Dry Creek Partnership Successes Continue with Treatment of Noxious Weeds

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Protect Mustangs

A partnership that began in 2012 among the Bureau of Land Management Cody Field Office, Marathon Oil Corporation and Friends of a Legacy (FOAL) continues to achieve successes toward its goal of improving water sources for the benefit of wild horses, wildlife and livestock inside the McCullough Peaks Wild Horse Herd Management Area (HMA) east of Cody, Wyoming.

Russian olive and
saltcedar were recently treated on 900 acres of public land along Dry
Creek east of Cody.

Most recently, the group partnered with Park County and Big Horn County weed and pest districts to treat Russian olive and saltcedar on 900 acres of public land along Dry Creek. The invasive plants were sprayed with herbicide, beginning at the bridge where U.S. Highway 14/16/20 crosses Dry Creek approximately 21 miles east of Cody, and continuing downstream to the east.Russian olive and saltcedar, both designated as noxious weeds by the Wyoming Weed and Pest Council, create numerous negative impacts on river function, native plant and wildlife species, wildlife habitat, and water quality and quantity. By removing these water-loving plants, wild horses, wildlife and livestock will benefit from more water in the creek and the space created for native vegetation to flourish.

“We are so appreciative of FOAL and Marathon Oil for the progress we continue to make along the Dry Creek drainage,” said BLM Assistant Field Manager Delissa Minnick. “And the recent Russian olive and saltcedar treatments would not have been possible without the additional contributions of herbicides and work crews from Park County and Big Horn County weed and pest districts.”

Treatments are expected to continue this spring, and re-treatments to spray re-growths will be needed in future years. In addition, tall, mature tamarisk in the area will be mulched using a skidsteer with a masticator attachment.

“FOAL is dedicated to and honored to be a partner in reducing the impact of invasive species in the HMA for the benefit of all of the flora and fauna that depend on the Dry Creek drainage,” said Warren Murphy, president of FOAL.

Projects completed by the Dry Creek Water Augmentation partners over the past few years include the identification of viable water supply alternatives; installation and testing of two shallow water supply wells along Dry Creek; purchase and installation of solar powered pumps; construction of a 2.5-mile long water delivery system; and the improvement of several reservoirs in the HMA, which are critical for capturing spring snow melt.

Future plans include the construction of a second pipeline and installation of various points of use for the delivered water including guzzlers, reservoirs, watering basins and wetlands along the pipelines for water storage and distribution to wildlife.

Marathon Oil has operated in this area since 1917 and has partnered with the BLM on numerous resource improvement projects. To ensure the success of the Dry Creek Water Augmentation Project, Marathon Oil has secured grants and provided funding to the National Wild Turkey Federation to implement fieldwork and construction projects.

“We’re grateful for the partnerships we have with these groups,” said Environmental Professional Mike Williams with Marathon Oil’s Wyoming Asset Team. “Such successful water augmentation in the Dry Creek drainage wouldn’t have been possible without the significant collaborative input and commitment that each organization brings to the project.”

FOAL is a non-profit wild horse advocacy organization that has been partnering with the BLM under a separate MOU since 2006 to coordinate and cooperate on opportunities for public education, to enhance habitat for all creatures living within the McCullough Peaks HMA and to assist the BLM in managing the McCullough Peaks wild horses.

FOAL has received grants from the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust and the Park County Winter Recreation Coalition Fund (held by the Wyoming Community Foundation) that have contributed to the success of the Dry Creekheld by the Wyoming Community Foundation Water Augmentation Project.

“On-going collaboration focused on improving the habitat and the availability of water resources is very important,” said FOAL Executive Director Marion Morrison. “We’re seeing great results due to the significant contributions of expertise, resources, and passion from every member of this partnership.”

It is hoped the partnership will continue to grow with the addition of new participants and public involvement. The partners hope to enlist volunteers in the future to plant native species along Dry Creek to further improve habitat. For more information, or to participate in Dry Creek habitat enhancement work, please contact BLM Wild Horse Specialist Tricia Hatle at 307-578-5900.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.

