Location: The fire is located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Northern California District (BLM-CA-NOD,) Eagle Lake Field Office, approximately 15 miles southeast of Ravendale, California. The fire is burning near a major natural gas line and transfer station, and power transmission lines that supply the Reno area and adjacent to Highway 395.
Summary: Line construction and suppression efforts will continue along the north eastern edge of the fire along the Buckhorn Road. The fire remains active along this edge. Burning operations on the southern edge of the fire near Wendel Road were successfully completed yesterday, and crews worked late into the night. Today, crews will concentrate suppression efforts along the north eastern flank, south of Buckhorn Road; the eastern edge east of the Rush Creek Ranch, and in the Wendel Road area. Additionally, crews will continue mop up and fire line construction along other areas of the fire’s perimeter. Air support will available and used as needed.
Tomorrow there is a Fire Weather Watch forecasted for afternoon winds from the SW approaching 30 to 35 mph.
Today at 0600 the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team assumed command from NorCal Team 2. Transitions of this sort are common, and operations should remain seamless.
Area and Road Closures in Effect: On August 17, the BLM issued a closure order for public lands in the fire area to protect public health and safety. The closed area is bounded by Highway 395 on the west, the Sand Pass Road on the east, and the Wendel Road on the south. The new northern boundary for the public land closure is the Juniper Ridge, Tuledad, Stage Road, Marr Road, and Buckhorn Road extending to Nevada Highway 447 in Washoe County. Routes closed within this closure area include the Ramhorn Springs, Rye Patch Road, Buckhorn, Shinn Ranch, Stoney, Deep Cut, Smoke Creek, Skedaddle Ranch, Dry Valley, and Brubeck roads. The Ramhorn Springs Campground and the Dodge Reservoir Campground also is closed.
Travelers along the Highway 395 corridor, please use caution where fire crews and equipment are working in the fire area.
Remarks: Fire officials remind residents and visitors that fire restrictions are in effect for public lands and national forests in northeast California. Campfires are permitted only in posted recreation sites. Chainsaws may not be used after 1:00pm daily.
Today Grandma Gregg wrote to us with the following news:
Twin Peaks HMA Rush Fire on Rye Patch Road August 18, 2012 (Photo by BLM)
She said her daughter contacted Jeff Fontana, BLM public affairs officer, to tell the BLM the location where the wild horse family, known as Magic’s Band, lives. She expressed her concern they would be trapped in the fire due to the extensive livestock fencing and cross fencing throughout the area.
Here is Magic and his family living in harmony before the fire.
Magic – grey stallion – son and look-alike of the great herd stallion BraveHeart, who was captured with his family in the 2010 roundup.
Hope – Magic’s mare and true love as you can see in the pic
Harley – Hope’s 2 or 3 year old colt
Curley and Shiney, two bay bachelor stallions and great buddies (not pictured)
The BLM official assured Grandma’s family that the horses would be able to get out through the gates because the ranchers and firemen had been instructed to leave them open.
Grandma’s family is very concerned that the wild horse family will not see the open gates in the smoke and concerned they could get stuck in the unsafe cattle guards. Many people are concerned Magic’s family would have been trapped by fencing while the fire rushed through the area.
She shared photos with us showing exactly where Magic and his family (eight horses total) lived before the fire went through the area this week.
Grandma took these photos last year standing in the same place at the top of the fenced “pasture” but looking in different directions. She noticed fences everywhere in every direction–a trap.
View #1
There is no fencing in this photograph – this would be looking the direction (south) that the fire would have come up toward them – fences are behind and right and left – good pic that shows where the fire would have come from -wildfires normally burn fast UP hills so the fire would have back them right up to the fences.
Sent to Jeff Fontana with the California BLM, August 17, 2012 9:43 am, copied to the Director
Dear Jeff,
Will an open gate be adequate for wild horses and burros to pass through in a panic? How long are the gates? What about all the fenced off acreage? How tall are most of the barbed wire fences?
We ask the BLM to take down fencing to ensure wild horses and burros will not be trapped and be able to escape to safety.
