements by those that contributed to the piece. Distribution information will be available within the next 24 hours.
Once more I want to remind you that even if you can’t make the trip to DC set the 25th of March aside and contact your local media, set up a table with brochures, wear a ribbon, a t-shirt… start a conversation… for our wild horses and burros.
I don’t normally post “reprints” this often but this “trail” is important to follow. This is the third story in a row from Steven Long of Horseback Magazine on veterinary credentials.
The responses Steven gets to what should have been very simple requests speaks loud and clear. These types of responses are what we receive most often. The “straight answer” never comes. It creates an atmosphere of absolute distrust.
If these are the responses to simple questions, imagine how convoluted the responses are when we ask more complex questions?
The BLM representatives will stand in front of a television camera and give a reporter a quick sound bite response while wearing a uniform. An advocate will then need to express to the reporter how those responses are incorrect or misleading and then try to represent the “truth” as we know it… and the real truth will remain an unknown until an investigation occurs.But the reporter walks off with the sound bite… and the majority of the public never “gets it.”
This example of a simple request, the type of response and the potential consequence is so clearly illustrated by Steven in these three articles.
If you want to be “educated” on standard BLM operating protocol… these three articles are really all you need.
Death Toll for Calico Now 115 While BLM Has No Credentials for Vets on File
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – The record death toll for a federal Bureau of Land Management roundup has again risen with the demise of two more horses raising the count to 115. Specifically, 69 have died at the agency’s Fallon holding facility, 7 died at the site of the Calico roundup itself, and there have been 39 miscarried foals.
The animals are under the care of BLM veterinarian Dr. Richard Sanford. Horseback Magazine asked for his vitae under the U.S, Freedom of Information Act. In a certified letter to the magazine dated March 9, 2010, the agency responded.
“We have conducted a thorough search of our files and were unable to locate any records responsive to your request.”
Sanford is the second BLM veterinarian who appears to have no credentials on file with the bureau. Dr. Albert Kane, who has worked on the Calico “gather” is not licensed as a veterinarian in Nevada according to state records. Sanford holds a Nevada vet license.
According to a physician, veterinarian, and emergency medical technician contacted by Horseback Magazine, virtually all medical professionals have credentials on file where they are employed and carry them as well.
These same professionals have raised questions regarding moving wild horses from a sparse diet of desert grass to one of rich hay as soon as they were captured. They have raised questions that the Calico tragedies are the result of gastrointestinal problems such as colic.
Unlicensed Vet Working Nevada Gather Where 113 Horses Have Died or Have Been Miscarried
By Steven Long
Photo by Laura Leigh
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – A government veterinarian working for the Bureau of Land Management in its Nevada office has treated horses there without a state license.
At least 113 captured horses have either died or been miscarried after a grueling chase by helicopter over rocky mountain land in the dead of winter.
Horseback Magazine confirmed late Monday in a check with the Nevada Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners that there is no record of a veterinary license for Dr. Albert Kane. Last month the magazine sought the vitae of the veterinarian but the BLM refused to supply it.
Kane is a Veterinary Medical Officer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Health Policy and Programs staff. In this position he serves as a staff veterinarian and advisor for the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program, according to spokeswoman JoLynn Worley.
“Dr. Kane doesn’t have a current bio or CV available at this time and has declined to prepare one specifically at your request,” Worley said at the time.
After the refusal to respond to the magazine’s request for Kane’s credentials, a request for that information under the Freedom of Information Act was filed. Thus far there has been no BLM compliance on the FOIA.
The 113 dead horses came from BLM’s Calico Wild Horse Management Area in Northern Nevada. The “gather” was a tightly controlled operation in which press and public was held in a viewing area far from the actual roundup and helicopter driven stampede.
Horses captured in the operation are now held in the BLM’s Fallon processing facility.
Horseback Magazine has now asked the BLM if Kane is licensed elsewhere other than in Nevada.
The Fallon facility is under tight control with press and public barred from observing horse processing in other than rare and brief media days and observation opportunities.
Opponents of the gathers have charged that the government agency is rendering America’s wild horse herds genetically bankrupt on its 260 million acres of mostly vacant land.
Last year, in a 68 page document titled “Alternative Management Options” the BLM discussed killing thousands of wild horses. It also addressed the issue of neutering horses in enormous numbers.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a former rancher, has proposed that thousands of horses be sent to seven holding areas in the Midwest and East as tourist attractions. The proposal has been ridiculed by equine welfare activists as “Salazoos.”
I’d like to take some time to share with you another “voice.”
The other day I shared an essay by Monica (Monika) Courtney with you. Monika and I have been buddies through the web for some time now. I admire her bravery and commitment.