–BLM–Cody Field Office 1002 Blackburn Street Cody, WY 82414

Comments needed on BLM’s proposed collection of information on wild horses and burros

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Protect Mustangs

Roundups occur to PZP the wild mares with a pesticide for birth control!

Send in your public comments and be a voice for America’s wild horses and burros! Ask for management levels to rise for genetically viable herds to survive and for holistic management for all Herd Management Areas. Speak for the voiceless today.

NOTICE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[15XL1109AF LLWO260000 L10600000.PC0000 LXSINASR0000]

Proposed Collection of Information on Wild Horses and Burros; Request for

Comments.

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: 60-day notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Bureau of Land

Management (BLM) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve

the information collection (IC) described below, and invites public comments on the

proposed IC.

DATES: Please submit comments on the proposed information collection by May 11, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by mail, fax, or electronic mail.

Mail: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C Street, NW,

Room 2134LM, Attention: Jean Sonneman, Washington, D.C. 20240.

Fax: to Jean Sonneman at 202-245-0050.

Electronic mail: Jean_Sonneman@blm.gov.

Please indicate “Attn: 1004-NEW” regardless of the form of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Bohl at (202) 912-7263.

Persons who use a telecommunication device for the deaf may call the Federal

Information Relay Service on 1-800-877-8339, to contact Ms. Bohl. You may contact Ms. Bohl to obtain a copy, at no cost, of the draft discussion guides for the focus groups and in-depth interviews described in this 60-day notice. You may also contact Ms. Bohl to obtain a copy, at no cost, of the regulations that authorize this collection of information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Proposed Information Collection
Title: Knowledge and Values Study Regarding the Management of Wild Horses and Burros.
OMB Control Number: 1004-NEW.
Frequency: On occasion.
Respondents’ obligation: Voluntary.
Abstract: The BLM protects and manages wild horses and burros that roam Western public rangelands, under the authority of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (Act), 16 U.S.C. 1331-1340. The Act requires that wild horses and burros be managed in a manner that is designed to achieve and maintain a thriving natural ecological balance on the public lands. 16 U.S.C. 1333(a). Stakeholders and the general public hold a variety of views on how wild horses and burros should be managed. The BLM has determined that conducting focus groups, in-depth interviews, and a national survey will lead to a better understanding of public perceptions, values, and preferences regarding the management of wild horses and burros on public rangelands.
After reviewing public comments and making appropriate revisions, the BLM will include the discussion guides in a request for OMB approval. Upon receiving OMB approval, the BLM will conduct the focus groups and in-depth interviews. The results of focus groups and in-depth interviews will be used to help design a national survey, which will be the second and final phase of the research.

The BLM will prepare a draft of the national survey and publish a second 60-day notice and invite public comments on the draft national survey. After reviewing public comments and making appropriate revisions, the BLM will include the national survey in a request for OMB approval. Upon receiving OMB approval, the BLM will conduct the national survey.

Need and Proposed Use: The proposed research was recommended by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences in a 2013 report, Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Conducting the focus groups and in-depth interviews will enable the researchers to characterize the range of preferences that exist for wild horse and burro management. The national survey will then assess the distribution of these preferences across the larger population. The research results will assist the BLM to more effectively manage wild horses and burros by providing information to:

Help evaluate the benefits and costs of competing rangeland uses and variousmanagement options;
Help identify areas of common ground and opportunities for collaboration with stakeholder groups; and
Communicate more effectively with the public and with stakeholder groups.Description of Respondents: The BLM intends to survey a variety of respondents for this project by conducting focus groups, in-depth interviews, and a nationally representative survey. For the focus groups and in-depth interviews, the primary respondents will be individuals belonging to a variety of organizations that have previously lobbied, commented on program policy or activities, or have otherwise sought influence with the BLM in regard to its wild horse and burro program. Representatives of wild horse and burro advocacy groups, domestic horse owners, wild horse adopters, the Western livestock grazing community, environmental conservationists, hunters, and public land managers will be included. Nine focus groups across three locations around the country and up to 12 in-depth interviews will be conducted with individuals from these groups. Focus group participants will be recruited by BLM’s research contractor through a variety of approaches tailored to the communities participating in the discussions. In addition, four focus groups (spread across two locations) will be conducted with the general public to explore public understanding of various terms and issues involved in wild horse and burro management so that the questionnaire for the national survey can effectively communicate the relevant topics.

II. Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden

The estimated reporting burden for this collection is 142 responses and 272 hours. There will be no non-hour burdens. The following table details the individual components and estimated hour burdens of this collection.

Activity	Estimated number of respondents	Estimated number of responses per respondent	Completion time per response	Total burden hours
Focus Groups	130 (13 groups)	1	120 mins	15,600 mins/260 hrs
In-depth Interviews	12	1	60 mins	720 mins/12 hrs

Activity	Estimated number of respondents	Estimated number of responses per respondent	Completion time per response	Total burden hours
Totals	142			272 hrs

III. Request for Comments

OMB regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which implement provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), require that interested members of the public and affected agencies be provided an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d) and 1320.12(a)). The BLM will request that the OMB approve this information collection activity for a 3-year term.

Comments are invited on: (1) the need for the collection of information for the performance of the functions of the agency; (2) the accuracy of the agency’s burden estimates; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information collection; and (4) ways to minimize the information collection burden on respondents, such as use of automated means of collection of the information. A summary of the public comments will accompany the BLM’s submission of the information collection requests to OMB.

Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment — including your personal identifying information — may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Jean Sonneman,

Bureau of Land Management, Information Collection Clearance Officer.

15 08:45 am; Publication Date: 3/12/2015]

4310-84-P

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-03-12/pdf/2015-05623.pdf

BREAKING NEWS: Court grants Protect Mustangs and Friends of Animals the right to intervene in Wyoming’s anti-wild horse lawsuit

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Protect Mustangs

Coalition united against using birth control on underpopulated native species and fights for wild horse freedom

Cheyenne, WY (January 7, 2015)–On Monday, Jan. 5, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming granted Protect Mustangs‘ and Friends of Animals (FoA) motion to intervene in the State of Wyoming’s lawsuit against the U.S Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to remove the last remaining wild horses from the state. Wyoming alleges that the BLM has failed to take action on the state’s request to remove “excess” wild horses from the range in Wyoming and seeks the removal of hundreds of wild horses from public lands, where fewer than 2,500 wild horses remain.

“It is critical that FoA and Protect Mustangs are involved in this case,” said Jenni Barnes, attorney for FoA’s Wildlife Law Program, which will represent both organizations in the case. “Both the state and federal government have indicated that they have no interest in preserving wild horses. Now that the court has granted Friends of Animals and Protect Mustangs the right to intervene in the present case, the two advocacy groups can defend the right of wild horses to live freely on our public lands.”

Unlike other wild horse advocacy organizations involved in this case, FoA and Protect Mustangs support the ability of wild horses to live freely, and oppose the use of PZP, the EPA pesticide, and other forms of birth control that are costly and risky to wild horse populations.

FoA and Protect Mustangs, both non-profit animal advocacy organizations, and their members, have long-standing involvement in conserving wild horses in the western United States generally, and have specific conservation, academic, educational and recreational interests in wild horses in Wyoming.

“I’m grateful we have the opportunity to champion federally protected wild horses in court,” says Anne Novak executive director of Protect Mustangs. “We will fight to protect America’s wild horses and defend their rights to freedom. Rounding them up or forcing an EPA approved “restricted-use pesticide” on wild mares is an assault on their freedom. It’s a waste of taxpayer dollars because they are underpopulated.”

“We think both Wyoming officials and the BLM treat wild horses like snow removal, so we’re gratified that the court has granted us intervenor status to make the best case for protecting wild horses from the tragedies of roundups, PZP use, and disposal,” states Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals.

FoA and Protect Mustangs oppose all removals of wild horses and believe the appropriate management levels (AMLs) set for the Herd Management Areas in Wyoming are too low, outdated and do not accurately reflect the number of wild horses that are needed to maintain genetic viability to prevent extinction and to create a thriving ecological balance in the state.