How many wild horses and burros are left in the HMA right now?
Please send me a PDF of the BLM’s order to ranchers as well as the order to fire crews to leave the gates open for the wild horses and burros passage to survive during the wildfire.
We would like to be updated regarding sightings of wild horses and burros with specifics on location and headcount.
Besides ranching what other multiple use is present on the Twin Peaks HMA? Will the wildfire be coming close to energy and or mining projects and therefore cause environmental pollution? How will this be mitigated?
Thank you for your kind assistance and your help to ensure wild horses and burros will be able to escape the fire.
Sincerely,
Anne Novak
Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
P.O. Box 5661
Berkeley, California 94705
Previous email on this issue:
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: RE: Twin Peaks wildfire
From: “Fontana, Joseph J”
Date: Fri, August 17, 2012 8:48 am
To: Anne protectmustangs
Anne,
Sorry for delay. Rush fire has been demanding. It is unprecedented up here in size and extreme behavior.
As for the Mustangs:
As of Friday, Aug. 17, there have been no sightings of injured or deceased mustangs or burros. A group of burros has been seen in an area that had been burned earlier during the fire, and they are safe. Observers on a flight yesterday saw two small groups of healthy wild horses in unburned areas. No other groups have been observed. Resource specialists in the BLM Eagle Lake Field Office feel that prior to the fire the horses and burros most likely moved to higher ground as they left dried up water sources for fresh water sources.
Ranchers have been removing cattle from grazing allotments, and the BLM has directed them to leave gates left open to allow the horses and burros free passage across the range. The BLM has directed fire crews to leave gates open, and shares this message at twice daily briefings with the incident management team.
The BLM shares the concerns of those interested in the well-being and safety of wild horses and burros and is taking actions to ensure the animals are able to move throughout the HMA.
Public lands in the fire area have been closed to protect public safety.
Fire updates and maps are available at www.inciweb.com.
I have added you to the email list for fire updates
From: anne@protectmustangs.org
Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2012 3:55 PM
To: Fontana, Joseph J
Subject: Twin Peaks wildfire
Dear Jeff,
Please send me all the information about the Twin Peaks wildfire and let me know if you are taking fences down so the wild horses and burros can survive by moving out of harm’s way.
Best wishes,
Anne
Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs
P.O. Box 5661
Berkeley, California 94705
Location: The fire is located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Northern California District (BLM-CA-NOD,) Eagle Lake Field Office, approximately 15 miles southeast of Ravendale, California. The fire is burning near a major natural gas line and transfer station, and power transmission lines that supply the Reno area.
Summary: The fire pushed south and east over the top of Skedaddle Mountain as well as spreading east of Observation Peak. Firefighters made good progress to secure the northwestern fire edge. Fire crews will continue to construct handline, dozer lines, and complete burnouts operations as conditions permit in an effort to further contain the fire.
Possible thunderstorm activity is in the forecast for the next two-three days. This fire has showed significant growth from thunder cell downdrafts on several occasions.
Voluntary evacuations of structures along eastern side of Highway 395. Structure protection is being implemented by fire crews. Residents along Mail Route/County Road 502 and Garate Road were notified that voluntary evacuations for that area are in effect. The fire is currently within ½ mile of US Route (Highway) 395. The public needs to be aware for the need of possible intermittent closures of Highway 395 due to fire activity and public safety.
Area and Road Closures in Effect: On August 16, the BLM issued a closure order for public lands in the fire area to protect public health and safety. The closed area is bounded by Highway 395 on the west, the Sand Pass Road on the east, and the Wendel Road on the south. The new northern boundary for the public land closure is the Juniper Ridge, Tuledad, Stage Road, Marr Road, and Buckhorn Road extending to Nevada Highway 447 in Washoe County. Routes closed within this closure area include the Ramhorn Springs, Rye Patch Road, Shinn Ranch, Stoney, Deep Cut, Smoke Creek, Skedaddle Ranch, Dry Valley, and Brubeck roads. The Ramhorn Springs Campground also is closed.