I have shared a story about Craig Downer and an amazing stallion of the Calico Complex.
Here is my story about two more amazing people that raise their voices with “horses at the heart.”
The Horses at Heart, RT and Terry Fitch
One very snowy day in Nevada the Bureau of Land Management held one of their Advisory Board Meetings. Meetings that claim to be a component of “public process.” The truth is that these meetings are simply a show. The public is told the “what is” according to “BLM Math” and convoluted logic. The advocates are given just minutes, timed, to read their pre-submitted comments into record. A record that goes into the untold gulf of comments deemed “of no significant impact.”
A winter storm had raged the night before. It dumped feet of snow. The icy roads and continued snowfall created significant, almost impossible, driving conditions. Flights were canceled and airlines were turning back many that were waiting to land.
One woman made her journey from Texas. But the need to add her voice was so important the soft-spoken woman braved that journey, alone. Her name is Terry Fitch.
It was my first time meeting Terry “face-to-face.”
When the time came to speak she was sitting behind my chair. She expressed how nervous she was and that speaking in public was not something she did often. Yet she rose as her name was called and made her way to the front of the room.
She added her voice. Her papers shook. Her voice cracked and filled with emotion. She spoke from her heart.
When she took her seat she expressed that she was afraid that her emotion got the best of her and had a negative impact on her words. It is such an odd feeling to be criticized by those that oppose the advocates that we are “emotional.” When an issue is so outrageous and dwells within the areas of your heart that truly care, of course there is emotion. The real truth of her voice showed how this gentle soul truly spoke with the integrity of who she is and the love of horses that beats in her heart.
A couple of days ago I had the honor of being welcomed into the home of that woman. Her husband, R.T. Fitch, treated me to BBQ and “Texas hospitality.”
As I drove up I actually wondered if there were a servants entrance to park my old truck.
But there was a man standing in the driveway waving me in. The man was wearing an old straw cowboy hat, shorts and muck boots. A very familiar fashion statement.
RT and Harley by Terry Fitch 2010
I pulled my truck into the drive. The man leaned in and said “Does it leak oil?” and then he laughed. The laughter was deep and pure.
We shook hands. “Hi R.T.”
He led me over to Terry who was out with their horses. I was greeted by their dogs. I met Harley, Apache, Pele and Bart. I felt truly at “home.”
The entire afternoon the feeling never changed.We shared laughter, love, and really good BBQ. The genuine nature of these two people and the love they have for their world, animals and each other truly lives at that little ranch.
When I returned home I shot a quick e-mail off to let RT know that my old truck had returned me safely to my keyboard. He answered “could have used more time.”
I shared the sentiment, but know there will be more.
Our hearts truly join together as we move past the constraints that our lives place upon us and come together in this place of “horse.” That heartbeat grows stronger and pumps all the nutrients needed to wash away the toxins of man’s world. It cleanses our lives. Our voice grows strong.
Please join that beating “heart of the horse” and raise your voice on March 25. Even if you can not make the trip to DC. Contact your local media. Set up a table outside the local grocery store, your school, your front yard and educate the public to what is happening to our wild horses.
Outrage Over Wild Horse and Burro Removals Crosses the Pond
CHICAGO, (EWA) – The outrage over the round-up of America’s wild horses and burros has spread internationally. Groups in the United Kingdom will be holding a rally in front of the American Embassy in London on March 25. On the same day, Americans will be holding a rally across from the White House in Lafayette Park that will conclude in front of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) offices.
United We Stand (photo:Elyse Gardner)
The London Protest was organized by Jane Bravery, Mary Alice Pollard of Cornwall’s Voice for Animals (CVFA), Maria Daines, singer/songwriter and board member of Saving America’s Horses and international actress, Melita Morgan. The rally is cosponsored by the Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) and The Cloud Foundation (TCF).
Maria Daines commented, “If we do not stand as one on issues that affect all species whose purpose is to live wild and free, we cannot expect our own species to evolve in a compassionate and considerate way towards each other. Wild horses deserve their time and place, they deserve our protection and we must exist peacefully with these glorious creatures or risk losing them forever.”
Mary Alice Pollard adds, “Cornwalls Voice for Animals represents seven thousand supporters worldwide and stands united in ending wild horse round-ups and seeing the wild horses being born free and living wild and free.”
The Washington DC rally and press conference is hosted by Friends of Animals and is cosponsored by EWA, TCF, and In Defense of Animals. A screening of James Kleinert’s documentary, Disappointment Valley will be held the night prior to the protest. Celebrities, advocates and organization members from across the country are expected to attend the two day event.