Novak pointed out that according to the National Academy of Sciences’ 2013 report, there is “no evidence” of overpopulation.

“The truth is wild horses are underpopulated and the BLM’s management level (AML) is ridiculously biased to favor commercial livestock grazing and industry on public land. It’s shameful the State of Wyoming and the BLM are trying to blow away the 1971 Protection Act, which states that wild horses and burros should receive principal, but not exclusive use, of the designated areas for the herds,” Novak said. “Let’s get real. There are more than 400,000 mule deer in Wyoming and less than 2,500 wild horses. Pushing PZP and any other kind of fertility control on wild horses or removing them is dumb. Tourists want to see wild horses and there aren’t enough left in Wyoming.”

“Native wild horses can help prevent wildfires and restore the ecosystem on the Wyoming range,” added Craig Downer, wildlife ecologist, author and the new director of ecology and conservation at Protect Mustangs. “They are an asset that’s being thrown away and that’s gotta stop.”

Protect Mustangs is a nonprofit organization who protects and preserves native and wild horses. www.ProtectMustangs.org

###

Links of interest™:

Motion to Intervene http://protectmustangs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/PM-WY-Motion-to-Intervene_WY-wild-horses_vfinal.pdf

Friends of Animals, an international animal protection organization founded in 1957, advocates for the rights of animals, free-living and domestic around the world. www.friendsofanimals.org

Wyoming sues feds claiming too many horses (AP) http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Wyoming-sues-feds-claiming-too-many-wild-horses-5943755.php

Appropriate Management Level (National Academy of Sciences) http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13511&page=195

Feds’ cruel roundups https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF49csCB9qM

Friends of Animals’ Petition to List Wild Horses as a Native Species: http://friendsofanimals.org/sites/default/files/kcfinder/images/wild%20horses%20final.pdf

Livestock grazing (Center for Biological Diversity) http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/grazing/

Genetic viability (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_viability

The Horse and Burro as Positively Contributing Returned Natives in North America (Craig Downer) http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/journal/paperinfo.aspx?journalid=118&doi=10.11648/j.ajls.20140201.12
The Friends of Animals and Protect Mustangs motion to intervene has been granted in Case 2:14-cv-00248-ABJ State of Wyoming v. United States Department of the Interior et al Order. See below.
Sent: Monday, January 05, 2015 4:11 PM
To: wyd_cmecf@wyd.uscourts.gov
Subject: Activity in Case 2:14-cv-00248-ABJ State of Wyoming v. United States Department of the Interior et al Order on Motion to Intervene

This is an automatic e-mail message generated by the CM/ECF system. Please DO NOT RESPOND to this e-mail because the mail box is unattended.
***NOTE TO PUBLIC ACCESS USERS*** Judicial Conference of the United States policy permits attorneys of record and parties in a case (including pro se litigants) to receive one free electronic copy of all documents filed electronically, if receipt is required by law or directed by the filer. PACER access fees apply to all other users. To avoid later charges, download a copy of each document during this first viewing. However, if the referenced document is a transcript, the free copy and 30 page limit do not apply.
U.S. District Court
District of Wyoming
Notice of Electronic Filing

The following transaction was entered on 1/5/2015 at 4:11 PM MST and filed on 1/5/2015
Case Name:
State of Wyoming v. United States Department of the Interior et al
Case Number:
2:14-cv-00248-ABJ
Filer:
Document Number:
18
Docket Text:
ORDER Granting [9] Motion to Intervene on behalf of Intervenor Respondents Friends of Animals and Protect Mustangs by the Honorable Kelly H. Rankin. (Court Staff, szr)

2:14-cv-00248-ABJ This document has NOT been electronically delivered – you must serve it manually to the following people:
The following document(s) are associated with this transaction:
Document description:Main Document
Original filename:n/a
Electronic document Stamp:
[STAMP dcecfStamp_ID=1043181152 [Date=1/5/2015] [FileNumber=1168649-0]
[1320e4451c41ea2fa089b1778ebd27d5cfe25dffb25fdbeaed773c7dc665feac2090
d57204d675c5b0ba749477b22c9ca578d6abb064bf5abbaade03ad3243af]]

Chasing wild horses by chopper and shooting them with the pesticide, PZP

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Protect Mustangs

Wild horses and foals have been terrorized during research for decades–paid for with your tax dollars.