Travelers along the Highway 395 corridor, please use caution near the fire crews and equipment working in the fire area. Highway 395 may be closed due to fire activity. Please check for current road conditions with CalTrans at http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi or 800-427-7623.
Remarks: Fire officials remind residents and visitors that fire restrictions are in effect for public lands and national forests in northeast California. Campfires are permitted only in posted recreation sites. Chainsaws may not be used after 1:00pm daily.
Robin Warren leads youth campaign for Protect Mustangs
For immediate release:
SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. (July 16, 2012)–Since joining Protect Mustangs in June as their new youth campaign director, Robin Warren, age 11, has met with a Nevada State Senator, documented wild horses on the range, was a featured speaker at the Stop the Roundups rally in California’s capital and gave oral comments at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) helicopter hearing also in the golden state. At the hearing, Warren presented the BLM representative with her Petition to Save Wild Mustangs asking the BLM to stop helicopter roundups.
“It’s not fair that the Bureau of Land Management has an exemption to the law that protects wild horses and burros,” states Robin Warren, youth campaign director for Protect Mustangs. “We want cruel helicopter roundups to stop and we want to make sure they always have access to clean water.”
The petition reads:
“We, the undersigned, do respectfully request that the Bureau of Land Management adhere to the same rules and regulations as the general public in regards to the humane treatment of wild horses and burros. We find it unreasonable that the Secretary of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, or any person or organization, is found to be exempt from our collective responsibility as humans to treat animals humanely. We further find it unreasonable that the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture are permitted to define “humane” as it pertains to their own areas of command. We respectfully request that the Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 be restored to its original intent, that no person or organization would be permitted to capture wild horses and burros by means of motorized vehicles, or by polluting or closing off watering holes, as these methods have been proven inhumane.”
Warren started the petition 3 years ago under her pen name Wild Mustang Robin–to stop the wild horse roundups. She was inspired to co-author the petition after reading “Mustang, Wild Spirit of the West” by Marguerite Henry.
She has been active in her hometown, Las Vegas, and over the internet to get signatures. After posting the petition online at Change.org she received signatures from 50 States, DC, Puerto Rico & and more than 30 countries.
At last week’s helicopter use hearing in Sacramento, Warren presented 2770 signatures from her petition to Amy Dumas, the BLM representative.”Kids don’t want to see wild horses in zoos,” states Warren. “We want to observe them roaming on the open range with their families.”
Warren’s speech at the BLM helicopter use hearing received a standing ovation from the audience.
“Robin speaks for the youth of America and touches people’s hearts across the nation,” says Anne Novak, executive director for Protect Mustangs. “She wants the wild horses to be protected–not harassed and torn from their families forever.”
Copy of Robin’s speech to BLM delivered as a letter at the hearing:
Robin Warren Director of the Youth Program Protect Mustangs P.O. Box 5661 Berkley, CA 94705
Mike Pool
Acting Director of the Bureau of Land Management
1849 C Street NW, Rm. 5665
Washington DC 20240
James G. Kenna & Amy Dumas
BLM Wild Horse and Burro State Director, and Program
California State Office
2800 Cottage Way, Suite W1834
Sacramento, CA 95825
July 10th, 2012
Re: Helicopter Roundups
Dear Messrs. Mike Pool and James Kenna and Ms. Amy Dumas;
Hi I am Wild Mustang Robin, Director of the Youth Campaign at Protect Mustangs; I came here today to talk about the mustangs. I am happy see there are many people here who could come today to say no to the roundups. First of all I would like to say the roundups are inhumane. There is a law made by Wild Horse Annie saying you cannot use motorized vehicles to round up the wild horses. If I – or even the President – was to round them up I would get arrested. Now there is one interesting thing: the BLM gets an exemption even though it is a law not to use motorized vehicles.
Helicopters are like monsters to the mustangs; children do not want America’s animals to be scared or hurt in anyway. This makes kids feel unsafe because they don’t want to have monsters in their life and children are like animals (they don’t have a voice really). The helicopters are so scary that the mustangs remember the noise for the rest of their lives. I went to the BLM holding facility in Sparks, NV and when we were walking a slow pace the horses got scared and ran away. They were scared of people walking – how do you think they feel about helicopters?
