A MINIMUM of 8,900 Wild Horses and Burros will be bait-trapped on our public land this year. And this is in addition to the thousands that will be rounded up by helicopter….
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has divided the western states into six zones and private contractors bid on and received a contract for one or more zones. Each contractor is required by their agreement to capture a minimum amount of wild horses and/or burros in the zone. The MAXIMUM number of wild horses and burros that may be gathered is actually higher than the number that exists on their federally protected Herd Management Areas. The BLM reported that in the 2012 fiscal year there were only 37,294 wild horses and burros remaining on the range, but they have contracted to remove up to 44,000 from bait-trapping alone. So while the BLM feigns interest in humane care and concern for out Wild Horses and Burros, these BLM contracts continue on their fast-moving “managing for extinction”.
Wild Horse Groups File Preemptive Motion for Stay to Stop Possible “Back-Door” BLM Roundup
BLM Allegedly Attempts to Build False Emergency to Avoid Court and Eradicate Wild Horse Herd
Washington D.C., (WHFF) – On June 22nd, 2012 Wild Horse Advocacy groups filed an “Emergency Motion for Stay of Threatened Emergency Gather” against Director of the Department of the Interior (DoI) Ken Salazar and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in an attempt to “head off” what is believed to be an artificial emergency generated by the BLM in an effort to eradicate Colorado’s West Douglas Wild Horse Herd and by-pass on-going litigation to prevent the agency from doing same. More
Investor State Tribunals: The Trans-Atlantic Partnership AGREEMENT
A huge collection of federal corporate agents that we call “senators” and “representatives” will soon be jumping in front of Lame Street Media camera’s just for the chance to tell you how this new agreement will create thousands of new jobs. And it will! Only not here in the US. These same corporate puppets will poo-poo the idea that this corporate government agreement will render our laws null and void against marauding corporations. They will tell you that it will boost states economies to have foreign investors buying land and exploiting resources. They will tell you any lie they think will make this sell off of our country more palatable. And, by the time most of you figure out you just got sold out and sold off, these same liars will have taken retirement so that they can spend more time with their families. (Oh! be still my heart!)
What this agreement will effectively accomplish is the eradication of national jurisdiction, national laws and protections and put disputes in the hands of lawyers who also expect to profit from their misdeeds. It will sell off our land to foreign corporations and governments and firmly establish sovereign foreign territories inside the geographical US. akin to the current Free Trade Zones (257 zones) now operating across the states.
The Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) complaint decision has not been given by the judge yet but the “stay” has been denied and BLM will start capturing about 350 wild burros from the Cibalo-Trigo HMA (south-western Arizona) on MONDAY, June 4th.
Link to Carl Mrozek video of burros – believe near Cibalo-Trigo area of AZ 2010 capture.
Please read the information below about the Wild Ass (burro, donkey) which is listed as an endangered species “where found” and then contact the BLM and request they refrain from capturing these burros until the IBLA judge has digested the scientific data and made a legal decision.
BLM contact information:
Colorado River District Roxie Trost, District Manager Yuma Field Office John MacDonald, Field Manager 2555 East Gila Ridge Road Yuma, AZ 85365 Phone: 928-317-3200 Fax 928-317-3250
And Contact the :
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFICE OF HEARINGS AND APPEALS Interior Board of Land Appeals 801 North Quincy Street, Suite 300
Arlington, Virginia 22203
And refer to IBLA 2012-143
And POLITELY ask the judge to take a hard look at the two scientific documents (#1 and #2 in this article) before making his/her decision on this very important issue.
Below are three pieces of legal documentation. The first two are scientific and the third was written by the acting director of the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1977 as a “notice” which was obvously a politically driven decision and not science. Although the first two scientific documents state that the wild burro is on the endangered species list, it is the notice (#3) that the BLM is using to persuade the IBLA judge that the wild burros are not included in the endangered species listing.
The notice (#3 below) was written by F. Eugene Hester who, in a seperate document/speech had this comment, “Political influences will shape our future responsibilities and alter our priorities” This statement and attitude explains that his decision was based on “political influences” and not science as the first two documents are. [Ref. Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference, 9-22-1985, F. Eugene Hester, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service]
The Honorable U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell stated in her 23-page opinion that the agency [BLM] “may not simply remain studiously ignorant of material scientific evidence …” and yet we see numerous examples that the BLM decisions are not science based. More
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) continues at a breakneck pace to leave non-viable herds of wild horses on public lands and while it also considers cutting back on livestock grazing (watch out for drought management plans in your area).