STOP IT NOW!

Learn more about PZP on the Facebook Forum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ForumPZPWildHorsesBurros/

Holiday Hay Drive for Wild Horses Rescued from the Slaughterhouse

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Protect Mustangs

HELP THE RESCUED WILD HORSES GET HAY ~ DONATE BEFORE THE END OF 2014

Christmas is this week and 2014 is about to end. The 14 young wild horses, known as the WY14, who were rescued from the slaughterhouse yard last spring, will need another semi-load of hay in the barn to ensure they will have hay during the big winter storms. They have already gone through 1/3 of the Thanksgiving semi-load. Now they will be eating more than before because they need extra hay when it’s freezing and snowy outside to stay warm, especially since their mamas are gone. All the WILD horses in their herd over the age of 2 were slaughtered after BLM’s stealth Wyoming roundup in March 2014. They went straight to auction–were purchased by the infamous Canadian slaughterhouse–quickly butchered and sold in plastic packaged pieces to be eaten in foreign countries.

This is the WY14’s first winter alone. . .

Please help the orphans get their Holiday semi-load of hay before the end of 2014. Tax-deductible donations are greatly appreciated to HELP the wild horses get 25 tons of hay (a semi-load) plus delivery and fees. California hay prices are outrageous and only go up as winter pounds on.

The 14 traumatized wild youngsters need tax-deductible donations totaling $6499. for their End of the Year Hay Drive. Here is the link to the fundraiser: http://www.gofundme.com/j28d24 The Andean Tapir Fund is our fiscal sponsor while our 501c3 is in the works. We are 100% volunteer. All donations will help the WY14 stay warm and heal from the trauma of losing their families.

Thank you for helping the WILD orphans and caring about them. They are forever grateful for your aid and prayers through this hard time.

Many blessings,
Anne

Anne Novak
Executive Director
www.ProtectMustangs.org

Protect Mustangs & Friends of Animals take action in court to stop roundups

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Protect Mustangs

For Immediate Release

Jenni Barnes, staff attorney, FoA’s Wildlife Law Program 720.949.7791; jenniferbarnes@friendsofanimals.org
Mike Harris, Director, Wildlife Law Program; 720.949.7791; michaelharris@friendsofanimals.org
Anne Novak, Executive Director, Protect Mustangs; 415.531.8454; anne@protectmustangs.org

Protect Mustangs & Friends of Animals intervene after Wyoming sues feds to reduce number of wild horses

Underpopulated national treasures at risk of being wiped out.

Cheyenne, WY (December 17, 2014)—Protect Mustangs based in California and Friends of Animals (FoA) based in Connecticut have filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the State of Wyoming against the United States Department of Interior and the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to get even more wild horses removed from the state. The State of Wyoming alleges that the federal respondents have failed to take action on the state’s request to remove “excess” wild horses from the range in Wyoming.

“We feel compelled to intervene because the BLM isn’t protecting America’s wild horses and burros the way they should,” says Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs. “BLM’s new wipe-out plan is to complain their hands are tied and then invite states and other land-grabbers to sue them to roundup wild horses—under false claims of overpopulation. This subterfuge must be stopped.”

“In September, BLM proceeded to remove 1,263 wild horses from the Wyoming range, which reduced populations in the affected areas to below their Appropriate Management Levels (AMLs),” said Jenni Barnes, staff attorney for FoA’s Wildlife Law Program. “I am appalled at Wyoming’s attempt to remove even more wild horses from our public lands. We all have a right to be involved in decisions about our public lands, yet it appears that Wyoming is trying to bypass this process and make a side deal with BLM to eradicate wild horses. Friends of Animals will not just stand by while this happens and we are intervening to protect the freedom of the last remaining wild horses in the state.”

