Wild horses sold to alleged kill buyer by government contractor

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Protect Mustangs

By U.S. Government [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Debbie Coffey

Director of Wild Horse Affairs, Wild Horse Freedom Federation

_____________________________________________________________________

Debbie Coffey and Wild Horse Freedom Federation thank Animals Angels for their assistance with this investigation.

While the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been trying to convince the public that the BLM does not sell wild horses to slaughter, Wild Horse Freedom Federation has obtained proof that a BLM Long Term Holding contractor sold wild horses directly to kill buyer Joe Simon, who is well known for sending horses to slaughter, and who owns JS Ranch (“Farms”) in Perkins, Oklahoma.

To give you a little background, the BLM uses lame excuses to remove wild horses from their federally protected Herd Management Areas while letting other “uses” take over. For instance, BLM claims wild horses cause “degradation” to the range, but then allow oil and gas drilling (and fracking) on the same land. The BLM uses helicopters to round up the wild horses, then puts the horses in short term holding facilities, maintenance facilities, and ultimately, ships horses to same-sex long term holding pastures, where the public is led to believe the horses spend the rest of their lives.

Jim Reeves and Lyle Anderson own Spur Livestock, and have a contract with the Bureau of Land Management for a long term holding pasture for wild horses on private lands within the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, as well as on Indian Trust Lands administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This facility is the Whitehorse Wild Horse Long Term Holding Facility.

Wild Horse Freedom Federation received records from the South Dakota Brand Board that reveal on 11/8/2008, while under contract with the BLM, “owner” Spur Livestock sold 34 horses with “BLM tattoos” to JS Farms, owned by kill buyer Joe Simon.

Animals Angels has written about kill buyer Joe Simon (scroll down to the 2^{nd article “What is the Price Tag for Suffering”) here}It is important to note that state brand boards do not “recognize” BLM freezemarks

^{(which BLM puts on the left side of wild horses’ necks after they are captured) as official “BRANDS,” so the state brand board inspectors may completely ignore the BLM freezemarks and instead, note that wild horses have “NO BRAND.”}

It is also important to note that if someone BUYS a wild horse from the BLM, they can then put their own brand on the horse, and state brand board inspectors may then note only the new brand in their records (since it is “recognized”) and NOT the BLM freezemark (which they don’t “recognize”) which would identify a horse was a wild horse on public records. State brand inspectors can omit any traces of wild horses on their official records.

On the Spur Livestock 11/8/2008 sale (besides the fact that 34 horses with “BLM tattoos” were sold), the words “Freeze brand” are written under the brand symbol for the other 36 horses in this sale (a total of 70 horses). The words “Freeze Brand” aren’t written under this brand symbol on any other Local Ownership Inspection Certificates, or under any other brand symbols.

Another important detail stands out. In looking at over 3 years of Local Ownership Inspection Certificates of horses by Spur Livestock, Jim Reeves and Spur Livestock, this sale of 70 horses seems to be the largest sale of horses.

Looking at the fact that Spur Livestock claimed itself to be the “Owner” of the wild horses on this South Dakota State Brand Board Local Ownership Inspection Certificate, did Spur Livestock claim to own the wild horses that the BLM warehouses on this property? Or were these horses the wild horses that Jim Reeves BOUGHT from the BLM?

BLM Sales records obtained through a Freedom in Information Act (FOIA) request indicate Jim Reeves bought 72 wild horses (2 truckloads) from the BLM about one and two months before he sold the 34 BLM wild horses with BLM freezebrands and 36 branded horses directly to Joe Simon.

On 9/9/2008, Jim Reeves bought 36 geldings, ages 11-13, from the Canon City Maintenance Facility (prison) in Colorado.

On 9/23/2008, Jim Reeves bought 36 mares, ages 11-12, from the BLM’s Palomino Valley BLM holding facility in Nevada.

Jim Reeves already had wild horses on his property, including younger horses, and he could easily have arranged to buy 72 of those wild horses. So why would he buy 72 wild horses from Nevada and Colorado and pay shipping costs (or make the BLM pay shipping costs with your tax dollars) to have them shipped out to South Dakota?

On the Sales Questions Document (application) form for Spur Livestock, a handwritten note at the bottom of page 1 claims: “Horses will be used as pack animals.”

Pack Animals?

How easy do you think it would be to train 11-13 year old wild geldings (castrated stallions) to be pack animals? If he was so knowledgeable about wild horse behavior, why wouldn’t he have bought younger horses that would’ve been easier to train?

In a telephone conversation with Jim Reeves, when asked about the 72 horses he bought as pack animals, he said “I’m told not to talk about this kind of stuff.” He said “I can’t talk about this” and “That’s BLM business.”

There’s more

While the information below may not involve any wild horses, it seems to show that Jim Reeves, Lyle Anderson and Spur Livestock have sold horses directly to slaughter buyers more than once. (However, keep in mind that BLM freezemarks can be noted as “NO BRAND” and a new brand may be added and recognized as the ONLY brand, so the public has no absolute proof that these horses were NOT wild horses, either.)

In reviewing other South Dakota Brand Board records of Spur Livestock, Jim Reeves and Lyle Anderson, horses sold included:

12/4/08 – 48 “No brand” horses were sold by Jim Reeves, and 2 “No Brand” horses by other Reeves family members, to Rusty Williams in George West, Texas. (not a known kill buyer)

2/25/09 – 31 branded horses belonging to Jim Reeves and other Reeves family members were sold directly to slaughterhouse Canadian Premium Meats, Lacombe, AB, Canada.

