June 5, 11:06 AM
LA Equine Policy ExaminerCarrol Abel
Questions and controversy fly on the heels of Thursday’s proclamation by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Bob Abbey of a “new day and fresh look at the wild horse and burro program”. Abbey is requesting public input concerning a Strategy Development Document designed to implement Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s Wild Horse and Burro Initiative which is to be presented before Congress this coming September… continued here.
Carrol Abel, photo
thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com 
June 9, 2010 at 1:26 am |
Without a moratorium this is meaningless..they are planning to continue the roundups thru 2011!!! so whats to discuss? more land for a handful of horses left? The way they are decimating the herds, inbreeding will finish them off..I would rather spend my money going to denver to boycott and protest these meetings..no offense to those going..its a job that has to be done..The bodies aren’t even cold on the calico horses and they are getting ready to throw up fencing..there is no intention of putting horses back on soldiers meadows or many of the other good grazing areas..It was always intended to go back to cattle use as was revealed in the WWP lawsuit on the calicos..and just for the record..I am sick of hearing them say they are taking death and slaughter off the table..CONGRESS-took it off the table..lets make sure we clarify that to the public.
June 9, 2010 at 4:18 pm |
I sure would like to see a moratorium, but I believe the DOI/BLM would fight it tooth and nail. The fact that the 2010 Gather Schedule lists names of contractors for almost all the captures indicates to me that contracts have been signed, maybe into 2011.
If the BLM defaults, they would be facing Breach of Contract lawsuits. I don’t think any of the contractors would be shy about threatening to sue, as it would deprive them of a majority of their income.
As for fencing, I read that it has been proposed for wild horse management/rotation on the HMAs as well as prepping the land for more cattle. So much for “free-roaming”. The 1971 Act is being dismantled piece by piece.
June 9, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Seems to me if the gov. can hold off on the off shore drilling leases that have been signed already..they could institute a moritorium on the roundups as well.
June 9, 2010 at 10:33 pm
You would think so, Sandra, but the oil spill is and will remain high-profile for YEARS. The Gulf disaster couldn’t have come along at a worse time for defending the wild ones.
Washington is dancing as fast as it can to keep the onus on BP and its subcontractors, but I think it’s only a matter of time before the O&G industry and those thrown out of work by the moritorium start suits against the government.
Whomever gets sued, it’s fertile ground for fast-tracked class-actions and billable hours. Once again, the lion’s share of any settlements for the plaintiffs will go to prosecuting attorneys. And American taxpayers will pick up the tab for government defense.
I sure wish we could get together with other organizations and tar the DOI/BLM with the same bad-management brush. Otherwise, I’m afraid the wild ones will remain an afterthought.
June 10, 2010 at 1:59 pm
We have to keep demanding a moratorium, otherwise this is all just window dressing to enhance their case before congress in September.
Personally, I believe the oil spill works to our benefit…it points out what we have been saying about the management and lack therof exhibited by the BLM..We have been the lone voice in the wilderness up to this point-while the DOI is trying to keep the finger pointed at BP-news media and online blogs are starting to do some investagative reporting on individuals and policys within the department..and starting to mention the wild horse program as an example of incompetence..slowly we are getting folks out there to see the connection.
June 10, 2010 at 2:06 pm
http://latinopoliticsblog.com/2010/06/07/ken-salazars-bp-fox-sylvia-baca/
June 10, 2010 at 2:41 pm
http://www.gsnmagazine.com/article/20817/former_blm_whistleblower_questions_abbey%E2%80%99s_suitabi?page=0,1&c=cbrne_detection
June 9, 2010 at 1:53 am |
Is there any chance of getting these meetings on the public record? Audio, transcripts, can we watch or listen on line?
June 9, 2010 at 10:50 pm |
If they adhere to Roberts Rules of Order, they should at least be recording audio and transcribing minutes of all public meetings, both formal and informal. That’s how our City Council operates. I’ve made audio tapes and copied minutes of a number of meetings.
Don’t know if the Feds use Roberts Rules or make rules to suit their own purposes. Pre-screening questions really bothers me. It allows too much shaping to support a particular point of view.
June 10, 2010 at 1:50 pm
There were video tapes of BLM officials rolling their eyes and yawning at the last meeting
June 9, 2010 at 11:58 pm |
Abbey is asking for public input? Roundtable discussions? What happened to the excellent ideas and recommendations put forth on the DOI portal? How much input from the concerned public do they need before understanding how people perceive the situation?