The organizations are concerned that the BLM has shown a willingness to settle actions seeking to force the removal of wild horses in Wyoming. For instance, this past summer, when Rock Springs Grazing Association filed a lawsuit against the BLM to force it to remove all wild horses from the Checkerboard area, a mix of federal and private land that runs along an old railroad route across southern Wyoming, BLM did not advocate for wild horse conservation. Instead BLM entered a consent decree with the plaintiffs in which BLM agreed to remove all wild horses from the Checkerboard area.

“BLM’s ridiculously biased ‘appropriate management level’ always favors commercial livestock grazing and the extractive industry over wild horses and burros on public land,” explains Novak. “The State of Wyoming and the BLM are trying to blow away the 1971 Protection Act wherein wild horses and burros should receive primary but not exclusive use of designated areas on public land. Just follow the money to understand why they don’t like wild horses.”

Priscilla Feral, President of Friends of Animals states, “When wild horses don’t seem useful to the BLM, they’re resented. Rounded up. Sterilized. Killed or otherwise displaced. In contrast, cows and sheep owned by large corporations and hobby ranchers are seen as having a dollar value, so ranchers are relieved from having to compete over water and grasslands with horses. Since horses are not hamburgers, Wyoming and the BLM want them gone. People don’t want this madness anymore.”

FoA and Protect Mustangs oppose all removals of wild horses and believe the AMLs set for the Herd Management Areas in Wyoming are too low, outdated and do not accurately reflect the number of wild horses that are needed to maintain genetic viability to prevent extinction and to create a thriving natural ecological balance in the state.

“The American public is outraged because elected officials aren’t doing anything to stop cruel roundups and sterilization experiments on our native wild horses,” says Novak. “It’s disgusting and shameful. Risky drugs like PZP and other forms of sterilization are a sham at this point because there aren’t enough wild horses left on millions of acres of public land.”

Novak pointed out that according to the National Academy of Sciences’ 2013 report, there is “no evidence” of overpopulation.

“Wild horses must be protected in Wyoming,” states Craig Downer, wildlife biologist based in Nevada, author and member of Protect Mustangs. “They restore the ecosystem as a deeply rooted native in North America with a unique niche that helps other species thrive.”

###

Links of interest™:

Friends of Animals & Protect Mustangs’ Motion to Intervene http://protectmustangs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/PM-WY-Motion-to-Intervene_WY-wild-horses_vfinal.pdf

Wyoming sues feds claiming too many horses (AP) http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Wyoming-sues-feds-claiming-too-many-wild-horses-5943755.php

Appropriate Management Level (National Academy of Sciences) http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13511&page=195

Feds’ cruel roundups https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF49csCB9qM

Livestock grazing (Center for Biological Diversity) http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/grazing/

Genetic viability (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_viability

Friends of Animals, an international animal protection organization founded in 1957, advocates for the rights of animals, free-living and domestic around the world. www.friendsofanimals.org

Protect Mustangs is a nonprofit organization who protects and preserves native and wild horses. www.ProtectMustangs.org

Science proves PZP is sterilizing wild horses

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Protect Mustangs

The Effects of Porcine Zona Pellucida Immunocontraception on Health and Behavior of Feral Horses (Equus caballus)

Authors: Knight, Colleen M.
Advisors: Rubenstein, Daniel I.
Department: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

The horse population on Shackleford Banks, a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina, has been controlled using a program of porcine zona pellucida immunocontraception since 2000. Prior studies found no negative physiological effects of the immunization, but suggested some adverse effects on behavior such as increased harem switching and extended reproductive season. Although no mares were immunized in the year of study (2013), we examined the effects of past contraception and foaling on health and behavior of the mares in an attempt to better understand its impacts on both the individual and the population. Current lactation was found to be the best predictor of health and behavior: lactating mares were in worse physical condition, spent more time grazing, and switched harems fewer times. Mares that had never foaled also were in better physical condition than mares that had foaled in the past, but did not differ in behavioral measures. There were indications that the PZP treatment has had effects other than preventing pregnancy: an increased number of years since immunization was correlated with better body condition and fewer harem switches, independent of lactation. Contraception treatment intensity or timing did not have any significant adverse effects on health and behavior on its own. However, three or more consecutive years of treatment or administration of the first dose before sexual maturity may have triggered infertility in some mares. Inducing sterility, while relieving the mares from the energetic costs of lactation and reducing the stress from harem switching, may have unintended consequences on population dynamics by increasing longevity and eliminating the mares’ ability to contribute genetically.

