Nevada wild horses photo by Carrol Abel
The Bureau of Land Management logged over 7,000 comments from a concerned public regarding the scheduled round up of 2,700 wild horses from the Calico Complex in Northern Nevada. The 21 day public comment period closed on Thursday, Nov. 12.
Rumors over what was thought to be an incorrect e-mail address posted on the BLM web-site turned out to be untrue. According to Jerome Fox, BLM wild horse and burro specialist, the reason for a last minute change in email addresses could have been due to the large number of responses. Correspondence to either email address will be logged. They are then categorized as coming from an individual, an organization, or another government agency.
Octobers release of the Preliminary Environmental Assessment of the already scheduled Calico round up revealed that between 80% and 90% of the herds are to be removed from the wild beginning December 1.
Question abound regarding the estimated population of wild horses in the complex which consists of five herd management areas. BLM documents show a 2004 population of 575 animals..... almost half of those were mares injected with the immunocontraceptive PZP. The 2007 inventory shows only 761 wild horses. But records just one year later reflect a sudden rise to 2,071. By October of this year, BLM records show the complex as home to over 3,000 wild horses.
The question of accurate inventories is further complicated by a 2008 livestock allotment decision allowing an increase of cattle by almost 300%. American Herds quotes the document as saying there was ,"little evidence of 'wild horse' utilization...given the relative few numbers of horses/burros their impact on upland vegetation during the critical growing period will be minimal. This conclusion is supported by the fact that several upland monitoring sites established ( in one of the HMA's) are no longer monitored because very little or no use by wild horses/burros was documented at these sites."
Mr. Fox stated that he personally took part in the October 2009 aerial survey which took place over 4 1/2 days. The population count of 3,095 wild horses was correct. When asked if the movement of horses throughout the 4 1/2 day time frame could cause some to be counted two or even three times, he began a reference to "natural barriers" then abruptly ended the conversation saying, "I gotta go. Talk to you later. Bye.", then hung up the phone.
Advocate organizations anxiously await the final decision on the Calico Complex gather. Willis Lamm, long time wild horse advocate, responded to the large number of public comments by saying, " If BLM received over 7,000 public comments over a single gather, it kind of makes you think there could be a problem with their plan. And the response sure makes you think that the public is starting to take notice and get concerned about pulling more horses off the range and dumping them in holding facilities. Perhaps the days of "trap and toss" range management are numbered."
For More Information go to:
BLM to gather 90% of wild horses from Nevada complex
Comments
Thanks for the update.
The BLM is not only planning this massive roundup but is planning to remove 30,000 wild horses from our public lands in the next 3 years. This means they will all be gone and extinction is forever. These are our American wild horses that were supposed to be have protected and preserved by law for posterity.
Please visit www.theCloudFoundation.org and take action by calling and Emailing the President, Congressmen and others to stop this wipe out. Eleven wild horses were killed in a recent cruel and costly roundup. This genocide must stop now.
I am the proud owner of a former Nevada resident, a BLM Mustang mare. She was rescued from an abusive situation. With the economy in a depression, especially as pertaining to wild horses, there is simply NO reason to flood the overwhelmed market with more horses.
Lily asks that her relations please be left where they belong, wild and free.
This is insane! they have no scientific data, unless you count the so-called scientists in their pockets, to justify these round ups. cattle up 300% yet the land cannot hold a few hundred mustangs? where's the logic in that? where is our president on this issue? these are our horses on our public land! why are our voices not being heard?
I completely agree with the above posters. This makes no sense at all unless you reject the reasons the BLM has given, since those reasons are obviously just excuses and poor ones at that. This leads me to conclude that the true reasons for these unreasonable assaults on the wild horse populations have been hidden from us.
Does the allotment for 300% more cattle but no room for any horses give you a clue, perhaps?
These wild horses have a legal right to their land. The BLM is managing for extinction, the government only manages the horses, they belong to the American people.
Why are they removing wild horses from the Calico complex. which is a very rugged area, in the middle of winter? This is the worst way to do it and at the worst time. It's extremely dangerous for the horses.
Why remove them at all in the first place?
The deadline has been extended until November 22nd. Please send your comments.
As the American Herds blog pointed out there is a BIG discrepancy in the numbers. This is not the only area where this occurs. It is time for them to stop the gathers and an independent census done so we really know how many horses are on the range. It is obvious that the BLM cannot or will not count them correctly or are manipulating numbers. Since we do know that a majority of BLM employees all the way up to the Secretary of the Interior have a bias against our wild horses (see the Save Our Wild Horses blog www.saveourwildhorses.blogspot.com) we cannot trust them. Even the GAO in multiple reports over the years say the BLM is acting improperly. It is time Congress investigates the BLM and its management of our Wild Horse and Burro Program. Call your Senators, Representative and the President and ask that they stop all the gathers until a correct census is done by an independent source and that they fully investigate the BLM's actions with respect to the wild horse program
What is needed is a tea party for the horses. Held in front of the Winnemucca,NV BLM office. Bullhorns, signs and the local tv stations, radio stations in attendance. Do what Peta would do to draw attention to what is happening.
I think the BLM should be investigated. Since it doesn't cost anyone anything to leave the wild horses and burros where they are but does if they are rounded up and then warehoused. In fact I think all the horses that are being held in holding pens should be returned to their original home ranges over the next 3 to 5 years. Thus the cost of housing the wild horses would go down and the horses would be returned to their ranges. Congress should be doing an investigation into what is going on in the BLM
and who is making money over and above their paychecks. Also a count on the cattle (with a cow and calf as 2)and sheep should be made to get a correct number of each on the ranges. If there isn't enough feed for the horses, there isn't enough for sheep, cattle, and wildlife. Each and every range should have an INDEPENDENT STUDY done on all animals in it. You can't just pull one type of animal and not expect the environment to be compromised.
The blm doesn't care about these horses , and would just as soon send them to slaughter as feed them , and they will tell you so. I just want to save these horses, they are good horses, loving horses like you have never seen. Just go look at them and see what you think, thanks
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