11/18/09 – 9 “no brand” horses and 3 horses Jim got only 6 days before (on 11/12/09) from Jess Starr of Dupree, SD, were sold to kill buyer (Randy) Musick of Mitchell, SD.

11/18/09 – Jim Reeves sent 19 horses, including horses owned by Reeves family members, 3 branded horses Spur Livestock got from Vernon Starr of Dupree, SD only about 10 days before, 3 branded horses Jim Reeves got from Larry Long only 17 days before, and 6 horses from Jeff Hunt (Jim Reeves got 3 of these horses on 10/3/09) to kill buyer (Randy) Musick of Mitchell, SD.

7/17/12 – Lyle Anderson sent 2 horses, (1″No Brand” horse and a palomino mare noted “Brand no registered. Horse comes from No Brand Area.” to an unknown buyer (the buyer line was left blank) in Pueblo, CO.

Canon City Prison – a BLM “Maintenance Facility”

Oddly, in reviewing FOIA documents of “Animals Shipped” out of the Canon City (Prison) Maintenance facility, and comparing these to FOIA documents on BLM sales, in September, 2008, when Jim Reeves bought the 36 wild horses, records from Canon City Correctional Facility indicate that no horses were shipped out in September, 2008, and only 1 horse the following month (October, 2008), and only 33 horses the month after that (November, 2008). So did the 36 horses that Jim Reeves bought from the BLM at this facility just walk past a SWAT team and out a back door?

This was not the only discrepancy in Canon City Maintenance Facility records. Tom Davis bought 120 horses in January, 2009, and Harry Vold bought 36 horses that same month (120+36 = 156), but Canon City records indicate only 4 horses were shipped out in January, 2009.

Anthony Nafe bought 33 horses in February, 2009, but Canon City records indicate only 1 horse was shipped out in February, 2009.

Tom Davis (only one of many this month) bought 111 horses in March, 2009, but Canon City records indicate only 77 horses were shipped out in March, 2009.

This goes on and on and on…the numbers don’t add up. I hope the person who’s counting the wild horses isn’t the same person who’s counting the prisoners.

My call to Mr. Fran Ackley (Program Lead for the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program in Colorado) for clarification on this issue was not returned.

So what, exactly, is “BLM business?”

Question #17 on Jim Reeves’ BLM sales question document was “Do you intend to resell these animals? An X was typed in the YES box.

Right off the bat, the person in the BLM sales office should’ve wondered who the horses would be sold to, and for what purpose, really.

It was odd that although all of the answers were typed, there were handwritten notes at the bottom of the page indicating the horses were to be used as pack animals. It seemed like an afterthought. Did Jim Reeves write this? Or did a BLM employee write this? The document wasn’t signed, either. The BLM seems to keep very sloppy legal documents.

On the Bills of Sales for the horses Jim Reeves bought, above the line that indicates Authorized Officer, the words “Virtual Migration Person” was typed in. Who was this?

It is also unusual that the BLM’s contract with Spur Livestock (NAC070071) was dated 4/9/2007 and signed by BLM’s contracting officer, but this was almost 2 months BEFORE the Environmental Assessment (EA) was issued (July, 2007). Usually, EAs have to be completed to determine whether or not a federal undertaking would significantly affect the environment, before a project can go forward. Did the BLM jump the gun and skirt NEPA requirements?

Spur Livestock

The base year (2007) of the Spur Livestock 5 year contract with the BLM was for $506,250. Looking at fedspending.org, it seems Spur Livestock has made $2,952,210

since 2007.

(Links to Spur Livestock contracts are included at the end of article.)

Jim Reeves also received $198,604 in USDA subsidies 1995-2011.
Reeves is a member of the West Central Cattlemen’s Association in South Dakota.
Reeves’ wife, Janna, is the office manager for the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, and
Janna’s sister, Jodi Hickman, is the Executive Director of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association.
In 2010, horse slaughterhouse pusher Sue Wallis’ now defunct United Organizations of the Horse claimed that the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association made a “financial contribution” to the pro-horse slaughter cause.
Jim and Janna Reeves, along with Jodi Hickman, are principals in the 3J Cattle Company.
Jim Reeves’ brother is Tom Reeves, Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame Saddle “Bronc” rider.
Jim Reeve’s partner in Spur Livestock, Lyle Anderson, has had a string of business ventures which the South Dakota Secretary of State now lists as “inactive.”
Anderson also owns Anderson Construction, LLC, which is listed in the Secretary of State records as “Delinquent.”
Lyle Anderson is also listed as the owner of Anderson Ranches Partnership.
Lyle Anderson received $260,110 in USDA subsidies 1995-2011.

In August, 2012, Reeves and Anderson appealed a decline of their application for the U.S. Small Business Administration Business Development Program.

While the BLM cons the public into believing that the captured wild horses live out their lives on long term holding pastures, it seems that the BLM knowingly allows middlemen to cover their tracks in a pipeline of wild horses going to slaughter.

What the BLM consistently seems to “maintain” is fraud against the American taxpayer in its Environmental Assessments, a long history of inhumane handling of wild horses, lack of oversight and accountability, a waste of tax dollars, and lies to both the public and Congress, so every aspect of the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse & Burro Program needs to be investigated in a long overdue Congressional Investigation.