Sign and share the urgent petition: Grant a 10-year moratorium on wild horse roundups for recovery and studies

PZP is an EPA approved restricted use pesticide and Protect Mustangs is against using it on wild mares especially when there is an underpopulation problem on public land despite government spin. The truth is most wild herds are being threatened with low numbers and a lack of genetic variability.

AP reports: Feds to gather nuisance mustangs in Nevada

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Protect Mustangs

Well it is Mercury Retrograde which can cause some communication glitches so it’s no surprise it happened to me today in the Associated Press article, Feds to Gather Nuisance Mustangs in Nevada. It seems an important word is missing from what I said. The word ‘nuisance’ was edited out and not by the reporter. Here is how the article reads:

Anne Novak, executive director of the California-based horse advocacy group Protect Mustangs, acknowledged the roundups are legal under the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. But she said the ranchers are “grabbing at straws to remove native wild horses.”

“If people are going to live outside the city and don’t want wild horses and other wild animals eating their grass, then they need to pay for fencing with their own money, not expect another government handout,” Novak said.

This is what I said specifically about the nuisance roundup:

The nuisance roundup is allowed in the 1971 Act. It seems like the ranchers who want wild horses removed are jumping on the bandwagon. I’d like to see ranchers work with wild horse advocates to find the win-win. After all “wildlife and cows can be partners, not enemies in search for food” according to Princeton University’s Dan Rubinstein. http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S32/93/41K10/index.xml?section=featured It’s time to stop the fighting and focus on improving range-land health. Old grazing practices can be improved with holistic land management incorporating America’s wild herds.

You can read the corrected version in the Washington Post: http://wapo.st/1DKtvc5

A big thank you to the Associated Press for reporting on America’s wild horses!

Anne Novak

BLM Employees Charged Taxpayers $799,000 for ‘Gift Cards’

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Protect Mustangs

(CNSNews.com) — Wildfire management employees at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) used government charge cards to buy $799,000 worth of gift cards from vendors such as REI, American Express, FredMeyer and Visa, according to a report released Sept. 30 by the Interior Department’s Office of the Inspector General.

When investigators requested supporting documentation such as purchase orders, receipts, and authorizing signatures, BLM staff claimed that they were “missing,” according to the report.

The inspector general describes widespread misuse of government-issued charge cards at the agency, making the “purchase card program susceptible to fraud, waste, and abuse.”

In 2010, BLM conducted an agency-wide audit of the purchase card program. Auditors traced $70,000 of the undocumented purchases to the Idaho State Office, where one employee was found to have purchased personal items and gift cards totalling $41,276.33.

In May 2011, the investigation resulted in the suspension of BLM employee Maria Gilbert’s government credit card. On Sept. 13, 2013 Gilbert was charged with one count of theft of government funds between 2007 and 2011, to which she pleaded guilty.

Two months later, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon sentenced Gilbert to two years of probation and six months of home detention for embezzling funds from the BLM’s Salem District Office. She was also ordered to pay full restitution totaling $41,276.33.

However, the remaining $757,723.67 of undocumented gift card purchases was not accounted for in the IG report.

In addition, the Carson City District in Nevada was unable to provide the investigators with timesheets, crew time reports, or firefighter time reports for a series of fires in 2010. The report described these inadequacies as making it “impossible to verify the accuracy of most payroll charges.”

It was also discovered that at least one employee in the BLM’s Southern Nevada District charged time to a fire nearly nine months after the blaze had been put out. In another incident, $3,200 of janitorial services was charged by Carson City District employees to “fire suppression” of several different fires that occurred in another state.

The BLM demonstrated “grossly inadequate” payroll controls, “weak internal controls over purchase cards, and poor compliance with Federal policy,” the inspector general concluded.

Inspectors also found problems with BLM’s fire codes. Every BLM employee charges expenses to a unique fire code associated with a specific wildfire.

