Like the Statue of Liberty and the American flag, wild horses are symbols of freedom and the American spirit. Today we honor the indigenous horse of the United States of America and renew our pledge to protect mustangs.
By Debbie Coffey ~ Director of Wild Horse Affairs for Wild Horse Freedom Federation
from the pages of the PPJ Gazette
It seems while the BLM was in a Nevada Federal Court recently claiming a drought “emergency” as the reason they needed to remove wild horses from the federally protected Jackson HMA (Herd Management Area), the BLM may have omitted telling Judge McKibben about their big geothermal lease sale just 6 short months ago, in which they sold thousands of acres in/around southern Jackson HMA for about $2 an acre for geothermal exploration. BLM listed parcels for more than 17,500 acres, including and just around the southern portion of the Jackson HMA.
If the BLM did omit revealing this recent geothermal sale lease information to Judge McKibben in their big “drought” sob story in his courtroom, it seems they may have withheld relevant information. Just one geothermal exploration can use hundreds of gallons per minute (GPM) of water. Geothermal exploration also uses fracking (hydraulic fracturing), which has well publicized risks of contamination to water and aquifers.
On June 7, 2012, the BLM issued a press release stating that Gene Seidlitz, District Manager of BLM Winnemucca District in Nevada, claimed the BLM needed to do an “emergency” roundup of the wild horses in the Jackson HMA.
BLM rounded up horses from the southern Jackson HMA from June 8-22, and even though Judge McKibben enjoined the roundup in the northern area of Jackson HMA because of foaling season, the BLM was to resume the roundup July 1st.
If there isn’t enough water for wild horses, why is there enough water for geothermal exploration? Why doesn’t theBLM declare a drought “emergency” to stop the geothermal exploration?
Bye bye horses, Hello Ormat
Looking at the results of the January 24, 2012 Geothermal Lease Sale, in the south area of the Jackson HMA, Ormat Nevada bought about 15,275 acres (parcels 9,10,11 & 12) for about $30,552. Allied Nevada Gold Corp. bought 2,411 acres (parcel 13) for about $4,822.
The BLM sold out the wild horses, and their federally protected Herd Management Area, for $35,374. Most of Nevada has geothermal potential, so there are other public lands, that don’t include HMAs, that are available for geothermal exploration.
In the January 2012 Geothermal Lease, the BLM offered a total of 33 parcels totaling 94,829 acres of public lands, but sold only 8 parcels (27,834 acres). 5 of the 8 parcels sold were in the area of the southern Jackson HMA.
Geothermal leases are for a 10-year period. Annual rental for a competitive lease is $2 per acre for the first year, and $3 per acre for lease years 2-10. Annual rental for a noncompetitive lease is $1 per acre for lease years 1-10.
After the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the BLM and Forest Service prepared a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Geothermal Leasing in the Western United States in October, 2008.
In the January 2012 geothermal lease sale in Nevada, the BLM got caught with their hands in the sage grouse cookie jar, and had to cough up some of the acres they were planning to sell to protect the little critter. But there has been no protection for wild horses, even on their own federally protected HMA, as the BLM continues their stampede to extinction.
Attempts at conversation or dialogue with this agency that claims transparency, but only spins inaccurate data, will only turn our heads to look in the wrong direction. If there is a water “emergency,” it is being created, in large part, by BLM’s mismanagement of public lands.
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SOURCES:
http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/info/newsroom/2012/june/winnemucca__blm_to.html
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/nv/minerals/geothermal/leasesales.Par.42262.File.dat/20120124_Geo_Sale_Parcel_List.pdf
http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/info/newsroom/2012/january/state_office__geothermal.html
http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/info/newsroom/2012/january/blm_defers_parcels.html
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/nv/minerals/geothermal/leasesales.Par.2009.File.dat/Mar2011.competitve.geo.sale.results.pdf
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/nv/minerals/geothermal/leasesales.Par.45698.File.dat/20120124_Geo_Sale_Results_Noncompetitive.pdf
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/nv/minerals/geothermal/projects.Par.77901.File.dat/geothermal_energy_projects_table.pdf
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wo/MINERALS__REALTY__AND_RESOURCE_PROTECTION_/energy/geothermal_eis/final_programmatic.Par.95063.File.dat/Geothermal_PEIS_final.pdf
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11001835
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1475015/
http://rtfitchauthor.com/2012/06/22/court-ruling-continues-wild-horse-roundup/
Taylor James took some photos this afternoon to document the situation at Palomino Valley Center after the Ironwood Fire last night. We are grateful she could witness this for concerned Americans across the country. Look how close the fire came to the pens. Many thanks to the firemen who fought this fire and everyone else who helped.