“There is a groundswell of support for the preservation of America’s Mustangs. The BLM would like the public to believe this is just a minor uprising but this is a major international movement.” ~Ginger Kathrens, volunteer executive director, TCF.
The recent deadly round-up at the Calico Complex in Nevada has added to the tremendous support for a moratorium on round-ups. To date, 113 wild horses have lost their lives as a result of the round-up. At least two foals literally had their hooves run off.
“Our wild horses don’t have the luxury of time to waste while we grapple with bad policy. We must not allow special interests to methodically eliminate these horses from public land or our future generations will be robbed of their natural heritage.” ~Mariana Tosca, Actor and Social Activist/Animal Activist
CVFA, EWA and TCF urge the public to attend these rallies and ask that President Obama issue an immediate moratorium on round-ups and reject BLM plans to relocate wild horses to the East and Midwest until current range studies and independent population counts are available.
EWA’s John Holland notes, “The United Call for a Moratorium originally sent to President Obama and the Department of Interior in November, remains unanswered.”
The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, umbrella organization with over 100 member organizations. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids.
There are so many amazing people I have come to know that have opened their hearts and raised their voices for the voiceless.
I spoke to an advocate that may not be able to attend the rally in DC. Her name is Monica Courtney. Monica was at the Pryor Mountain round-up. She sent me this piece she wrote that was originally posted on “Straight From The Horses Heart.”
I’m sharing her voice with you today. Please raise yours…
Freedom Lost
by Monica Courtney
In this land of wide open spaces, lush forests and mystic canyon lands… war has begun.
Where once peace and serenity were our inspiration to appreciate the sacred gifts who live in these lands… a battle of destruction has intruded, a merciless aircraft has caused a panic mode and havoc to set in, the peace is shattered, the strength of family bonds destroyed.
An operation has begun, under the false facade and guise of a propaganda called management. A merciless hunt that reflects the greed of a corrupt government is at work again. This calls any freedom-loving American to duty now. The very freedom of our legacy, the American Mustang, is stolen as I type this. The symbol of Freedom is hunted under aircraft, pushed off their homes, separated from their bands, forced down the mountain range for 12 miles to exhaustion…to the point of no return, where a Judas horse, symbolically called this for betrayal, is sent out by BLM to lead the confused, exhausted and terrified mustangs into their dead end corrals… the trap.
The sound of despair fills the air. The clouds of dust from panicked horses settles, yet the spirit does not. The mustangs desperately whinny for their band, their families, their security, their instinct to protect them from harm…. the aircraft is still hovering, the noisy darkness has overshadowed the victims of the hunt…. trapped by an agency who deceives not only the public with false statements, lies and misleading information… but the very ones they were ordered to protect many years ago. The wild mustangs.
The BLM is not the agency body to protect the West anymore. They have risen above their own law to destruct what is rightfully ours, what is rightfully the horses’…. our future generations might never see a wild horse again as the master plan of BLM is to wipe them out. The spirit of America is stolen, caged up and sold off at auction.
The viability of herds is seriously at risk and the BLM’s statements of their “management” plan untrue, full of lies hiding an ulterior motive. Despite all common sense and evidence presented, our government chooses to ignore the public’s outcry and more pressure is needed NOW.
Wild mustangs… dispatched into unknown futures, ripped away from their homes and families, stolen off the range that is legally theirs… forced into corrals, getting marked with numbered collars, strained by devastation and fear…. degraded to objects in pens, to be adopted out as stolen property of the American public.
The prospect of losing freedom is unimaginable to Americans. Yet this dark movement conducted by an agency with a plan of destruction is guaranteed the future of the wild mustangs to be lost, and to become an exhibit in the wax museum for your grandchildren to see, an only reminder of what once was and should have been preserved.
America, Land of lost Freedom. We defend our freedom. At any cost. We must rise above tolerating such heinous acts inflicted by our very own government agency, BLM. We must fight the battle right here in our own backyard…. to protect the very ones whose lives, spirits, families, and existence has been stolen.
This is a call to anyone with a sense of duty and responsibility to preserve this American Icon. I am reaching out to your conscience to speak up and represent what America is supposed to be, for all: A Land of the Free, where the mustangs roam – let’s prevent the BLM from gathering more trophies for their morally depraved and sick plan – This is much deeper than a love affair for horses….. It is about defending Freedom.
With my own eyes I saw the theft of freedom, inflicted on innocents on the Pryor Range. The dead spirit, confused and hurt minds, the betrayed look in their eyes…the panicked cries… is something I will never forget.
Stories always end. May those be cut down that inflict this unforgiving harm to our legacy and heritage of Cloud’s herd and other wild horses doomed by BLM in this land.