Meanwhile, over and over again, extractive industries and new energy projects seem to go almost unchecked for use of massive amounts of water that adversely impact public lands and risk contamination of aquifers.
Just an aside on the letter below, Melani Mirati was the BLM’s COR (Contracting Officer’s Representative) at the 2012 Calico wild horse roundup and made the decision to allow the contractor (Sun J Livestock) to use a hot shot (electric prod) on a horse that had been stuck in a trailer and had just fallen on the ground. (video link under SOURCES below).
Open Letter to the BLM:
May 18, 2012
Melanie MiratiBLM Winnemucca Field Office5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd.,
RE: Public comment/Jackson Mountain wild horse gather
Dear Ms. Mirati and BLM Winnemucca Field Office:
In this document, BLM states:
“1.4 Purpose and Need for Action:
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to remove excess wild horses from within and outside the HMA, to manage wild horses at the established AML ranges for the HMA, to reduce the wild horse population growth rate in order to prevent undue or unnecessary degradation of the public lands by protecting rangeland resources from deterioration associated with excess population of wild horses within and outside the HMA boundaries, and to restore a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple use relationship on the public lands.”
My comment: The BLM has NOT proved an excess. It seems that not only are there no photos or videos shown to the public to verify the BLM’s estimation of the number of wild horses on the HMA, in order for Ms. Mirati’s population estimation to be correct, the mares would have to be giving birth to litters. More
RE: Public Comment on Battle Mountain District Drought Management Plan
Dear Mr. Furtado:
I urge you to implement the No Action Alternative, so that your office will do an Environmental Assessment (EA) for each proposed wild horse roundup. Since the BLM has a mandate to protect the wild horses, the BLM should haul water out and provide forage before an emergency, and avoid rounding up the horses and foals born out of season (due to PZP), so they don’t drop dead running in the heat.
If you anticipate a drought, make plans to haul water out to the wild horses and livestock. It’s a lot cheaper to haul water than to pay millions of dollars for roundups and to put ranchers out of business.
Regarding 1.1 Purpose and Need, which states:
“The purpose of the EA is to analyze alternatives that would allow for the rapid response to drought in order to alleviate the impacts of authorized uses and activities on natural resources that are at risk of being adversely affected by drought. More
(You might question the BLM’s project title after reading below. There’s nothing resilient or healthy about it. And not to malign BLM employees at local Field Offices – public lands planning comes from the President, Congress, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and BLM Director Bob Abbey.)
Department of Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Carson City District
Stillwater Field Office
5665 Morgan Mill Road
Carson City, Nevada 89701
desatoyaEA@blm.gov
BLM’s statements in the Environmental Assessment (EA) are italicized, and author’s comments are not italicized.
Introduction “The project area encompasses approximately 230,000 acres, which includes …136,400 acres of the Desatoya Herd Management Area (HMA) (84% of the HMA).”
The Desatoya HMA is about 161,000 acres, and the BLM is only leaving 127-180 wild horses on the HMA that is primarily for their use. That is only one horse every
1,267.7 acres – one horse every 894.4 acres.
If there is not enough water or forage for the wild horses, this can only be from misappropriation of land uses allowed and facilitated by the BLM, which is mismanagement. When did the BLM last monitor the HMA for carrying capacity? Please send me documents related to any recent monitoring.
“Within the project area, up to approximately 32,705 acres of ground disturbing treatments are proposed over a ten year period including…herbicide treatment… Page 83 – In fact, 2,4-D has limited residual activity (2 weeks); therefore any incidental contamination risk to non-target plants would likely be negligible.”
When considering plants, animals, water and humans, note that:
The EPA says that 2,4-D is seventh largest source of dioxin in the U.S.
Dioxin DCDD that contaminates 2,4-D herbicide is not tested, measured or monitored by the EPA, or even regulated. A Canadian research paper states that dioxin DCDD may have large public health implications due to its prevalence in our food and environment.
“the ultimate opportunity for ranchers-selling their public land grazing permits on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management administered public lands with the caveat that their allotments will never again be used for livestock grazing.”
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While this video is a bit hard to hear, it is excellent! Thanks Erin and Louise.
Note the gun toting wardens at the front of the public meeting in the video–these guys are afraid of old gals and guys coming to public meetings in serene rural Redding, CA.