We request the BLM implement a 45 minute evacuation plan–in case of an extreme emergency–-for each of their holding facilities. Once the BLM takes the mustangs and burros off the land they are responsible for their welfare.
Wild horses can run away from fires in the wild but those in captivity cannot.
(Press may use photos crediting Taylor James.)
July 3, 2012 PVC Fire came close to pens (Photo © Taylor James)
To The Bureau of Land Management interim Director, Mike Pool
July 3, 2012
Dear Mr. Pool,
We are writing you in light of yesterday’s Ironwood fire adjacent to the Palomino Valley short-term holding facility.
It has been brought to our attention that the BLM has evacuation plans for Palomino Valley that take 24 hours to complete.
Your 24 hour evacuation plan–mentioned on the news–is not practical. What if these horses and staffers needed to evacuate quickly due to fire?
We are concerned that no one lives on site to ensure the safety of the wild horses and burros at short-term holding facilities. Palomino Valley alone holds more than 2,000 wild horses and burros at times.
We request you change this risky policy and hire someone to live on site at all short-term facilities immediately. Boarding barns housing 40 horses always have someone living on site to handle emergencies. The BLM often has more than 2,000 horses at certain facilities so why is no one there after business hours?
We want to see your act of good faith–to show the BLM cares about wild horses and burros and will ensure their safety in short-term holding.
We request the BLM provide us with a copy of the current emergency evacuation plan for more than 2,000 indigenous wild horses held at the Palomino Valley Center, near Sparks Nevada.
We request the BLM implement a 45 minute evacuation plan–in case of an extreme emergency–-for each holding facility.
Once the BLM takes the mustangs and burros off the land they are responsible for their welfare.
Thank you for your kind assistance.
Sincerely,
Anne Novak
Executive Director of Protect Mustangs
News story about Ironwood fire: http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/25504/3592026
PVC Fire July 2, 2012 across dirt road from the holding facility (Photo © Taylor Jones)
Statement from Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs
We are very grateful to the firefighters for their hard work to stop a potential catastrophe. We hope all the residents are safe in the area.
People across the country were so worried when we released the photos taken by Taylor James on our website (http://protectmustangs.org/?p=1852 ) and through social media. The public cares deeply about America’s mustangs–especially all the mares and foals who have just been rounded up from Jackson Mountain.
With all the fires across the West this summer, we hope the BLM has an up to date evacuation plan for each wild horse and burro holding facility.
We request the BLM provide us with a copy of their emergency evacuation plan for more than 2,000 indigenous wild horses often held at the Palomino Valley Center.
We are asking the BLM to create a 45 minute evacuation plan in case of an extreme emergency–for each wild horse holding facility across the country. Once the BLM takes the mustangs off the land they are responsible for their welfare.
BLM’s 24 hour evacuation plan for Palomino Valley is not practical. What if these horses and staffers needed to evacuate quickly due to fire?
We would like the BLM to provide us with a copy of their emergency evacuation plan for the wild horses held at the Palomino Valley Center.
According to Taylor James, the photographer on site, the mustangs were already panicking at 7:10 p.m. with smoke coming into their pens.
We are especially concerned for the welfare of the pregnant mares and tiny foals after the intense smoke exposure–while they were trapped in pens. In the wild they would run away with their families. Tonight they were at risk because they have been rounded up, separated from their families and held captive.