Exploit me not. I was once a horse on the Pryor Mt. Range in Montana.
This is my tale. What can be worse than freedom lost ?
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – A Nephi, Utah, government contractor was paid $697,359 for a Nevada roundup of wild horses in the Calico Mountains. The roundup was held against the advice of federal judge Paul Friedman of Washington D.C. who wrote that holding wild horses in large privately owned facilities is likely against federal law.
At least 113 horses have died thus far, including two foals that shed their hooves after a helicopter stampede over rocky ground in the dead of winter. A BLM vet has acknowledged that the roundup was the likely cause for the foals to lose their hooves in an excruciatingly painful end of their lives.
Information on fees paid by the federal Bureau of Land Management to Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc. was released late Friday to Horseback Magazine by Deputy Division Chief Dean Bolsted of the agency’s Wild Horse and Burro Program.
The large number of deaths in the roundup is unusual.
In 2008, 45 percent of the roundups resulted in at least one fatality, and on one in Nevada, 27 horses died. The total number of deaths through injury or for other reasons totaled 126 animals that year.
Alternatives to the helicopter stampedes approved by the agency include baiting and trapping, however, BLM directs the type of capture when a “gather” is scheduled.
According to Bolsted, government horse capture contractors are paid for the number of horses captured, feeding and watering for animals kept at the gather site overnight, and transport of animals from the capture site to designated short term holding facilities such as Fallon, a Nevada holding pen and processing site..
Private landowners in a capture area do not reimburse the government for removing wild horses from their property. The animals are often considered a nuisance to western ranchers and have been sometimes referred to as “the cockroaches of the west” by some.
The percentage of dead horses on BLM roundups in 2009 was slightly worse than the previous year at 46 percent resulting in at least one horse death. A mid-summer Wyoming gather proved fatal to 11 horses – tiny by comparison to this year’s Calico roundup.
As of late 2009, a total of 205 horses over a two year period died at the agency’s hands during roundups to thin the herds despite the vastness of the lands managed by BLM. The agency controls almost 260 million acres, much of it is vacant, and over a million cattle graze unmolested on the land, some of which was once reserved for wild horses. The number of 205 dead horses does not reflect the number of foals lost due to miscarriages.
Asked by Horseback Magazine if BLM plans to launch an internal investigation, Bolsted said, “No internal investigation of deaths is planned.”
The roundups by BLM have drawn protests from coast to coast. The next is planned for Washington D.C. on March 25, when activists will set up shop across from the North Front of the White House in Lafayette Park.
The BLM response to the burgeoning scandal has been a proposal to set aside seven wild horse refuges, dubbed “Salazoos” by activists after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a former Colorado rancher.
Sen. Mary Landrieu and others have called for a Congressional investigation of the Bureau’s Wild Horse and Burro Program which administers the animals under the 1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act, or “Wild Horse Annie Law,” named for the late Velma Johnston of Reno.
Horseback Magazine has repeatedly sought an interview with BLM director Bob Abbey, who has thus far turned a deaf ear to repeated requests.
The captured Calico horses are currently held at the BLM’s Fallon facility. Neither press nor public are allowed to observe the agency’s treatment of the animals, conduct a census, or to spend prolonged periods in their presence. The gates are opened to infrequent and tightly controlled viewing by small screened groups for one and one half hours. Only one reporter or photographer will be permitted from each media outlet during the next scheduled viewing.
Press and public were also not allowed unfettered access to observe the Cattoor roundups of horses in the wild. Horseback Magazine offered to have only experienced mounted journalists and wildlife experts in the field with company and BLM wranglers to observe the helicopter roundups.
Armed guards were on site to prevent observation of the “gather,” as was the case in late 2009 at Montana’s Pryor Mountain when the iconic wild horse, “Cloud” was captured. The horse was the star of three PBS specials by Emmy award winning documentary filmmaker Ginger Kathrens.
I noticed in my “internet” wanderings that Sue Cattoor has mention me by name on her companies website.
Before I address what she actually posted, (if I decide to address what she wrote pertaining to my name) I want to address the forums in which people use the Internet and their implications.
Many of you that follow my blog know that the use of language is a subject I find rather interesting. From the way we communicate with each other daily, to the way language is taken from a theory into practice, is becoming a subject that occupies much of my thoughts.
As we attempt to move the issue of “Wild Horse and Burro” in America into a phase where dialogue toward problem solving becomes a possibility, the use of language will clearly take on more importance. I urge you all to become very aware of terminology and it’s implication.
In “electronic space” you and I now occupy “the blog zone.” I am an artist by trade that has created a blog to share “Information, thoughts, photographs, expression (with horses at the heart).” My site takes comments for open discussion of what I blog.