SOURCES:

^{http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs022/1101655399670/archive/1110611139942.html}^{(Scroll down to 2nd article: “What is the Price Tag for Suffering?”)}

^{http://www.animalsangels.org/investigations/horse-investigations/454-musick-horse-collecting-facility-mitchell-sd-august-11-13-2012-.html}

^{http://www.jshorsecompany.com/mares.html}

^{www.jshorsecompany.com/2010_consignment_form.doc}

^{http://www.manta.com/c/mmsg7sg/anderson-ranches-partnership}

^{http://farm.ewg.org/persondetail.php?custnumber=A07674974}

^{http://farm.ewg.org/persondetail.php?custnumber=A07620680}

^{http://www.manta.com/c/mmsq254/spur-livestock-l-l-c}

^{http://www.sdcattlemen.org/CMDocs/SouthDakota/Affilate%20Contacts2.pdf}

^{http://www.worldofrodeo.com/008/reeves.htm}

^{http://www.prorodeohalloffame.com/inductees/by-category/saddle-bronc-riding/tom-reeves/}

^{http://texascowboyhalloffame.org/pages/inductees/reeves.html}

^{http://www.manta.com/c/mmsg7sg/anderson-ranches-partnership}

^{http://www.manta.com/c/mmythcq/anderson-construction}

^{http://www.featherlitend.com/customers/}

^{http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/files/Thune%202012.pdf}

^{http://www.sba.gov/content/8a-business-development-0}

SPUR Livestock contracts

^{http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/welcome.html#ea}

++++++++++++++++++++++

^{http://www.animalsangels.org/investigations/horse-investigations/88-canadian-premium-meats-11308.html}

^{http://www.manta.com/c/mmdxtfp/williams-bookkeeping-service}

^{http://www.manta.com/c/mmscgzd/williams-ranch}

^{http://www.dondennisfamily.com/dupree_ranch/tornado_09/index.html}

^{http://www.huntranch.com/old_index.shtml}

^{http://www.sdcattlemen.org/sdcastaff.aspx}

^{http://thecattlecall.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/interview-with-south-dakota-cattlemens-associations-executive-director/}

^{http://opencorporates.com/companies/us_sd/DL014459}

^{…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..}

^{Cross-posted from the PPJ Gazette http://ppjg.me/2013/01/22/wild-horses-sold-to-kill-buyer-by-blm-contractor/}

BLM ducks complaint about suppressing livestock damage

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

By U.S. Government [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, DC (November 29, 2012) — The biggest and most ambitious scientific undertaking in the history of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is languishing after it was revealed the agency directed scientists to exclude livestock grazing as a possible factor in changing landscapes. The agency has also yet to respond to a scientific integrity complaint filed one year ago by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) charging that the exclusion of livestock data constituted political interference.

Launched in 2010 with more than $40 million in stimulus funds, BLM sought to analyze ecological conditions across six “eco-regions” covering the Sagebrush West. There was only one catch: when scientists were assembled BLM managers informed them that there was one “change agent” that would not be studied – the impacts of commercial livestock grazing. BLM managers told stunned scientists the reason for this puzzling exclusion was due to “stakeholders” opposition and fear of litigation, according to documents appended to the PEER complaint. Since that complaint –

These so-called “Rapid Ecoregional Assessments” have all stalled with no timetable for completion although they were slated to be finished this year;
To investigate the PEER complaint, BLM tagged Louis Brueggeman, its Fire Management Liaison, to act as “Scientific Integrity Officer.” It is not clear that Mr. Brueggeman has interviewed a single witness proffered by PEER. Nonetheless in an October 12, 2012 email, he said he was “in the process of finalizing the report” responding to the November 2011 PEER complaint; and
BLM now claims its studies are limited to “four overarching environmental change agents: climate change, wildfires, invasive species, and development (both energy development and urban growth)” but notes “Additional change agents may also be addressed based on ecoregional needs.”

What makes this last bit of revisionist rationale from BLM so questionable is that the agency’s own records show that the primary cause (nearly 80%) for BLM lands not meeting range health standards is damage from livestock, far eclipsing drought, fire, invasion by non-native plants or sprawl – the factors BLM now calls “overarching.” In fact almost 40% of all BLM allotments surveyed since 1998 fail to meet the agency’s own required land health standards due to livestock grazing – more than 33 million acres, an area bigger than the entire State of Alabama. Livestock occupies two-thirds of all BLM lands. Moreover, livestock is directly linked to aggravating drought conditions and spreading invasive species.

“After pledging not to repeat the pattern of political manipulation of science associated with the Bush years, the Obama administration has both embraced that pattern while striving to mask its manipulations though the charade of scientific integrity investigations,” remarked PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, whose organization has likened these investigations to damage control operations rather than objective scientific reviews. “Because they were financed with stimulus funds, these landscape assessments were described as ‘shovel-ready science’ – a term far more apt than originally envisioned.”
###

Read unanswered PEER scientific misconduct complaint

Look at heavy landscape damage inflicted by commercial livestock

View the six Eco-regions being assessed in continental U.S.