Links of interest:
July 3, 2012 1:15 p.m. Ironwood fire is 90% contained. News 4 reports http://www.mynews4.com/mostpopular/story/Ironwood-Fire-is-50-contained/dry6RBxk502RkA-w6YCc5Q.cspx
We are posting updates here
July 3, 2012 1:15 p.m. Ironwood fire is 90% contained. News 4 reports http://www.mynews4.com/mostpopular/story/Ironwood-Fire-is-50-contained/dry6RBxk502RkA-w6YCc5Q.cspx
July 2, 2012 11:45 p.m. Much gratitude to the firemen. Prayers to keep all the residents safe. The winds have changed directions and the wild horses are downslope. Let’s hope the mustangs stay safe through the night. Thank YOU everyone for your prayers. Thank you Taylor James for contacting us and taking photos. Thank you News 4 and 8 for covering the story. Scared mustangs ripped from their homes and trapped in pens, with a fire across the dirt road . . . We hope they are OK from all the smoke exposure. The fire is not out yet.
July 2, 2012 Palomino Valley fire tonight. (Photo by Lynda Moyer from News 4 page)
News 4 Karen Griffin reports: http://www.mynews4.com
Kolo Channel 8 reports: http://ww2.kolotv.com
10:00 Tune into News 4 at 11 for coverage on the fire
9:32 Anne Novak spoke with someone who was in on the press conference and “per the Fire Chief the mustangs aren’t threatened anymore.”
News 4 reports: http://www.mynews4.com/news/local/story/Ironwood-Fire-burns-in-Palomino-Valley/dry6RBxk502RkA-w6YCc5Q.cspx
Breaking News from Protect Mustangs
The fire started at about 7:00 p.m. across the road from Palomino Valley Center outside of Sparks Nevada. Photographer Taylor James was at the facility when the fire started and contacted us.
“The smoke was entering the pens,” reports Taylor James, photographer. “The mustangs were running back and forth in a panic–in the pens.”
7:00 p.m. Palomino Valley Fire July 2, 2012 Across the dirt road from the American mustang holding pens (Photo © Taylor James)
Wind blowing smoke into pen at 7:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m. PVC Fire Across Dirt Road from wild horses trapped in pens. Smoke entering pens July 2, 2012 (Photo © Taylor James)
Captured wild horses at beginning of fire. The fire is across a dirt road from the horses. The horses are downslope.
7:00 p.m. PVC Fire July 2, 2012 Mustangs in pen across from fire (Photo © Taylor James)
7:20 p.m. PVC Fire & Smoke July 2, 2012 (Photo © Taylor James)
PVC Fire July 2, 2012 From Highway (Photo © Taylor James)
Roadside entrance to Palomino Valley where wild horses are held in pens after being rounded up and processed.
7:35 p.m. PVC Fire July 2, 2012 Highway entrance to short term holding (Photo © Taylor James)
More photos coming.
All photos by Taylor James. Press may use photos crediting the photographer.
Taylor James’ Facebook page is here: http://www.facebook.com/UpCloseandPersonalPhotography?ref=ts
Cross posted from the Las Vegas Sun
The Associated Press
Saturday, June 30, 2012 6:55 p.m.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will resume a roundup of wild horses about 150 miles northeast of Reno on Sunday, nearly two weeks after a federal judge temporarily halted it due to foaling season.
With the end of foaling season Saturday, BLM officials said, they plan to begin removing about 200 horses from the northern portion of the Jackson Mountains Herd Management Area.
U.S. District Judge Howard McKibben on June 20 granted part of a temporary restraining order sought by horse protection advocates who say the BLM’s own rules prohibit helicopter roundups during foaling season.
He allowed the roundup to continue in the southern portion of the Jackson Mountains because BLM had proven an emergency due to drought. An emergency roundup there began June 8 and ended June 22 with the removal of 424 horses.
But he said that emergency didn’t stretch to the northern half of the target area covering a total of more than 400 square miles east of the Black Rock Desert. He said no helicopters could be used there at least until foaling season ended June 30.
The rest of the roundup in the southern portion of the Jackson Mountains is expected to last about two weeks.
The roundup, which will involve the use of a helicopter to drive horses for miles to corrals, is needed because of a lack of forage and water on the range due to the drought, BLM officials said.