Courtesy of dictionary online:
Main Entry: blog
Part of Speech: n
Definition: an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page; also called Weblog, Web log
Example: Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.
Sue Cattoor is writing about the gather activities on the Home Page of what appears to be her business website. Not a blog page, not a page nestled in the site that promotes her livelihood… but the “Home” page. Her writing is not on the BLM website. She does not publish her website with BLM approval of content nor does it represent the BLM. She is a private contractor running a business. That business receives revenue from the BLM as well as from other government contracts and private entities.
I asked Tom Gorey of the BLM about Sue Cattoor’s Informational authority on BLM protocol. This is his response, (it was the expected answer):
Laura ~
Sue Cattoor speaks for herself and her company. The BLM has its own
representatives to speak for the agency.
The Bureau shares information with Ms. Cattoor that is relevant to the
contracting work she does for the agency. Beyond this, she has access to
the same information available to the public that is posted on our
Website(s).
~ Regards,
Tom
So within the parameters of human language there are certain implications to the manner in which her writing is presented.
The importance of these “updates” would be priority to her company because it is listed on the “Home” page.
The implied official capacity she writes from as the holder of a government contract adds weight (implied) to her writing.
The inclusion of her Company address adds another “communication” tool that again implies the authority from which she writes.
Many of you that follow this issue will read what she writes and see the manner in which she presents “what happened” as distressful. But consider the source, consider the placement, consider the language as you read. Consider the business that she operates.
Yet do keep in mind that her testimony is relevant to the perpetuation of her contract as utilized in BLM assessments on gather operations. Then read again what Gorey wrote in response to my question.
Now go back to Cattoor’s website. Click the “Information” tab.
She answers questions such as this one:
Problems Inherent in the Passage of the 2009 ROAM Act
…with excerpts from an article by Sue Wallis. Highlighted in yellow is a provision I have not seen in all the hours I have poured through ROAM looking for issues with language.
(OK, so I should have put the “remove liquid from mouth” warning prior to directing you here)
Or this:
How can you watch a wild horse roundup?
“Some of the lies being circulated on the internet this summer contain statements that say the contractors and BLM do not want and sometimes do not allow people to watch wild horse roundups. As contractors, we always work with the BLM to accommodate visitors and photographers…”
Do I need to go on?
You might like this one:
Things that we do to assure the welfare of foals.
“…If the pilot sees the foal or even a weak or old animal is getting tired, he radios the wranglers at the trap and they go out with saddle horses and a horse trailer and load and transport the foal or other animal to the trap…”
The photos make you want to grab the kids and head out to a gather for a picnic.
So my dilemma is this:
Does this actually deserve more of my time? Or do I just prepare for DC?
Once upon a time I left my world to head off to follow the wild horses. I went straight to an area many refer to as “where the horse turns.” That phrase is used to compare the area to the drama contained in soap operas. Not only because of the concentration of horses that inhabit the area, but because of the political climate. This climate encompasses not only the government, but the advocates as well.
Let’s just say the term is an understatement.
When I first became involved with this issue, some time ago, it was difficult to find cohesive action among the advocate groups. This issue is so large that communication was often splintered into selective focus out of necessity. Gaining information in a timely manner proved to be a challenge, with a few exceptions. One of those exceptions was a man named Craig Downer.
Where's Craig?
From the moment of our initial contact involving the horses at Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Downer sent me volumes to sift through. He said take what you need and “run” with it. He gave no direction, advise, nor gossip.
Before I ever met Downer I heard things about him that ranged from “He’s a man of God,” to “If you expect him to have your back you better have your butterfly net handy. He can fly off into the stratosphere!”
I finally met Downer face-to-face at the Society for Range Management conference in Reno. Soft spoken and shy, he was a perfect caricature of the “absent minded professor.” He said to me, “Laura, we have the truth on our side. Keep speaking it and we will win.”
He spoke with a conviction so pure it was like that of a child. It made me painfully aware of my own cynicism. He had a way of being that we all held in some distant memory that has been buried by the constraints “life” has imposed on us. That ability to believe that “truth, justice and the American way,” meant the things you thought they did when you were first taught the “pledge of allegiance” in school was alive and well in Mr.Downer.
His words galvanized me with a new purpose. Not only did we need to win this for the horses, but for Downer, and to fan that flame of belief deep inside of all of us.
Craig Downer
Since then Downer and I have shared information, collaborated on a few projects and gone to see the horses still free.
While Craig was in court trying to protect the horses at the Calico Complex from the threat of the BLM round up, I made a slideshow from some of his photos. It was my way of supporting his effort. It was my “prayer.”