In the YouTube video, the balding (like me) gentleman at the right-corner of the table is Gary Cadd who was on the National Marine Fisheries Service-dominated North Pacific Fishery Management Council that meets in Alaska. He is a goldmine of information on the corruption of bycatch of coho and Chinook salmon in the Gulf of Alaska affecting our fish populations in California and Oregon.
He spoke with many “observers” on the airplane in trips he took to Council meetings between Anchorage and Seattle, and learned first-hand that the NMFS-employed lay-public observers are kept below deck on ocean trawlers so the bycatch (coho and Chinook salmon) are pitched overboard before the observers are allowed above deck to see the fish being retrieved out of the trawl nets–the Chinook contain coded wire tags needed to document the origin of the fish (see below) and the coho have marks allowing them to be associated with their hatchery origin.
Fishing would have to stop if the excessive bycatch limits were observed on deck. The observers during debriefing, before being swept back to Seattle, are discouraged in their reporting of illegal activity of Chinook and coho salmon bycatch–I have a friend and former student who has personally experienced this corruption in debriefing by NMFS or other government agents. More
We know from history that when a country loses its ability to feed its own population, its demise is soon to follow. As a nation we are being systematically, incrementally and intentionally driven to the point where we cannot feed our own people. The quickest way to collapse the economic viability of a nation is to destroy its agricultural sector. It isn’t gold or silver, global investments and markets, or multi-national corporations and illegal agreements that sustain economies. What does sustain and support a vibrant economy is a strong independent agricultural sector.
The underlying backbone to every economic model is agriculture. And that model is not predicated upon anything other than local, hands on, food production in all its forms. Key to undermining and destroying that model is the intentional destruction of the right to engage in agricultural activity using arbitrary regulations, laws, rules and agency police state enforcement actions perpetrated against independent and/or family owned agricultural operations. Creating barriers to entry into agriculture is key to collapsing an independent agricultural sector which is what got us the fake food safety bill passed by “Dirty Harry” Reid, and his merry band of corporate hiney-hugging, US senators.
While these operations may be small financially, in comparison to big Ag industrialized activities, the independent sector comprises the bulk of our food supply. It is this supply that our own government is determined to eradicate in favor of global corporate stakeholders.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, released the following statement regarding Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s order to combine the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) into the Bureau of Land Management (BLM):
“I’m deeply concerned about this proposed unilateral action. If it were simply a consolidation of administrative functions, that is something I could support. According to Interior’s release, however, it appears that the proposed merger would be much more extensive and, I believe, would require amending the separate organic acts that established BLM and OSM. READ MORE
This rally is to raise public awareness about our wild horses & burros being rounded up to the point of extinction off of our public lands, while our public lands are being sold for as little as $2 an acre to foreign owned extractive industries (oil & gas and mining).
The Bureau of Land Management is using cruel helicopter round ups in the Western states to round up our wild horses and burros to the point of extinction. The BLM makes every effort to hide their actions from the public and press. Once rounded up, our wild horses are shipped to facilities and mostly locked away from public view.
Meanwhile, the BLM is selling our public lands (often the same lands where they’re removing our wild horses), in sale/lease deals for as little as $2 an acre to foreign owned corporations for extraction activities (oil & gas leases and mining). More
My comments regarding your scoping notice for capturing and removal of wild horses in the Pryor Mountains are:
1) In your “DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT” you base your reasoning for the need to remove the wild horses on “preventing deterioration of the range” while “maintaining a thriving ecological balance.” I will now notify you of reasons why I believe this “justification” is perpetrating fraud on the American public.
In reviewing the 40 pages of APDs (Applications for Permits to Drill) for oil and gas since 2003, I see that many of them were approved. Although this document is from the Miles Field Office in Montana, it included APDs within boundaries of the Billings, MT, BLM Field Office.
These permits were probably given a Finding Of No Significant Impact by BLM Field Office Managers, even though each well probably uses a couple of thousand gallons of water per day for exploratory drilling (much more than the horses drink, and much more terrain is disturbed by construction of the oil well pads and additional roads, etc., than could ever be attributed to some horse hooves).
It seems that when these APDs are granted, the BLM’s scope is myopic in that the BLM doesn’t seem to foresee, or care to mention, that if these any of these wells start to really produce, there will be a huge INCREASE in public land disturbance and INCREASED USE of water.