Scan stalled schedule for assessments

See how Interior has politicized its scientific integrity program

33 million Acres of BLM Grazing Allotments Fail Basic Rangeland Health Standards

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

LIVESTOCK’S HEAVY HOOVES IMPAIR ONE-THIRD OF BLM RANGELANDS

Washington, DC (May 14, 2012) — A new federal assessment of rangelands in the West finds a disturbingly large portion fails to meet range health standards principally due to commercial livestock operations, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). In the last decade as more land has been assessed, estimates of damaged lands have doubled in the 13-state Western area where the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducts major livestock leasing.

The “Rangeland Inventory, Monitoring and Evaluation Report for Fiscal Year 2011” covers BLM allotments in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The report totals BLM acreage failing to meet rangeland health standards in measures such as water quality, watershed functionality and wildlife habitat:

Almost 40% of BLM allotments surveyed since 1998 have failed to meet the agency’s own required land health standards with impairment of more than 33 million acres, an area exceeding the State of Alabama in size, attributed to livestock grazing;
Overall, 30% of BLM’s allotment area surveyed to date suffers from significant livestock-induced damage, suggesting that once the remaining allotments have been surveyed, the total impaired area could well be larger than the entire State of Washington; and
While factors such as drought, fire, invasion by non-native plants, and sprawl are important, livestock grazing is identified by BLM experts as the primary cause (nearly 80%) of BLM lands not meeting health standards.

“Livestock’s huge toll inflicted on our public lands is a hidden subsidy which industry is never asked to repay,” stated PEER Advocacy Director Kirsten Stade, noting that the percentage of impairment in lands assessed remains fairly consistent over the past decade. “The more we learn about actual conditions, the longer is the ecological casualty list.”

Last November, PEER filed a scientific integrity complaint that BLM had directed scientists to exclude livestock grazing as a factor in changing landscapes as part of a $40 million study, the biggest such effort ever undertaken by BLM. The complaint was referred to a newly appointed Scientific Integrity Officer for BLM but there are no reports of progress in the agency’s self-investigation in the ensuing months.

At the same time, BLM range evaluations, such as this latest one, use ambiguous categories that mask actual conditions, employing vague terms such as “making significant progress” and “appropriate action has been taken to ensure significant progress” that obscure damage estimates and inflate the perception of restoration progress. For example, in 2001 nearly 60% of BLM lands (94 million acres, an area larger than Montana) consisted of grazing allotments that were supposed to be managed to “improve the current resource condition” – a number that has stayed unchanged for a decade.

“Commercial livestock operations are clearly a major force driving degradation of wild places, jeopardy to wildlife, major loss of water quality and growing desertification throughout the American West,” Stade added, while noting that BLM has historically been dominated by livestock interests. “The BLM can no longer remain in denial on the declining health of our vast open range.”

###

Look at the PEER distillation of the new BLM numbers

See BLM 2011 Rangeland Evaluation Report View all past BLM Rangeland Evaluations

Review PEER complaint that BLM excludes grazing from scientific assessments

Original release from PEER

Ten tips for hauling adopted wild horses

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

You can make the hauling easier on your new friends.

Tips for Happy Hauling

1.     Send the BLM pickup facility a photo of your trailer before you leave, so they sign off that it’s suitable. They don’t want ramps or dividers, etc.
2.   Make sure your truck and trailer are in the best working condition and your bearings are greased.
3.   Let the BLM know you want to be there while they load so you aren’t distracted with paperwork. Then you can oversee the BLM employees loading your adopted wild horses. If something feels wrong express yourself politely and advocate for your wild horses. You will be responsible if the horses in your care are injured once you drive off.
4.   Having the BLM wranglers take their tags off when they are in the chute has worked for us.
5.   We don’t let the BLM wranglers halter them because we want the first haltering to be out of love and trust–not force, fear and domination. We don’t halter the wild ones in the trailer as it causes A LOT of stress before loading. They cannot be tied as they are not trained to tie. They are wild.
6.   We don’t feed during short trailering as hay nets could be something that could cause trouble.
7.   We did not bed the last trailer we used for a 6 hour ride. It had a rubber floor and they traveled well.
8.    Upon arrival at our destination, we back the trailer up to the gate and open the gate to create a barrier between the paddock and the trailer. Then we carefully open the trailer door and stand aside.
9.   Whips aren’t necessary but patience is. We have witnessed the BLM employees use a whip to get a young wild horse out of a trailer. This terrified the horse and caused him to bash around in the metal trailer and fall down. Using horse psychology and taking your time makes the experience safe and easy.
10.   If the wild horses are hesitant to come out of the trailer then we give them some hay just outside the trailer and wait patiently. They are extremely sensitive to pressure so we give them their space. We give them time and they always unload. We never stand in front of their exit path as that puts pressure on them and makes it scary to come out. They have been known to bolt out so watch out!

Have someone there to film the unloading because it’s a moment you will never forget. Here is a short clip of Sol and Val, our Discover Mustangs project horses, unloading after getting out of the BLM’s facility.

Disclaimer: Horses, wild or domesticated, are inherently dangerous and can be unpredictable. Use the information and advice in this article at your own risk.

(Photos © Carolyn Orndof)

Seasons Greetings from BLM

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

Public outrage gets creative

SAN FRANCISCO (December 20, 2012)–Citizens around the word are outraged at the BLM’s cruelty towards America’s native wild horses. The alleged federally protected mustangs are being rounded up and removed by the thousands only to be stockpiled in the Midwest at taxpayer expense. Some end up in the slaughter pipeline. During the current Owyhee roundup wild horse advocates documented mustangs being chased by a helicopter through barbed wire fencing. Protect Mustangs wants the roundups to stop and for the government to use the wild herds in Holistic Rangeland Management instead to reverse desertification on public land.