One of the horses in the video is a magnificent stallion Craig named Lightening. Lightening is the palomino with the lightening bolt marking.
After the slideshow was posted on You Tube I received several e-mails that commented directly on the beauty of that stallion. The slideshow did not show any starving horses living on a degraded range as the BLM claimed. It shows healthy, thriving horses free on their range to be what they are.
Recently I received a phone call from Elyse Gardner. She was calling to soften a blow. She wanted to let me know that she was writing on her blog that Lightening had been seen again, in his holding cell at Fallon. We shared our grief and mourned his loss of freedom. She has written her account of the day she and Downer found Lightening again on her blog.
I was grateful for the call.
Downer said to me, “Laura, we have the truth on our side. Keep speaking it and we will win.”
On March 25 there will be a big rally for the wild horses.
The Cloud Foundation has a write up on all the details here. This sheet includes an itinerary as well as info on carpooling.
Please join if you can.
If you can’t attend use this opportunity to notify local media in your area to the march and set something up at your school, grocery store, front yard where you can pass out information on the Moratorium and the real crisis that wild horses and burros are faced with today.
Personally I am offering 50% of all sales from my online Art Gallery during the Month of March to the effort of funding observation and involvement toward protection of our wild horses and burros. This effort is being channeled through the Cloud Foundation.
Equine Welfare Alliance has just issued a press release asking that “Salazoos,” the proposed solution to the wild horse crisis by Secretary of the Department of Interior Ken Salazar, be “defunded.”
This release comes on the heels of Senator Boxer’s letter to Ken Salazar asking for answers to some hard questions.
Before Congress gives this program more of the tax-payers money to throw into the black hole that is the Wild Horse and Burro program, Salazar needs to step up to the plate and answer those questions. Then he will need to address the scrutiny that his response will deserve.
And as a side note to all of you following the United Call for Moratorium that has been sent to Congress, Salazar and Obama… there still has been no reply to the letter.
Say No to Federal Funding for Wild Horse Salazoos!
CHICAGO, (EWA) – The funding testimony for the planned sanctuaries dubbed by wild horse supporters as “Salazoos” outlined last October by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, will be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Energy and Natural resources on March 3, at 10am.
The outcome of the testimony will decide if our wild horses belong on their western public lands or in “zoos” in the East and Midwest and whether the BLM will commit millions upon millions of future dollars to warehouse wild horses and burros that would otherwise live without cost to the taxpayers in their natural habitat where they have lived for centuries.
The requested funding would increase the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) budget by $42M to purchase one of the seven planned “Salazoos.” The Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) and its over 100 member organizations, Animal Law Coalition, The Cloud Foundation and numerous Mustang advocate and welfare organizations are vehemently opposed to increased funding for the BLM for this incredible financial sinkhole.
America already has a management program in place for our wild equines. It’s called the 1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act. It was inspired by a heroic Nevada woman, Velma Johnston, who as “Wild Horse Annie” gave these horses a sanctuary BLM has been trying to destroy ever since it was passed.
A management program for wild horses and burros on public land has yet to be proposed by the BLM or DOI that is compatible with current law. Their answer is to remove wild horses from the land, permit grazing by millions of cattle at below market rates and move our horses to a zoo like setting far from their home. In fact, the BLM was given appropriations to care for the wild horses in holding pens but has appeared to use the funding to round-up more horses. When citizens complained, they were denied access as armed guards prevented them from even viewing horses in captivity.
With no viable management plan in place, it is a disgrace and waste of critical tax payer dollars to increase funding to yet another mismanaged program. The 1971 law calls for wild horses and burros to be managed on their public lands – not in holding pens and not in zoos.
The BLM spent approximately $2M gathering a mere 2,000 animals at its Calico wildlife management area, a cost of $1,000 per horse. Once in holding, the animals will each cost the government approximately $500 per year to warehouse. Worse, the government charges ranchers only about 20 cents of every dollar that program costs taxpayers. “The Salazoo plan is yet another raid on the public funds by special interests”, says EWA’s John Holland.
BLM has spent more than $2 million in 2009 on a firm that stampedes wild horses with a roaring helicopter. At the Calico Nevada round-up, more than 98 have died as a result, including unborn foals and two babies who lost their hooves after a multi-mile run of terror.
The wild horses and burros represent a mere .05% of animals grazing on public lands. When the 1971 law was passed, wild horses were present on 54 million acres. Since then, over 200,000 horses have been removed along with 22 million acres of public land. Many herds have been zeroed out leaving public land available to return wild horses to their land. Congress should replace the lost acres with good grazing land for the animals BLM wants to place in its Salazoos.