There are also many more APDs pending. Will I be reading any BLM Environmental Assessments about preventing or removing oil and gas production with reasoning that there’s a need for “preventing deterioration of the range” or “maintaining a thriving ecological balance” or any concern about the “watershed condition?” In looking at the oil and gas lease sales for Billings, MT Field Office, I see that thousands of acres of public lands are going to oil and gas lease sales each quarter. I’m not going to take the time to add up the total amount of acreage now, but I will when I make a public comment on any upcoming EA by your field office. If anything, this is OUT OF ECOLOGICAL BALANCE, and giving an unfair amount of “multiple use” to one use (oil and gas) over another use (wild horses)
2) In your “RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING PLANS and DOCUMENTS” you mention that your objective is “to manage for a balance,” and you also mention the “watershed condition.”
Since you brought up water, in looking at some other projects in your district, I see that you gave a Finding of No Significant Impact” to the Bull Mountains Mine #1, a coal lease, saying this “will not significantly affect the quality of the human environment, individually or cumulatively with other actions in the general area. No environmental effects meet the definition of significance in context or intensity as defined in 40 CFR 1508.27…”
Really? How did you come to this conclusion after it was noted that Madison Formation wells provide water used for the underground mine equipment and the coal
preparation plant and use is approximately 500 gallons per minute? That’s about 720,000 gallons of water PER DAY. This is a LOT of water taken from the aquifer.
Have you added all of the additional water used by all the oil and gas leases? If a reasonable person compared the above usage to the 15-20 gallons of water a day a wild horse drinks, they would come to the conclusion that I have: If there is not enough water (or forage because of the lack of water) for our wild horses, it is ONLY because theBLM has mismanaged land and water use.
Aquifers are not confined by Field Office or county boundaries. The USGA has said of aquifers in your region “Most of the aquifers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming are parts of five large regional aquifer systems. An aquifer system consists of two or more aquifers that function similarly. The aquifers can be hydraulically connected so that a change in hydrologic conditions in one of the aquifers will affect the other aquifers or separated but with common geologic and hydrologic characteristics. Much of the freshwater that is withdrawn in Segment 8 is obtained from the regional aquifer systems, some of which extend far beyond the boundaries of the segment.” The BLM might as well just be honest and say “We’re getting rid of the wild horses come hell or high water to replace them with other ‘multiple uses’ that make more money.” It’s obvious to the public that this is what the BLM is doing.
After reading the Federal Register notice (Sept. 6, 2011) announcing the next Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Meeting in Arlington, VA, Oct. 13-14, 2011, it seems that the “Public Comment Procedures” as written here may be in violation of your First Amendment right to free speech.
The notice states that “Speakers must submit a written copy of their statement to the address listed in the ADDRESSES section above, or bring a written copy to the meeting.”
Why “must” you do this? It’s a public meeting and you don’t have to submit anything to have the right to speak at a public meeting. You can just tell them your name and tell them you want to speak. Period. The meeting will probably be recorded and the BLM could use the recording for transcription purposes, and any requested written comments should be voluntary. That is not what is stated in the Federal Register. Also, requiring that speakers submit a written copy of their statements could discourage some people (who don’t like to write) from speaking.
You also don’t have to “address the specific wild horse and burro related topics on the agenda.” This is a violation of your First Amendment right to free speech. You can talk about anything you want to talk about. If you want to get up and read “Little Bo Peep” for 3 minutes (or whatever time limit they set), you have the First Amendment right to do that. If the BLM only wants you to talk about topics on the agenda, and then controls the agenda, they could then possibly control the content of public comments, which might then be against your right to free speech.
The notice also states “The BLM considers comments that are either supported by quantitative information or studies or those that include citations to and analysis of applicable laws and regulations to be most useful and likely to influence BLM’s decisions on the management and protection of wild horses and burros.”
Why do we have to include “quantitative information or studies” with a comment or opinion for it to be “most likely to influence” the BLM? More
Laura Leigh is an award winning artist, journalist and videographer. She is founder and President of Wild Horse Education, which funds her work and is on the Board of Directors and is Vice President of the Wild Horse Freedom Federation which supports her legal efforts along with other noted advocacy groups.
Laura has filed a 1st Amendment Rights lawsuit against the Department of the Interior (includes the BLM) that is in the 9th Circuit Court in California.
Laura has been to more BLM wild horse roundups than any BLM employee. She has also served as Subject Matter Expert for The Equine Welfare Alliance in the research department and has been affiliated with many equine welfare groups in many capacities.
NOTE:
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At about 30 seconds into this video of the BLM roundups, you’ll see the helicopter (N34CM), believed to be flown by Josh Hellyer of Sky Aviation, strike an exhausted horse with the skids of his helicopter.