Artist Michelle Guillot says she was inspired by the horrific scenes of wild horses being driven through barbed wire at the Owyhee Roundup in Nevada.

“I was so appalled that I had to do something!” states Guillot. “How can the government hire helicopter contractors to push mustangs into barbed wire?”

She made the Seasons Greeting poster to let the world know what’s going on. Protect Mustangs is grateful to be able to release Guillot’s powerful message.

Public outrage is mounting and as a result, Protect Mustangs is organizing a Rally in San Francisco for January 2013. Date, time and place to be announced.

“The cruel roundups must stop,” states Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs. “Congress needs to listen to the public. They must stop enabling the wild horse wipe out–even if lobbyists are throwing cash around Washington.”

Protect Mustangs encourages Americans to meet with their senators and representatives to ask them to stop the roundups and use wild equids with livestock for Holistic Rangeland Management. This is a powerful solution for climate change–one that will reverse desertification.

The Petition to Defund and Stop the Roundups is circulating. Animal lovers around the world are encouraged to share it with their friends and request the United States Congress stop the cruelty and stop the roundups.

Michelle Guillot retains the copyright to the poster but encourages animal lovers to share the poster to spread awareness. She does not want the poster used for fundraising or commercial use.

The poster may be downloaded from www.ProtectMustangs.org

Protect Mustangs is a California-based preservation group whose mission is to educate the public about the American wild horse, protect and research wild horses on the range and help those who have lost their freedom.

# # #

Media Contacts:

Anne Novak 415-531-8454, Anne@ProtectMustangs.org

Kerry Becklund 510-502-1913, Kerry@ProtectMustangs.org

Urgent: Call to Stop the Owyhee Roundup!

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

Call and Email Wild Horse & Burro Chief in Washington and ask her to stop the cruel Owyhee Roundup!

Joan Guilfoyle (202) 912-7260 jguilfoy@blm.gov http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/directory/wo-270_dir.html

Call your Senators and Representatives today to ask them to stop this federal atrocity!

(Photo © Stephanie Martin)

Breaking News:19 Wild Horses Dead in Inmate Prison Facility

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

Once Alive on the Range Now Dead in BLM Hands

11 News Grand Junction Colorado

A mystery is unfolding at a wild horse inmate program facility in Cañon City.

Bureau of Land Management officials discovered 19 wild horses dead in a pen Monday.

Several other horses in the same pen appeared ill.

The BLM and veterinarians are working with state and federal animal health authorities to find out the cause of the illness.

Some of the horses that fell ill have been euthanized.

The facility has been quarantined while investigators try to determine what happened.

BLM ducks complaint about suppressing livestock damage

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

Landscape Assessments in Limbo after Scientists Told to Ignore Livestock Impacts

Washington, DC — The biggest and most ambitious scientific undertaking in the history of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is languishing after it was revealed the agency directed scientists to exclude livestock grazing as a possible factor in changing landscapes. The agency has also yet to respond to a scientific integrity complaint filed one year ago by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) charging that the exclusion of livestock data constituted political interference.

These so-called “Rapid Ecoregional Assessments” have all stalled with no timetable for completion although they were slated to be finished this year;
To investigate the PEER complaint, BLM tagged Louis Brueggeman, its Fire Management Liaison, to act as “Scientific Integrity Officer.” It is not clear that Mr. Brueggeman has interviewed a single witness proffered by PEER. Nonetheless in an October 12, 2012 email, he said he was “in the process of finalizing the report” responding to the November 2011 PEER complaint; and
BLM now claims its studies are limited to “four overarching environmental change agents: climate change, wildfires, invasive species, and development (both energy development and urban growth)” but notes “Additional change agents may also be addressed based on ecoregional needs.”

Read unanswered PEER scientific misconduct complaint

Look at heavy landscape damage inflicted by commercial livestock

View the six Eco-regions being assessed in continental U.S.

Scan stalled schedule for assessments

See how Interior has politicized its scientific integrity program

What happened to wild mama Cleo and her foal?

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

Is Cleo (mare #04616386) still alive at the BLM’s long-term holding or was she sold to a pro-slaughter buyer?

When I helped an adopter track down the Litchfield 11 filly known as “Lily” I requested more information about Cleo who was shipped to long-term holding last spring.

We have an adopter interested in saving Cleo and her foal if they are still alive.

I have been worried about the Calico mare seen in the video below. Is she still alive? Was she sold into the slaughter pipeline? What happened to her foal? What happens to all the foals born in long-term holding?

I will keep you posted as the information comes in. Right now I’d like to shine the light on this issue and share my emails with you.

But first if you haven’t met her yet, meet Cleo:

Best wishes,

Anne

——– Original Message ——–

Subject: RE: filly #3361and #6386 From:

Date: Fri, November 30, 2012 3:16 pm

To: “Collins, Deborah A” <dacollin@blm.gov>
Dear Ms. Collins,

Will you confirm that Calico mare #04616386 is alive and well and living at the Nowata facility or was she sold to a pro-slaughter buyer such as Tom Davis with other wild horses by the truckload?

Where exactly will the weanlings go? Where will they receive their identification numbers? Or have they already?

Please provide us with an identification list for the weanlings and accountability for any of the 130 who die.