June 10, 2010 at 12:01 am |
THIS IS POSTED ON THE MUSTANG’S PROJECT BLOG
The BLM Utah will host a public hearing at the West Desert District Office to discuss the use of helicopters and motorized vehicles in the management of wild horses and burros on Utah’s public lands. The hearing will be held on, June 9 at 6:30 p.m., at 2370 South 2300 West, Salt Lake City, Utah. An annual public hearing for comments on this issue is required by federal regulation. The Salt Lake City hearing will be the only one held this year in Utah. For additional information about the upcoming public hearing contact Jared Redington at (801) 561-4632, or the BLM Utah State Office at (801) 539-4057. For information on future wild horse and burro adoptions, visit http://www.ut.blm.gov , or contact the Delta Wild Horse and Burro Facility 435-864-4068, 600 N. 350 W., Delta, Utah, or the Salt Lake Wild Horse and Burro Center 877-224-3956, 8605 W. 12600 S., Herriman, Utah.
June 10, 2010 at 12:13 am |
THIS PUBLIC HEARING ON THE USE OF HELICOPTERS SHOULD BE HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE WILD HORSE AND BURRO ADVISORY BOARD MEETING AND ON THE SAME SITE. NO REASON TO HOLD BOTH MEETINGS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE MAP.
June 10, 2010 at 1:47 pm |
Good point Louie..They are keeping us spread out across the map..I am sure it will brought up at he meeting in denver..Nobody is going there to play softball.
June 10, 2010 at 4:12 pm |
think you will like this story Louie..
http://culturemap.com/newsdetail/06-10-10-wild-mustangs-plucky-tennis-champs-underdog-a-snipped-stallion-things-that-make-me-cry-from-the-heart/
June 10, 2010 at 2:29 pm |
Meanwhile back at the ranch…comments for
http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/battle_mountain_field/blm_programs/wild_horse_and_burro/reveille_hma_wild.html
June 11, 2010 at 11:45 am |
Sandra, thank you. Strapped for time right now–will pull up the link when I have a chance. I am hearing back from BLM–email and real mail(the old fashioned kind).
June 12, 2010 at 12:38 am |
Yes, we have to keep working at everything we are already working on and everything that someone will think up yet to forward the fight.
I agree with every single cynicism.
The DOI thing was asking us “how” DOI could be more transparent, or something like that. It was not intended to obtain strategies to solve any particular program. And we gave it our all in the comments section. I have to believe someone read those. Maybe, this new program is an extension of our efforts there – no way to know right now or if that program is even finished and where it went.
For sure, if we do not participate in the outreach how will BLM spin that?
June 13, 2010 at 6:37 am |
Maybe we should send the President a copy of the meeting in Denver..It will probably not be the same version he gets from salazar or Abbey
June 14, 2010 at 4:39 pm |
My June 9 comment about the DOI portal was saying (as you stated above) that there is no known way to gauge what became of that “program” or to know “where it went”. It would be nice to have some knowledge of what became of everyone’s input in order to know how to proceed in participating in further discussions and “programs”. I am skeptical of any public participation “outreach” that the BLM/DOI employs, since they have manipulated input to further their own agenda after past requests for suggestions. However, of course we need to keep working—I did not mean to imply otherwise.
June 14, 2010 at 10:01 pm
I wonder if there’s a way to research teh DOI project or contact someone? Was there ever any “contact us” other than the program itself? I am fairly sure I recall they said we would hear back at some point. And that might have been early fall? Or did I dream that? I’m having vivid dreams sense retiring so who knows!
A lot of us, as well s other interests, put a lot into that and need some feedback. Would seem a mistake to try to sweep any of it under a carpet.
June 14, 2010 at 10:36 pm
I tried briefly to research the portal this morning, but it was scheduled to be closed late in March, I think, and I couldn’t find another way or person to contact. The discussions now ongoing, as well as the hiring of the PR firm, may be a result of what was put forth on that venue. I’ve been at this for almost three years now, and their (BLM) responses are always skewed. It’s hard to know what they consider to be “feedback” for the previous participants in a given exercise/project.
June 13, 2010 at 5:05 pm |
maybe this will get you to the EA…….DOI-BLM-OR-050-2010-0024-EA