Wednesday, January 11, 2017
In Storm-Struck West, War on Wild Horses Accelerates
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
Labels: BLM, Bureau of Land Management, Flooding, helicopter roundups, helicopters, snow, Storm, wild horses
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Posted by
Terri Farley @ 6:09 PM
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Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Wild Horse Roundups : Who calls an emergency?
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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.
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Happier days : 2016 BLM photo, Silver King herd management area |
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Labels: BLM, BLM staffer, emergency round-ups, gathers, helicopters, round-ups, snow, wild horses
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Posted by
Terri Farley @ 8:11 PM
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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 Labels: Corolla, North Carolina, snow, wild horses
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Posted by
Terri Farley @ 1:02 AM
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Wednesday, January 02, 2013
MUSTANGS NEWS BREAKING on Thursday Radio
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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.
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VIRGINIA RANGE mustangs in Snow, January 2013 -- photo by Bo Rodriguez |
Labels: Bo Rodriguez photo, Mustangs Matter, Renegade Radio, snow, Virginia Range wild horses
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Posted by
Terri Farley @ 10:35 PM
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