“Gathering the remainder of the excess animals in the northern portion will greatly assist the rangelands from a forage and water standpoint and will reduce the competition among the wild horses, permitted livestock and wildlife,” said Gene Seidlitz, BLM Winnemucca District manager.
Horses removed from the range are taken to the BLM’s Palomino Valley center north of Reno, where they’re put up for adoption or sent to long-term pastures in the Midwest.
The roundup in the southern portion of the Jackson Mountains resulted in the “gather-related” death of only one horse and the “non-gather-related” deaths of six horses due to pre-existing health conditions, BLM spokeswoman Heather Jasinski said.
“We put them down in the field at the trap site or temporary holding corrals,” she said, adding another three horses died after being transported to the Palomino Valley facility.
Anne Novak, executive director of California-based Protect Mustangs, said the animals probably would be alive today had they not been rounded up.
“Curiously, these wild horses were surviving on the range and only died at the hands of the BLM after being captured,” she said. “We want transparency and request that all deaths be counted as roundup-related when they die or are euthanized within 30 days of the roundup.”
The helicopter roundup puts pregnant mares and tiny foals “seriously at risk,” Novak added.
“Just because it’s July 1 doesn’t mean foals aren’t being born,” she said. “Running foals with delicate hooves for miles is inhumane … Helicopter roundups are terrible. They traumatize the wild horses when they stampede them for miles.”
Nevada is home to about half of the estimated 37,000 wild horses on public lands in 10 Western states.
Link to the article: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/jun/30/nv-wild-horses-1st-ld-writethru/
June 28, 2012 by ppjg
Debbie Coffey Copyright 2012 All Rights Reserved.
_______________________________________________________________
In 2010, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) gave the green light to the expansion of a mining project within the Triple B Herd Management Area (HMA) in Nevada, even knowing about mercury in the watershed and higher levels of arsenic in the surface water. Since grazing allotments seem to be in the hydrographic basin with “mercury deposition contributions to the watershed,” this would seem to put human food and health at risk. The BLM turned a blind eye and approved this project, and now they’re falling all over themselves to declare there’s not enough water for the wild horses because of “drought” and they now plan to waste taxpayer dollars on water trapping, and later helicopter roundups, to remove the wild horses.
But you can’t say they’re not rosy optimists. In the 2009 Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Bald Mountain Mine (the mining project given approval to expand operations), under Surface Water, BLM states:
“In general, established background water quality levels are good with the exception of arsenic, which exceeds the 0.05 mg/l Nevada water quality standard.”
In other words, the water quality is good, except for all the arsenic, which is higher than a safe level. How much does it exceed the Nevada water quality standard?
It kind of makes you wonder if part of the BLM’s hurry to remove wild horses is to avoid having a bunch of horses drop dead in a pile somewhere from water contamination. Not that the BLM would care about the horses, but they wouldn’t want anything to further damage their poor (and continually plummeting) public image.
It seems that BLM’s idea of a “thriving ecological balance” and concern about “degradation to the range” is very selective. The only thing “green” about this is the money that’s being raked in while public lands are being raped. Again, the BLM has asked for public comments, which again, they will ignore. My comment about their latest plan to get rid of the wild horses is:
June 26, 2012
Mr. Byran Fuell, Field Manager
BLM Wells Field Office
3900 E. Idaho St.
Elko, NV 89801
Dear Mr. Fuell:
The following are my comments regarding the BLM’s water “resource concerns” and supposed “severe drought” to use water trapping to remove wild horses and “relieve pressure on springs or until a helicopter gather can take place.”
1) If the BLM has legitimate “resource concerns” for water in the Triple B Herd Management Area (HMA), the expansion of the Bald Mountain Mine (BMM) shouldn’t have been approved by the BLM in 2010, since BMM is WITHIN the Triple B HMA and will now use an additional 250 afa (acre feet annually) of water. Did the BLM prepare 1′ or 5′ water drawdown maps for this expansion project before approving the expansion (only a year and a half ago)?
http://elkodaily.com/news/local/blm-approves-bald-mountain-expansion/article_d9ade7e3-e9ad-5f56-8695-c4a7f5ec2184.html
2) Did the BLM not anticipate droughts in the driest state in the nation when it considered that this additional 250 afa, meant that just this one project would use about 81,462,750 gallons of water each year? BMM plans to mine for another 10 years, so it will use over 800 million gallons of water. Didn’t the BLM consider that this might dry up streams in the Triple B HMA?