The livestock grazing on public lands alone outnumber the wild horses and burros by over 200 to 1 and are subsidized by taxpayers to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Neither the BLM nor DOI has yet to explain how millions of privately owned livestock are sustainable or how neither agency can find room on the 262 million acres of public land it manages for less than 50,000 wild horses and burros. Neither has explained why the wild horses and burros are being blamed and removed for range degradation when the government GAO studies reflect the livestock are ruining the ranges.
The EWA and ALC call on Congress to deny additional funding and specifically defund wild horse and burro round-ups until the DOI and BLM can provide independent current range population counts, current range assessments and a viable management plan that upholds the 1971 law.
Both Sen. Mary Landrieu and Sen. Barbara Boxer have posed serious questions to the BLM on its management practices. Those questions should be answered immediately with facts, not spin.
Additional details on defunding the BLM for “Salazoos” can be found at Animal Law Coalition, article number 1188.
The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, umbrella organization with over 100 member organizations. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids. http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org
WASHINGTON, DC, (Horseback) – California’s Sen. Barbara Boxer released a letter demanding answers from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar regarding the embattled Bureau of Land Management. It’s Wild Horse and Burro Program is under fire after the deaths of scores of horses in a mid-winter “gather” in Nevada’s Calico Mountains.
I am writing to thank you for your recent attention to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Wild Horse and Burro Program and to seek information that would help me evaluate your proposed refoms to this program.
Wild horses and burros are majestic symbols of the American west and are beloved by many people for their remarkable intelligence, grace, beauty, and power. Unfortunately, these charismatic animals have also been at the center of great controversy for many decades.
Commercial harvesting once threatened wild horses and burros until public outrage led to their protection under the 1971 Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. After working to recover these species for many years, the BLM has recently begun trying to reduce populations once more due to concerns that the animals are now overpopulated. The BLM contends that unchecked population growth has led to decimation of forage, starvation, competition with native animals, and land use conflicts. However, many animal rights advocates contend that the animals are healthy when left alone in the wild and that the BLM’s efforts to control populations are jeopardizing the survival of these iconic species.
To better understand your recent proposal for reforming the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program and evaluate these different arguments, I would appreciate it if you could answer the following questions:
What techniques are used to estimate wild horse and burro populations, assess the genetic viability of herds, and determine appropriate management levels? Has there been any independent verification of the BLM’s techniques or data to ensure that they are based in sound science?
What are the disadvantages of allowing wild horses and burros to remain unchecked in the wild? Has there been any independent documentation of the BLM’s claims about the health of these animals, their impact on environmental conditions, and the need to remove them?
How does BLM ensure the humane treatment of wild horses and burros during roundups and retention in holding facilities? Has there been any independent confirmation of the humaneness of the BLM’s treatment of these animals? Are there any alternative methods for rounding up the horses that might be less disruptive to these animals and possibly make them more suitable for adoption?
Do you have any specific sites in mind for the National Wild Horse Preserves that would be established under your new proposal? How many acres would be needed for these preserves? How many preserves would be federal and how many private?
How much would it cost to establish and manage these National Wild Horse Preserves? Can you provide me with a cost-benefit analysis comparing this proposal with the status quo and with leaving the horses where they are currently found?
This is a complex and emotional issue with important long-term ramifications for the future of our wild horse and burros. I appreciate your attention to this matter and your look forward to your timely response.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Art and Horses……
Another question she needs to add:
Why when asked by advocates for an overlay map of grazing leases and permits over herd management areas are we directed to a geocities website where we would have to build our own map lease by lease? How can the BLM possibly manage the area in any way, shape, or form without such a map?
I approached the BLM with a conceptual proposal. I was asked “where would we put it.” I said “give me a map and I’ll show you.” I was sent to geocities. I turned it over to John Holland to look at. Creating the map would be a full-time job for months! It would most likely require trips to each BLM field office. It’s absurd that a simple map of where leases overlap the shrinking HMA’s contained in the 262 million acres of BLM managed land does not exist as public record.
I hope she gets the answers soon.
I can’t wait.
This has to stop.
Just a note:
I’ve just finished General’s Saga Part 2 and will post by tomorrow night.
Editing the video and “just life” have me a bit tired tonight. Elyse called me to let me know she was posting on her blog that “Lightning,” the magnificent palomino stallion in the Equine Welfare Alliance slideshow I made, is at Fallon. She will send me a link when she gets the full story up and I will add it here.
I apologize for the camera shake. I borrowed a camera I had never used before.
It was cold and my nose kept running.
This video is long. If you are already depressed about the actions, or lack thereof, by the current Obama administrations Bureau of Land Management, please don’t watch this.