Sky Aviation is a subcontractor hired by BLM contractor Sun J of Vernal, Utah. Sun J has been using hot-shot electric prods on our wild horses during loading, and not giving our wild horses enough water in the heat.
Please send this video to Congressional representatives and demand an IMMEDIATE CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION into the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Program.
Readers – take a look around you. If you are like me, the electricity is still on, a nice bottle of Vino resides next to the Roma’s in the ‘fridge, and not much has changed. True – I might raise my hand a few more times at Auction tomorrow to purchase some junk silver, but hey – I’d most likely do that anyway. The truth is, Washington – You Lie!
The reality is this folks. Washington and the Legislative body are flailing around like a recently butchered meat bird headed for the pot. In some cases ya’ll hold on because you don’t want the breast bruised before you prepare it for dinner. In other cases you just watch the circling poultry finishing your cigarette because to retrieve it is too much effort. The American public does not care in large part because in the end, a meal is on the table one way or another.
We’re fine because we don’t care what them yahoo’s do up in Washington. We’ll be fine and just keep on doing what works.
Let the Tigers eat each other. Smoke’ll clear, a few less predators about, and the whole damn red button will reset us on our travels through Fresno. I’m gonna’ grab a glass of Vino while ya’ll figure that one out.
Sheldon Horses and Burros: We will not forget you, again
Although horses were on the land we call the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge prior to the Refuge getting it’s designation, and before the passage of the Federal Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, they have no enforceable protections. These wild horses are fair game for slaughter.More
Lynn Swearingen (c) copyright 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I’ve referred to the “slippery slope”, “Perilous Path To Proper Patriotism” , and various cutsie terms to describe the downfall of the relationship between Americans and The United States Government.
In short – unless Americans wake up – we are screwed. Yes. This is a strong statement. Maybe even one that will get me landed on some Department of Homeland Security list (which will later be publicly retracted but never erased) always pulled out of line to get the old “blue gloved” treatment if I should ever choose to fly, ride the rails, or perhaps walk down the street with my cell phone turned off from the Big O’s announcements. After all – I’m fairly dangerous as a Veteran and thinking person.
When did I become dangerous? When did we allow our children to be trained up to accept this loss of liberty lasse faire attitude?
When I grew up the biggest concern in High School concerning the Prom was ensuring that what I wore was “close enough to cool” to keep me out of the misfit category. Now, thanks to a Federal Judge and the inability of reason to prevail, Santa Fe Prom goers have the additional pleasure of allowing Professional Gropers to ensure they are “clean before entry”. (Video Link) Yeah – read some double entendre in that if you feel like it.
Saturday night, a certified TSA official will be at the Santa Fe High School prom to oversee student searches.
This all comes after two Capital High School students, sisters, filed a lawsuit saying they were groped by a security agent at Capital High School’s prom last month. On Friday, the court ordered Santa Fe Public Schools and the security company ASI to provide at least one TSA certified person at the Santa Fe High School prom and the Capital High School graduation. More
This is about the wild horse roundups. BUT, ranch owners who own cattle and sheep should pay attention to the following, and wonder what water or land will be left for your livestock grazing in the future. Why do you think the DOI is removing all of the wild horses off our public lands? For you?
Subject: White Mountain/Little Colorado Environmental Assessment Comments
Dear Mr. D’Ewart:
In this BLM Environmental Assessment, Section 1.2 PURPOSE AND NEED, the EA states:
“The need for this action is to remove excess animals in order to achieve a thriving natural ecological balance between wild horse populations, wildlife, livestock, vegetation, and water resources and to protect the range from deterioration associated with overpopulation of wild horses as authorized under Section 1333 (b) (2) of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses & Burros Act (1971).”
My comments are:
1) One of my biggest concerns is that this Environmental Assessment is based on flawed reasoning and for reasons listed below is, basically, fraud against the American public, no matter what “authorizations” it hides behind. More
“The farmers and ranchers know they won’t be able to truly tell, until the passage of time, if there IS interconnectivity between the valleys. If there is interconnectivity, it will be too late to stop what could be disastrous effects on their farms and ranches. “
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Part 3
Mining companies are buying up ranches left and right, just to get the water rights. Then all they have to do is get a permit to change the use from irrigation to mining. Once appropriated, the water rights are not available for any other development, even if the mine never opens, unless the mine is willing to sell the water rights.