(Looking at the past history of the Bald Mountain and Mooney mines, even if they both used only 300 afa for only the past 20 years, that would mean they’ve already used 1,955,106,000 gallons of water.)
3) When the BLM approved an additional (approximate) 3,418 acres of disturbance on public lands for the BMM expansion, (and all the extra water) did the BLM negotiate with Barrick to make accommodations for, or share, any water for wild horses?
4) The Mount Hope Mine, near Eureka, seems to be only about 10-15 miles from the western edge of the Triple B HMA. This mining project will also use a lot of water. There could be a shared aquifer or interflow between aquifers, which could also affect water (and forage) in the Triple B HMA.
5) I see from the BLM 2012 June Oil and Gas Lease Sale Nomination Parcel map, that the parcels are just outside the eastern side of the Triple B HMA. These will use water and fracking (risking contamination of water).
6) It looks as if a portion of the Triple B HMA and most, if not all, of the Cherry Springs Wild Horse Territory are in the Huntington Valley Hydrographic Basin. Your office should be concerned that this basin seems to have the highest level of mercury deposition “contributions” to watershed in the state of Nevada. What made these “contributions” (Hint: these are near BMM) and how can the BLM “relieve pressure” on springs from this?
7) It seems the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has had recent concerns about the BLM’s lack of protection of water resources from other mining projects in the Elko BLM District: http://www.epa.gov/region9/nepa/letters/emigrant-mine-feis.pdf and
http://www.epa.gov/region9/nepa/letters/GenesisMineProjectFEIS.pdf
8) Have any extractive “uses” (mining, oil and gas, geothermal) in the Triple B HMA and nearby areas, been asked to curtail water usage during this severe drought?
9) Is water from any of BLM’s water rights permits in the area being utilized for water for the wild horses?
I urge the BLM to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) and include maps showing water sources currently available to the wild horses, data and maps of any possible water contamination and water monitoring plans. While an EA is being prepared, I urge the BLM to continue to haul water (and hay, if needed) to the wild horses you have a mandate to protect.
I also urge the BLM stop wasting tax payer money to use helicopters to remove wild horses from this HMA. A wild horse only drinks 10-20 gallons of water a day, very little compared with the uses above, and they cause much less “degradation” to public lands. If the BLM plans to leave only about 472 wild horses on almost 1,683,000 acres of the Triple B Herd Management Area, the BLM continues to “manage” the wild horses to extinction.
SOURCES:
http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/info/newsroom/2012/june/elko__blm_hauling.html
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/nv/field_offices/ely_field_office/minerals/bald_mountain_north/baldnorth_complete.Par.84811.File.dat/DEIS%20BaldMtnNorthOpsArea%20Complete.pdf
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/nv/field_offices/battle_mountain_field/blm_information/nepa/mount_hope_project.Par.16231.File.dat/MountHopeDraftEIS-CH3-3-1Intro_3-2waterquan.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/region9/nepa/letters/emigrant-mine-feis.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/region9/nepa/letters/GenesisMineProjectFEIS.pdf
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/nv/field_offices/ely_field_office/nepa/ea/2012/eydopea2012.Par.60680.File.dat/PEA%20June%202012%20Oil%20and%20Gas%20Competitive%20Lease%20Sale%20Preliminary%20EA.pdf
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/nv/field_offices/ely_field_office/minerals/bald_mountain_north0/bmnafeis_taxts.Par.83129.File.dat/01%20-%20Cover%20matter.pdf
Act today and make your voice heard in Congress
Please CALL the Capitol switchboard today at (202) 224-3121. Ask to be connected to your state Representative’s office. Ask them to NOT fund helicopter roundups.
(Graphic made by Robin Warren, age 11, Protect Mustangs’ new Youth Campaign DIrector)