What vaccinations are given to the weanlings at the long-term pastures and what is their age range at the time of receiving the vaccinations?

Do you have a link for the Nowata facility?

We are concerned that an Oklahoma’s Senator would rather see them slaughtered as quoted in an article about the long-term program.

U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, is bucking the program he calls “mismanaged.” He wants easier adoptions and better, longer-lasting infertility drugs.

“I think you ought to allow those that can’t survive, can’t be adopted, to be sold for slaughter,” he said.

How can you guarantee these horses will be safe? How many are ‘sold’ from Oklahoma facilities?

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Anne Novak

Link to articles:

http://newsok.com/managing-mustangs-is-costly-for-the-u.s./article/3590602

http://www.propublica.org/article/missing-what-happened-to-wild-horses-tom-davis-bought-from-the-govt

Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
P.O. Box 5661
Berkeley, California 94705
Tel./Text: 415.531.8454

Twitter @ProtectMustangs
Protect Mustangs on YouTube
Protect Mustangs in the News
Donate to help Protect Mustangs

www.ProtectMustangs.org

Protect Mustangs is a Bay Area-based preservation group whose mission is to educate the public about the American wild horse, protect and research wild horses on the range and help those who have lost their freedom.

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: RE: filly #3361and #6386
From: “Collins, Deborah A” <dacollin@blm.gov>
Date: Fri, November 30, 2012 2:14 pm
To: Anne protectmustangs <anne@protectmustangs.org>

Dear Ms. Novak,

I just spoke to one of our long-term pasture specialists and we have already weaned 130 foals off of the Nowata, OK, long-term pasture. The foals were given their first shots today and the mares have already returned to the pastures. The foals will stay there for approximately another 3 weeks before shipping to a short-term adoption center. The Nowata contract is new; therefore, it has four years before it is up for renewal.

The BLM has no control over what Congress decides to do with funding for the program; therefore, we will continue to feed and care for the horses in holding. Thank you.

Debbie Collins
Bureau of Land Management
National Wild Horse & Burro Marketing and
Information Center Coordinator
(405)790-1056 = Desk
(918)625-5292 = Cell
dacollin@blm.gov

From: anne@protectmustangs.org [mailto:anne@protectmustangs.org]
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2012 11:49 PM
To: Collins, Deborah A
Subject: RE: filly #3361and #6386

Regarding request to retrieve Calico mare #04616386 and her foal

Dear Ms Collins,

We understood that the long-term pasture contractors roundup the horses at least once a year to wean the foals and count. Is that is October?

Please provide us with a list of all the weanlings coming from the long term pasture where mare #04616386 is. Let us know where the weanlings are now. Have any of these weanlings been adopted? Do any of them have strikes against them?

In what pasture exactly is mare #04616386 located? When is their contract up for renewal? If Congress reduces funding for long-term holding what will happen to mare #04616386?

We would like to request she be pulled out for adoption the next time they do an inventory or has she already been sold to a pro-slaughter buyer like Tom Davis?

Thank you very much for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Anne Novak

Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
P.O. Box 5661
Berkeley, California 94705

Tel./Text: 415.531.8454

Twitter @ProtectMustangs
Protect Mustangs on YouTube
Protect Mustangs in the News
Donate to help Protect Mustangs

www.ProtectMustangs.org

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: RE: filly #3361and #6386
From: “Collins, Deborah A” <dacollin@blm.gov>
Date: Thu, November 29, 2012 11:40 am
To: Anne protectmustangs <anne@protectmustangs.org>

Hi Ms. Novak,

At this time, it is not economically feasible to remove a single horse from our long-term pastures. They are expansive pastures and the horses are free-roaming. I explained this in the questions you submitted earlier, so I’m sorry we can’t accommodate the request.

We don’t send mares, with foals, to long-term pastures and our database does not track which mare goes with which foal. Therefore, if the mare was pregnant when she shipped to OK, she will foal there. But, we will not be able to guarantee which foal came from which mare. I hope this answers your question. Thank you.

Debbie Collins
Bureau of Land Management
National Wild Horse & Burro Marketing and
Information Center Coordinator
(405)790-1056 = Desk
(918)625-5292 = Cell
dacollin@blm.gov

From: anne@protectmustangs.org [mailto:anne@protectmustangs.org]
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 3:50 PM
To: Collins, Deborah A
Subject: RE: filly #3361and #6386

Dear Ms. Collins,

Yes I heard the good news about Lily and it’s my pleasure to help these magnificent wild horses find homes even though I would rather they were not removed from their homes and families in the first place.

Please help me find the foal belonging to mare #04616386 at the BLM facility. How do you identify them?

How can the adopter adopt mare #04616386? They have wanted her since they saw her at Palomino Valley but they were told she had shipped out to long term holding.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Anne Novak

Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
P.O. Box 5661
Berkeley, California 94705

Tel./Text: 415.531.8454

Twitter @ProtectMustangs
Protect Mustangs on YouTube
Protect Mustangs in the News
Donate to help Protect Mustangs

www.ProtectMustangs.org

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: RE: filly #3361and #6386
From: “Collins, Deborah A” <dacollin@blm.gov>
Date: Wed, November 28, 2012 2:16 pm
To: Anne protectmustangs <anne@protectmustangs.org>

Dear Ms. Novak.

In case you haven’t heard, the little filly is in the process of being adopted by Dr. Wines. Thank you for part in helping Lily have a new home.