At a Nevada Division of Water Resources hearing in December, 2010, an admirable group of Nevada farmers and ranchers, who’ve had water rights in their families for generations, protested the appropriation of water rights of Kobeh Valley Ranch, owned by mining company General Moly. General Moly wants to change the use of water rights on Kobeh Valley Ranch from irrigation to mining for their Mt.Hope mine. This is in addition to other water rights General Moly has already purchased from other farms surrounding the valley.
To give you some background, General Moly is 25% owned by Hanlong USA Mining, a subsidiary of Sichuan Hanlong Group, a Chinese “private enterprise.” Sichuan Hanlong Group recently received a $1.5 billion loan from the Export-Import Bank ofChina (China Eximbank) to support its investments in overseas mining opportunities, with $745 million towards General Moly. The Export-Import Bank of China is fully owned by the Chinese government and under the leadership of the State Council. It’s a “government policy bank.”
BlackRock Trust Company, which is associated with billionaire George Soros, seems to be the 2nd top owner of shares in General Moly. BlackRock Trust is also the 5th top owner of shares in agricultural company Monsanto. More
While many Americans have lost their homes or worry about losing their homes, and worry about finding or keeping their jobs, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) seems to be spending your hard earned tax dollars like high rollers.
The BLM has its hand out at appropriations hearings asking for even more money for their mismanaged Wild Horse and Burro Program. Where’s your money going?
Debbie Coffey (c)copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved
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A Six-Point Plan to Avert a Global Crisis” and the 2010 National Geographic’s special issue cover story was “WATER: Our Thirsty World.” Would it be too much to hope that Dept. of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar or BLM Director Bob Abbey might have read these and consider water issues? (Oh wait a sec, the Gulf Oil Spill happened under their watchful eyes.) Or that as leaders of U.S. land management agencies, they’d be concerned with vanishing supplies of uncontaminated water?
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is selling YOUR land right out from under you. Concurrently, the BLM is blitzing the media with PR spin to justify removing all of our publicly owned wild horses off of our public lands. If you want to see what has really been happening to our wild horses at recent roundups, go to http://blog.grassrootshorse.com/
Do you know how many acres of your public lands are being sold off in each state? This is a policy being pushed by your President, your Congress, Ken Salazar (Secretary of the Dept. of the Interior) and Bob Abbey (BLM Director). Your state and local governments have their hands out to receive part of the profits. Your “public agencies” (like the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management) are actually corporations and their priority is to make money.
Each BLM office is required to have quarterly “lease sales” of your public lands. The BLM is making their money off of you and the remains of your United States of America.
To keep this simple, we’ll just look at one state’s lease/sales of our public lands to oil and gas companies.
Wyoming, as it turns out, is going gung ho on oil and gas “leasing.” The BLM calls giving the use of our public lands to extractive industries for as little as $2 an acre a “lease sale.” These are 10 year leases and they can be renewed. Oil and gas companies can ask for certain parcels of public property to be leased.
However, unless you’ve ever heard of an oil pipeline being ripped out after it was installed, I’d call this a “permanent” use of our public lands. An oil or gas (or mining) company will extract all of the oil/gas/ore. They often contaminate water, land and air. They use a LOT of our water from aquifers in their extracting process. More
Giant BLM Bovine Mowing Machine ~ photo by Terry Fitch
During the final days of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) “scorched earth” wild horse eradication program on Northern Nevada’s public lands private cattle were being quickly herded onto the same range that native, wild horses were cruelly removed from just hours before.
On Thursday, Feb 25th, one day prior to the abrupt cessation of the BLM’s assault upon the Antelope Complex’s wild horses, my wife Terry, Laura Leigh and I had left the mean wild horse trap site in an effort to locate a cell signal suitable to call in, as journalists, to the disappointing press conference by the BLM’s Director, Bob Abbey. As we raced across the HMA we crested a bluff only to run smack dab into one of the biggest cattle driving operation any of us had ever witnessed. Only a few short days before we had stopped on this very same road to shoot photos of distant wild horses living out their lives on their rightful land only to find those same horses being rapidly replaced by environmentally damaging private cattle, while the roundup was STILL going on. More
“If indeed the pumping is draining the bedrock in the Cortez mountains, that means many springs and creeks are at risk and that their computer model was fatally flawed. Of course this would be inconvenient information for Cortez so it is no surprise that they aren’t looking for the answers.”
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Mount Tenabo, is a sacred mountain for the Western Shoshone people. It is located within the territory of the Western Shoshone Nation in Nevada, about 20 miles south and a little west of the city of Crescent Valley, NV.