But the IG report found that “internal controls related to how BLM associates costs with specific fires were inadequate to ensure that money was spent according to its allocated purpose.”

This lack of internal controls resulted in 26 individuals charging their time to one tree fire in the Carson City District. The overstatement of fire-fighting costs approached 95 percent, the IG report noted.

In response to the IG’s findings, BLM released a “desk reference” entitled Standards for Fire Business Management, referred to as the “Orange Book,” which directs employees on standards and ethics for fire-related business. BLM says it will also “review progress on charge card controls in accordance to the Integrated Charge Card Manual (BLM 1512).”

BLM Director Neil Kornze acknowledges that the “Orange Book” will not solve all of the problems plaguing the BLM, but says it does represent “measurable progress.” The agency is currently considering more plans to tighten up its accounting procedures, which it plans to implement by January 2016.

Cross-posted from: http://bit.ly/1ogYclP

BLM Ely District to Roundup Wild Horses

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Protect Mustangs

From a BLM press release:

ELY, Nv (October 17, 2014) – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ely District is scheduled in early November 2014 to begin gathering and removing approximately 120 excess wild horses from in and around the Triple B and Silver King Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in eastern Nevada. Details will be posted on the district website at http://on.doi.gov/1lGnDYC as they become available. The helicopter gathers are necessary to prevent further damage to private property and provide for public and animal safety.

The District will remove about 70 excess wild horses from the Triple B HMA, located about 30 miles northwest of Ely, that are damaging private property, and harassing and breeding domestic stock resulting in landowner complaints. Appropriate Management Level (AML) for the Triple B HMA is 215-250 wild horses. The current population is 1,311 wild horses.

The District will remove up to 50 excess wild horses from in and around the Silver King HMA. The horses to be gathered are located about 120 miles south of Ely. They are a safety concern on U.S. Highway 93 and are damaging private property, resulting in property owner complaints. AML for the Silver King HMA is 60-128 wild horses. The current population is 452 wild horses.

BLM attempts to keep wild horses away from private property and the highway, including trapping and relocating animals to other portions of the HMAs, have been unsuccessful.

The BLM will utilize the services of gather contractor Cattoor Livestock Roundup, Inc., of Nephi, Utah, which uses a helicopter to locate and herd wild horses toward a set of corrals to be gathered. The pilot is assisted by a ground crew and a domesticated horse that is trained to guide the horses into the corral. The use of helicopters, which is authorized by the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, has proven to be a safe, effective and practical means by which to gather excess wild horses with minimal anxiety or hardship on the animals.

Wild horses removed from the range will be transported to the National Wild Horse and Burro Center at Palomino Valley (PVC), in Reno, Nev., where they will be offered for adoption to qualified individuals. Wild horses for which there is no adoption demand will be placed in long-term pastures where they will be humanely cared for and retain their “wild” status and protection under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The BLM does not sell or send any horses to slaughter.

A Wild Horse Gather Information Line has been established at (775) 861-6700. A recorded message will provide information on daily gather activities and schedules. The BLM will also post daily gather information on its website at: http://on.doi.gov/1lGnDYC.

Public lands within the HMAs will be open to the public during gather operations, subject to necessary safety restrictions, and the BLM will make every effort to allow for public viewing opportunities. The BLM has established protocols for visitors to ensure the safety of the horses, the public, and BLM and contract staff. The protocols are available at: http://on.doi.gov/1lGnDYC under Observation Opportunities.

Gather activities in and outside the Triple B HMA were analyzed in the Triple B, Maverick-Medicine and Antelope Valley HMA Gather Plan and Environmental Assessment (EA), signed in May 2011 and available at http://on.doi.gov/1tgdHc6. Gather activities in and around the Silver King HMA were analyzed in the Ely District Public Safety and Nuisance Gather EA signed in August 2014 and available at http://on.doi.gov/1lx856K.

For more information, contact Chris Hanefeld, BLM Ely District public affairs specialist, at (775) 289-1842 or chanefel@blm.gov

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.

–BLM–

Protect Mustangs™

Forever wild and free™

Tag Archives: mustangs