In reference to the mare, BLM does not use mares on long-term pastures for medical/fertility research. All of our long-term pastures are privately-owned. The BLM simply leases the space and pays them to provide feed and care to the horses. If a mare is pregnant, when entering a long-term pasture, it will foal there. Once the foal is old enough to be weaned, it will be sorted off and usually shipped to our Pauls Valley, OK, facility, or Hutchinson, KS, facility for adoption.

Thank you.

Debbie Collins
Bureau of Land Management
National Wild Horse & Burro Marketing and
Information Center Coordinator
(405)790-1056 = Desk
(918)625-5292 = Cell
dacollin@blm.gov

From: anne@protectmustangs.org [mailto:anne@protectmustangs.org]
Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 3:03 PM
To: Collins, Deborah A
Cc: Dr Carolyn Wines
Subject: RE: filly #3361and #6386

Dear Ms. Collins,

My understanding is that filly #11223361 has 2-Strikes. Is that correct?

Regarding mare #04616386, is she currently at the long-term pasture in Nowata, OK, is that a BLM contracted facility or owned by BLM? Is the facility open to the public?

Is the mare #04616386 being used for medical and/or fertility control research? She was in foal when she was rounded up. Where is her foal and what is her foal’s number?

How does an adopter adopt mare #04616386?

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Anne Novak

Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
P.O. Box 5661
Berkeley, California 94705

Tel./Text: 415.531.8454

Twitter @ProtectMustangs
Protect Mustangs on YouTube
Protect Mustangs in the News
Donate to help Protect Mustangs

www.ProtectMustangs.org

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: RE: filly #3361and #6386
From: “Collins, Deborah A” <dacollin@blm.gov>
Date: Tue, November 27, 2012 10:50 am
To: Anne protectmustangs <anne@protectmustangs.org>
Cc: Dr Carolyn Wines <drcate4@hotmail.com>

Dear Ms. Novak. Hope you enjoyed your holidays.

As listed on the information I forwarded to you on November 15, #11223361 is available for adoption at our BLM facility in Elm Creek, Nebraska. Anyone that is interested in adopting this horse will need to go to the Elm Creek facility. If the interested party lives very far away, I would suggest the person call them at 308-856-4498 to ensure it is still there. This facility is open to the public on a daily basis, excluding holidays and weekends, so it can be adopted at any time or shipped to a future adoption. Thank you for sharing this information with them.

Based on the info you provided for #6386, we narrowed it down to #04616386. This horse was gathered from the Calico HMA on December 6, 2011 and was shipped to our long-term pasture in Nowata, OK, on March 20, 2012. Please note it does not have any strikes.

Thank you.

Debbie Collins
Bureau of Land Management
National Wild Horse & Burro Marketing and
Information Center Coordinator
(405)790-1056 = Desk
(918)625-5292 = Cell
dacollin@blm.gov

From: anne@protectmustangs.org [mailto:anne@protectmustangs.org]
Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 1:44 PM
To: Collins, Deborah A
Cc: Dr Carolyn Wines
Subject: Adopter wants California filly #3361

Dear Ms. Collins,

An adopter is interested in the California yearling filly #3361. She was sent to Nebraska and then to the Indiana adoption event. Where is #3361 now? How can the adopter get her?

Thank you for your kind assistance.

Sincerely,
Anne Novak

Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
P.O. Box 5661
Berkeley, California 94705

Tel./Text: 415.531.8454

Twitter @ProtectMustangs
Protect Mustangs on YouTube
Protect Mustangs in the News
Donate to help Protect Mustangs

www.ProtectMustangs.org

2010 Owyhee roundup ~ Cloud Foundation denied access to observe

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Cloud Foundation
Media Contacts:

Anne Novak
Anne@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 415-531-8454

Makendra Silverman
Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 719-351-8187

For Immediate Release:

BLM Above the Law?

Salazar’s Agency Ignores Federal Court Order Honoring First Amendment, Denies Observers Access to Wild Horse Roundup

Reno, NV (July 19, 2010)—Laura Leigh, Herd Watch Project Coordinator for The Cloud Foundation, has been denied access to observe the Owyhee roundup, the first leg of the Tuscarora roundup near Elko, Nevada. On July 16th, Federal Judge Larry Hicks’ ruled Leigh’s First Amendment rights be upheld and therefore allow her and others to view the roundup. Leigh contends that the BLM has gone against the Judge’s orders for three days. Today Leigh filed a motion to uphold the court order for her First Amendment rights.

BLM officials refused to tell her where the trap site was located. They had strategically placed it on private land within the public herd management area (HMA) even though the range contains more than 450,000 acres of public land. The private landowner would not grant Leigh and others access. BLM used this method before to hide the Calico roundup from the public and journalists except for rare staged “media days”.

The helicopter stampede resumed as soon as the Judge lifted the injunction last Friday. Since then BLM has captured 620 mustangs and their young foals in the sweltering heat. More than 17 wild horses have been killed during the roundup. At least 2 foals were shot (euthanized) because of leg deformities resulting in lameness after being run over many miles of volcanic rock. Advocates question the accuracy of the diagnosis—pointing to evidence that lameness previously was caused by running the hoofs off the baby horses during last winter’s Calico roundup in Nevada also run by Cattoor Livestock, the private contractor who will be paid close to one million dollars for this roundup.