The Shoshone consider Mount Tenabo a source of power and life, and it is central in their stories of creation and world renewal. The Shoshone use the top of the mountain for prayer and meditation, and they gather medicinal and food plants from the mountain. These plants also feed the wildlife.
In June, 2010, the Te-Moak tribe of the Shoshone, along with co-plaintiffs the Western Shoshone Defense Project (WSDP) and Great Basin Mine Watch, lost a legal battle that was waged for several years to stop the Department of Barrick Gold Mines
Interior, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and Barrick Gold (a Canadian mining company based in Toronto) from expanding Barrick’s Cortez Gold Mine at Mount Tenabo. More
“Under this option, any facility could become a focal point for public, media or Congressional attention. Increased levels of security would be needed at all locations, or the activity may need to be moved off-site to a more appropriate and secure facility. Increased support from public relations and management staff would also be needed to insulate those doing the actual work from public, media and Congressional scrutiny/criticism.”
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After the many horrific photos and videos of the Antelope HMA wild horse gather being conducted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contractor, Sun J, the BLM Review Team appointed to do an internal investigation (AKA cover-up) found “no violation by wild horse gather contractor of existing BLM policy and procedures” and Director Bob Abbey called for a “NEW NORMAL” for doing business. More
Plan to Finish Off Wild Horses Buried in Budget
Same Gender Herd at BLM Long Term Holding Facility ~
photo by Terry Fitch
During a Grass Roots Horse research project looking into the FY2011 Budget for the Department of Interior which oversees the Bureau of Land Management, the agency entrusted with the management and protection of America’s wild horses and burros, it was discovered that the Interior has received 445.4 million dollars which is an increase of 106 million dollars for federal land acquisition through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. More
Most of my friends I think are, of course, smart people.
These are people from coast to coast, border to border. Now by smart I don’t mean “I chose not to join MENSA because it bores me” kind of folks, but people who hold an average job doing average things getting by with average salaries while living pretty average lives. I guess we are kinda boring and that works for us. I think in a way “we” represent a cross-section of Americans. There really isn’t a common thread among us of race, economic status, or political ideology. We have just sorta’ developed over the years into a loose circle of communicators.
So when I talk with these people, my first question over the past three years or so has been “I hear the economy is improving – what is it like where you are?”. More
Made Famous by “Slaughterhouse” Sue Wallis and Dave “Doink” Duquette
True to form and working along their “assbackward” philosophy “Slaughterhouse” Sue Wallis and Dave “Doink” Duquette’s trumped up Native American complaint on Madeleine Pickens Rose Parade float totally blew up in their faces with the net result of garnering the Wild Mustang float an easy 10 times the publicity that it would have received if they simply would have stayed beneath that slimy rock that they live under.
John Holland eloquently portrayed their ability to not only shoot themselves in the foot in his recent editorial but they actually manage to line themselves up against a wall and blow each other’s heads off with a firing squad, the stupidity displayed is stunning. More
This small group of our farmers and ranchers didn’t sell out for money offered. They’re standing strong. They use words like “community” and “our future” when talking about this issue. If you’d like to support them:
Attend a meeting on Dec. 9 and 10, 2010 (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) at Nevada Dept. of Water Resources, 901 S. Stewart Street, room #2002, Carson City, NV 89701
“It’s ironic that this mining deal involves the words hope and liberty, because what this really represents is that we are losing both for our country. You can see it on the faces of the farmers and ranchers at this meeting.” More
“These are the sort of psychotic individuals that have been entrusted to protect and nurture the symbol of our American heritage yet they are illegally ripping them from our public lands against the will of the people of the United States. This is the mindset, this is the perversity and this is our current state of affairs.” More
NEW YORKThe ASPCA(The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), along with Habitat for Horses, the Cloud Foundation, and Dr. Don and Toni Moore, today responded to a federal judge’s ruling that declined to issue an injunction preventing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from continuing its inhumane and illegal roundup of wild horses from Colorado’s North Piceance herd area. The case, brought against U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in New York, charged that the BLMs ongoing treatment of Americas federally protected wild horse herds violates the National Environmental Protection Act, as well as the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971.
The BLM had dropped its immediate attempt to relocate the case from New York to Colorado or Washington D.C., making this the first case against the BLM to be heard in New York. While we are disappointed by yesterdays ruling, we are encouraged by the courts acknowledgment that the removal of these iconic horses impacts all Americans,said Matt Bershadker, senior vice president of ASPCA Anti-Cruelty. The ASPCA is committed to protecting our nations wild horses.
