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Terri Farley
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Wednesday, January 11, 2017

In Storm-Struck West, War on Wild Horses Accelerates


RETURN TO FREEDOM image by Steve Paige (follow link to contribute to such coverage)

As the West experiences historic flooding and snowfall, the Bureau of Land Management grabs the chance to capture wild horses.

These are some of the national headlines that came in on a single day's (9.11.17)  Google Alert on Wild Horses.  Please follow the links to the complete stories.
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Wild Horses in Massive Snow Bound Roundup


BLM to Roundup 700 Wild Horses in Milford Area 


BLM Recalculates Desired Horse Population for Pryor Mountains

Massive Wild Horse Roundup Begins in Utah 


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Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Wild Horse Roundups : Who calls an emergency?

Christmas week Eagle /Silver King gather 2016  (BLM photo)

Christmas Week, Eagle and Silver King gather:

Helicopters contractors paid to prowl Nevada's high desert and spot wild horses'
shelters from blizzards, had flushed put and captured 18 mustang stallions, 16 mares and 9 foals befor
the Bureau of Land Management declared snowstorms a hazard to pilots and aircraft.
Today BLM plans to continue its "emergency" round up.
Why is this wild horse round-up an emergency? 
BLM says these wild horses come too close to the road.
No, wait, these are excess mustangs. That's the emergency.
Most members of the public only know what BLM said in its press release. It announced a race to remove 100 "excess" wild horses from public and private lands “to provide for public and animal safety.” Either or neither could be true, because:



Self-declared Bureau of Land Management emergencies do not require environmental assessments

Emergency gathers aren't uncommon in BLM wild horse management. Just this year they've had emergencies in places like Three Fingers, Oregon and Caliente, Wood Hills, Tunnel Springs, CherrySpring and Silver King, Nevada.
Were these true emergencies? We must listen to BLM's "trust me" because the streamlined process only requires a
BLM staffer -- often a field office manager responding to a rancher-tenant who wants mustangs off "his" land -- to report an "emergency" situation to a state program lead. The lead contacts the Washington, D,C, office. Then,
"If timing permits, a gather plan environmental assessment is prepared prior to any removal of wild horses or burros in response to the emergency. If this is not possible, a report is prepared after the action is taken. The public is notified via at least a news release."  (Jason Lutterman,Public Affairs Specialist (On Range), National Wild Horse and Burro Program and  BLM handbook )
                                                                
No shelter for wild horses at BLM's Broken Arrow facility, but that's no emergency. It's where mustangs go
                                   after Christmas week Eagle /Silver King gather 2016  (BLM photo)
These days, I try to give BLM the benefit of the doubt by listening to sources inside the agency if they'll talk with me. There's a real danger America's pubic lands and wildlife will be handed over to slaughter-friendly states in 2017 and, despite its flaws, BLM is--under law -- restricted in their treatment of wild equines.
Still, I can't swallow "after the action is taken" explanations because I've been in California grazing association meetings, where a BLM field manager coodled ranchers with wild horse worries, by promising, "Anything we can do to assist you, we will. Anything."   
One element of "anything" turned out to be the 2015 round-up of 1,070 wild horses and the admitted deaths of 16. But that was another time.
Now, I urge you to sign up for Google.com/alerts for news on wild horses. Even though I've covered  BLM's handling of our wild horses for 30 years, I haven't been skeptical enough.
Too often when they've said "Trust me," I should've heard "I'm lying."  You can help me and the wild horses.

Happier days : 2016 BLM photo, Silver King herd management area





 





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Monday, January 28, 2013

WILD HORSES on a snowy beach

Dear Readers --
I was sweating in 104 degree weather the last time I saw wild horses in North Carolina.



But today, from far-off Las Vegas, we can all see these graceful -- if confused! -- wild ones. Click here to see:
Corolla wild horses on the snowy shore 

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Wednesday, January 02, 2013

MUSTANGS NEWS BREAKING on Thursday Radio

 

Mustang Stallion in Snow, January 2013   -- photo by Bo Rodriguez

BREAKING NEWS impacts Nevada's wild horses

Thursday, January 3rd 12 noon - 1:00 (Pacific time)

WHEREVER you are -- listen: webcast  http://renegaderadio.org Hit "Listen Live"

Reno - Fallon    101.3 FM 

Nevada Matters radio breaks NEWS on Nevada Department of Agriculture's war on wild horses.
Local and national experts explore the pipeline to slaughter for Nevada's Virginia Range mustangs.

There may be time for callers in the second half of the show:  775-827-8900.  

VIRGINIA RANGE mustangs in Snow, January 2013   -- photo by Bo Rodriguez


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