The BLM has created an alleged wild horses dehydration emergency by fencing mustangs off from water and running them scared by helicopter into traps. Advocates feel it is inhumane that the BLM is not treating the wild horses in the wild for dehydration but instead the BLM continues to chase them, round them up and ship the wild horses crammed in huge trucks for more than 5 hours to a temporary holding facility—all in the desert heat.

“These are wild animals. If this alleged emergency was happening to deer or big horn sheep the BLM would not be terrifying them by helicopter chase and then trucking them for half a day in the sweltering heat to be cared for at a distant location. Traditionally you care for distressed wild animals in the wild,” states Makendra Silverman, Associate Director of The Cloud Foundation. “And isn’t it curious that other wildlife or cattle isn’t suffering extreme dehydration out on the same range?”

Leigh had filed a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to stop this roundup and defend the public’s first amendment rights to observe the operation. BLM testified in federal court that no cattle remained on the range and that the horses had no water—even though a river is only 10 miles away, a short distance to travel for wild horses who under normal circumstances may travel twice that distance in daily treks to get a drink.

4,000 privately-owned cattle are permitted to graze (and drink) on the Tuscarora Complex where BLM permits only 400 mustangs. Made up by three separate HMAs: Owyhee, Little Humboldt and Rock Creek, the area is to be managed by BLM principally (though not exclusively) for the federally protected wild horses.

The foundation wants to know what is stopping the horses from accessing the Owyhee River and other perennial water sources? Are gates locked and vast areas fenced for livestock in the HMA?

“BLM’s emergency roundups are classified as such before the action begins. The three Tuscarora roundups were never described as emergencies. Suddenly, with the BLM challenged in court and 12 dead horses from the first day’s roundup their operation has suddenly morphed into an ‘emergency rescue’ roundup,” states Cloud Foundation Director, Ginger Kathrens, who has 16 years experience documenting wild horses in the West. “There is really no way to accurately assess the real, on-the-ground situation because the public is still being denied access. Is BLM resorting to any means just to carry out an agenda to rid the western ranges of wild horses?”

The three Tuscarora roundups (Owyhee, Little Humbolt and Rock Creek) were scheduled months ago as a standard BLM operation. The wild horses were found to be healthy. The primary reason for the roundups was because the wild horses were allegedly damaging livestock fencing. The public, mustang advocates, animal welfare groups and equine experts warned against summer helicopter roundups in the desert heat. The BLM ignored the comments.

The Cloud Foundation calls for immediate access to be given to all members of the interested public and for the addition of at least two knowledgeable wild horse advocates to BLM’s assembled team of insiders to determine what went wrong in the Owyhee disaster.

“Right now BLM plans to zero out the entire West Douglas herd in Colorado against a Federal Judge’s specific ruling to leave the herd intact. For the past three days, BLM ignored Judge Hicks’ ruling for the First Amendment,” states Kathrens. “Who will stop Salazar’s rogue bureau before they ruin the West?”

# # #

Links of interest:
Washington Post reports on NV Roundup Resuming http://bit.ly/cRwhSc
NBC Reno reports BLM Still Restricting Public Access to Roundup http://bit.ly/bE2wiJ
Leigh vs Salazar Documents filed 7/19 that relate to Leigh’s attempt to observe the Owyhee roundup and uphold her First Amendment rights:
Motion for Contempt http://bit.ly/bSAZax
Declaration for Motion http://bit.ly/9AY4x5
Exhibit A DOI Letter http://bit.ly/aL8w95

‘Herd-Watch: Public Eyes for Public Horses’ http://bit.ly/9Wvh58
Court Order Granting Injunction http://bit.ly/doc10LeighvSalazar
Grass Roots Horse http://www.grassrootshorse.com/
BLM daily reports on Tuscarora roundup http://bit.ly/TuscaroraReports
Roundup Schedule- updated July 12, 2010 http://bit.ly/roundupschedule
The Mustang Conspiracy: Sex, Drugs, Corruption, and BP – investigative report http://www.abovetopsecret.com/mustangconspiracy/
Wild Horse and Burro Act http://bit.ly/a7hOeS
Tuscarora/Owyhee Complex Roundup Information from BLM http://bit.ly/Tuscarora

Disappointment Valley… A Modern Day Western Trailer- excellent sample of interviews regarding the issues http://bit.ly/awFbwm
PR Firm Hired for the Destruction of America’s Wild Horse and Burro Herds http://bit.ly/czf3HB
Fact Sheet on Wild Herds & The Salazar Plan http://bit.ly/bfdX1y

Massive roundup at Owyhee

Protect Mustangs™

Forever wild and free™

Tag Archives: BLM

Wild horses sold to alleged kill buyer by government contractor

Canon City Prison – a BLM “Maintenance Facility”

So what, exactly, is “BLM business?”

BLM ducks complaint about suppressing livestock damage

33 million Acres of BLM Grazing Allotments Fail Basic Rangeland Health Standards

LIVESTOCK’S HEAVY HOOVES IMPAIR ONE-THIRD OF BLM RANGELANDS

Ten tips for hauling adopted wild horses

Seasons Greetings from BLM

Urgent: Call to Stop the Owyhee Roundup!

Breaking News:19 Wild Horses Dead in Inmate Prison Facility

BLM ducks complaint about suppressing livestock damage

What happened to wild mama Cleo and her foal?

2010 Owyhee roundup ~ Cloud Foundation denied access to observe

Tuesday, July 20, 2010