U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley acknowledged that the plaintiffs would undoubtedly suffer irreparable harm from the roundup of the wild horse herd. The court further acknowledged the permanent injury caused to Dr. Don Moore, a Colorado veterinarian who has personally known the Piceance-North Douglas Herd for decades. “Although we did not get the win that we were aiming for,” stated Jerry Finch, founder and president of Habitat for Horses, we stood fast in a contested venue and got the court to agree to the damage done to American citizens when the BLM pulls our wild mustangs from their rightful land. That in its own right is huge More
Warning: The first link in this OpEd has a D.C. Weather Loop. Like most items in D.C. it operates slow and will eat up your time with waiting. If you must verify the source – ensure you grab something to drink first. I provide it for verification that yes indeed the information is true.
Washington D.C. schools, you know the ones that are not good enough for POTUS and FLOTUS offspring, have a new plan for the most economically challenged residents. Jobs? No. Less Governmental interference? No. “Free” food – in fact 3 meals a day formulated by a chef for their delicate little palates: More
Today, lead counsel Bruce Wagman, of the Schiff Hardin law firm, reported that the TRO hearing for the Habitat for Horses, ASPCA, Cloud Foundation, Toni and Dr. Don Moore suit against the BLM for rounding up wild horses in the Colorado North Piceance area has netted several positive results for both the horses and the American public. More
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) empowers itself to do pretty much whatever it wants with itsinterpretation of the “Multiple Use Mandate” from the The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). This should really be called the BLM’s Multiple RUSE Mandate. More
Marti Oakley (c) copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved
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The idea behind the “Best Practices” barrage is to end the knowledge that has been passed from one generation to the next about how to manage lands, crops and animals and/or how to harvest, store and preserve food supplies. This is a collective knowledge, the possession of which is invaluable if we are to survive. Our farmers and ranchers know far better how to manage their land, crops and animals than some desk jockey in the UN or in Washington D.C.
Environmentalists, the Green movement, and various other groups dedicated to protecting and preserving the earth and its inhabitants, was, initially begun as a result of the plunder and destruction resulting from the willingness of governments around the world to allow the decimation of the environment for corporate profits. The environmentalist movement has been virtually taken over. What it represents now in many areas is the facilitation of the decimation of our rural communities and is the UN Agenda 21 plan for seizing all lands, water and food production to be owned and operated by the corporate state.
While those involved in this movement believe they are working to protect the earth, the environment and its wildlife, the catalyst behind the movement has become Agenda 21 from the UN. This Agenda specifically sites land ownership as a source of wealth and one that should be held only by the state. The rationale for this is that land ownership signifies wealth of some level, and this level can vary radically from one individual to the next and that is, for some reason, not fair……so the state should own everything and that way no one but the state has any wealth. One of the cleverest and most successful coup’s ever implemented was the co-opting of true environmentalists into the “sustainability/Smart growth” Agenda 21 program.
While I do believe that we should take care of our environment, our wildlife and our waterways; handing these assets over to the government to sell off to corporations to plunder and abuse while simultaneously and falsely claiming they are protecting the environment, will produce nothing but devastation. All across our country we can see the rapid deterioration of land under government control now exploited and plundered; the water systems polluted beyond reclamation from endless strip mining, gas and oil drilling and rendered unfit for any further use. More
HOUSTON (SFTHH) – The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) attempt to strong arm a Federal judge into moving a wild horse related law suit out of the New York Court system, prior to a hearing, has failed. In a detailed letter submitted to the Honorable Judge William Pauley on October 12th, the BLM struggled to support a case for “change of venue” to move a suit filed by Habitat for Horses (HfH), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and The Cloud Foundation (TCF) to a more BLM friendly court in either Colorado or Washington D.C.. Today, a Temporary Restraining Order was filed by the case’s plaintiffs against the BLM in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York and a hearing has been ordered in the same venue for October 20th. The BLM will be forced to defend it’s illegal wild horse roundups in New York City.
The well researched suit contends that the BLM uses faulty and out dated data in determining which wild horse herds on U.S. public lands will be completely and totally removed from their lawful homes (zeroing out). This suit focus on the illegal roundup of the Colorado Piceance-North Douglas Herd, one of America’s federally protected wild horse herds. Likewise the finely crafted suit brings to light a variety of federal laws that the BLM knowingly and willing violates as it unleashes it’s “Wild Horse Harvesting Machine” on the tens of millions of public acres in the U.S. western states. More
Grandma Gregg
The PPJ Gazette 