Just the few hours that we as a group have been allowed to observe this gather we have seen so much. It boggles the mind what may have occurred when this agency was allowed to operate without witness.
Horses continue to die from the gather. The stress of the actual gather, the stress of confinement and diet change. The stress now of processing. This was a massive gather done at a very vulnerable time of year.
Now these symbols of American freedom, those that survive, face adoption, sale authority, and long term warehousing.
Note: at about 4 minutes into this video is the video of the foal harassed by helicopter in a longer form than previously shown.
My heart aches.
Edited to add:
Yes, this video is available in HDV. The quality is “dumbed down” to cut down on render and upload time. If you need clips to send to local media e-mail me the time code and I can burn a disc.
KEEP CALLING the White House Hotline and your local Senators! Don’t forget local media. Get the word out!
Please do not bombard YouTube. This article is just “food for thought” on the real care we need to use when choosing our words that will define our reality. And a reminder to be “extra” aware right now how we respond to the words we are given.
Many of us post things on YouTube. Kids share their adolescent angst, parents their kids achievements, you can find just about anything on YouTube. I’ve seen flowers grow in slow motion and I have heard from my teens there is a guy that boasts about peeing in mailboxes.
I’ve never had any issues with posting on YouTube until now.
A couple of weeks ago I posted a brief video illustrating some of the actions sanctioned by the Obama administration and carried out by the Bureau of Land Management.
Salazar was Obama’s choice for head of the Department of Interior. Here is a Youtube of Salazar reading to school children.
The clip I posted simply shows footage and documents location and notes that the foal died and the reason.
Within a couple of hours people had trouble viewing it. They were getting this message:
You must be logged in to view this video.
The following content has been identified by the YouTube community as being potentially offensive or inappropriate. Viewer discretion is advised. Please confirm that you wish to view this video.
This video or group may contain content that is inappropriate for some users, as flagged by YouTube’s user community. Please confirm that you wish to view this video.
This video is unavailable.
A few hours later it was running smoothly and people could see it. Then I was notified that error messages began to appear on the link again, and then in a few hours was back up. Last night I tried to view the clip and received the error for over an hour. (I have uploaded content before from the same program and not had this kind of difficulty).
The next video was put up to show how horses are processed at Palomino Valley. The intent of that video was to show that observing the process is not as dangerous as BLM is stating as they bar the public from witnessing the horses processed at the new Fallon Facility where the equipment is identical to that in my video.
This video was up for over 24 hours without any issue. Equine Welfare Alliance put out a press release and within one hour it was flagged. Same code:
You must be logged in to view this video.
The following content has been identified by the YouTube community as being potentially offensive or inappropriate. Viewer discretion is advised. Please confirm that you wish to view this video.
This video or group may contain content that is inappropriate for some users, as flagged by YouTube’s user community. Please confirm that you wish to view this video.
This video is unavailable.
It’s up now and running fine. Again all it shows it processing horses. An action sanctioned by the Obama administration and carried out by BLM.
Flagging the posts in itself really means nothing. It changes nothing.
But what it does do is illustrate language and it’s effect on us. At first I was confused and upset that the video would not get out to people. Then I received email from others that were really upset that the video was down. People that really care.
So I thought for a minute.
A few definitions courtesy of the internet dictionary:
of·fen·sive
Pronunciation: &-’fen-siv
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or designed for attack <offensive weapons>
2 : causing displeasure or resentment; especially : contrary to a particular or prevailing sense of what is decent, proper, or moral offensive way> —see also OBSCENE —of·fen·sive·ly adverb —of·fen·sive·ness noun
in·ap·pro·pri·ate
Pronunciation: \ˌi-nə-ˈprō-prē-ət\
Function: adjective: not appropriate : unsuitable
— in·ap·pro·pri·ate·ly adverb
— in·ap·pro·pri·ate·ness noun
not appropriate; not proper or suitable: an inappropriate dress for the occasion.
Now let me ask you this:
Was the subject matter contained in the videos offensive?
Was it inappropriate?
(OK, this creates another interesting question if the actions in the video are condoned and funded by our government, doesn’t it?).
YouTube warns: Viewer discretion is advised
dis·cre·tion
/dɪˈskrɛʃən/ Show Spelled[dih-skresh-uhn] Show IPA
–noun
1.the power or right to decide or act according to one’s own judgment; freedom of judgment or choice: It is entirely within my discretion whether I will go or stay.
2.the quality of being discreet, esp. with reference to one’s own actions or speech; prudence or decorum: Throwing all discretion to the winds, he blurted out the truth.
WASHINGTON, DC, (