Another reason the roundups are inhumane is because they separate the families apart – the foals from the mothers and the mothers from the fathers. They might spend the rest of their lives behind gates and never see each other again. Their ability to have families is a gift because many creatures have to let their babies live on their own after a few weeks of them taking care of them. I know how it feels because I lost my whole family. I have found a new home and happiness but the mustangs may never get to be in a herd again – and they long for family. It is not humane to separate families from each other. How would you feel if you lost your family?
A much more humane idea is to keep the family bands whole and send them all together to sanctuaries. It is an idea that would save money and make money as a tourist attraction – a business like a hotel near where the mustangs and burros live. This is a great idea and it can cost less than feeding, watering, and taking care of them when they can take care of themselves. It could make money for all the states where mustangs still live – both yours and mine.
The mustangs and burros deserve to be treated right. I know that and a numerous amount of others do too. Many people care about the wild horses and burros and do not want any of them rounded up or eaten. There are the big names you know, that spoke before me, and then there are the “little names” you don’t know yet, like mine. I represent the voices of many children.
Please do not use helicopters or motorized vehicles for roundups or management. Please reconsider your roundup plans and let them live in freedom.
We were looking for an article about the Sacramento protest, where more than 25 dedicated advocates from around the West endured 104 degrees in front of the Federal Courthouse to stand up against roundups. Sadly only a fluff piece was published that belittled public outrage over cruel roundups.
BLM California’s Amy Dumas is quoted as saying “most people who protest roundups don’t understand them”.
” . . . Until last fall, all of the horses were living in the wild, according to Amy Dumas, manager of the wild horse program for BLM in California.
She said they had been gathered in a round-up, a BLM tactic used to maintain the growing population of wild horses. She likened the process to a helicopter acting as a sheepdog and herding horses into pens.
Roundups are controversial – on Tuesday, about 15 people from throughout California and Nevada protested BLM’s roundup program outside of Sacramento’s federal courthouse. The protestors said horses are a national symbol of freedom that deserve to stay in the wild and roundups are abusive.
Dumas said most people who protest roundups don’t understand them. Beverly Moss, who attended Saturday’s event with family members, agreed and said she has watched a BLM roundup.
“I did not see abuse at all,” she said. “I felt like they really cared about the horses.”
BLM Helicopter Hearing, July 10th, 2012 at 6:30 at the Woodlake Hotel in Sacramento, CA
I got there just on time after we drove in a couple circles and got lost. Luckily another horse advocate gave us directions to which room it was in because it was hard to find. My mom signed us both in and then we got our seats in the front row. Everyone was talking and laughing except the BLM employees.
The BLM employee who was running the meeting was kind of mean – she would distract you while you were speaking so it was harder to say what you wanted to say. She said everyone had only 3 minutes to speak because there were so many people and she wanted to give everyone a turn. They way that it was distracting was because she had the warning times on paper and she would wave as each speakers time ran out. There 4 signs: 1 minutes, 30 seconds, 15 seconds, and STOP. When the speakers saw it sometimes they lost their train of thought but then others would volunteer to give up their time so each speaker could say everything they wanted to say.
Cat Kindsfather gave me her time because she didn’t want me interrupted. I zoned out the timekeeper so I could say everything I wanted to. I knew it would be around 3 minutes so I wasn’t really worried but I guess I did get into extra time because I heard someone say “Stop doing that to her! She can have my time!”
Cat took lots of pictures.
When I got up to speak everyone clapped and was very encouraging. Then I read my comments. Near the end everyone clapped but I had one more thing to say. I wanted to tell the BLM how many signatures I had gotten since the last time I presented signatures. I said “In January I presented 1,200 signatures and now I have 1,000 more. And I want to get – no I did get – 10 more today! I won’t stop until they listen and stop hurting the mustangs. Please stop the helicopter roundups!”
The other speakers were really great. I learned some things. The author, Terri Farley, told me that her Phantom Stallion series have sold 2 million copies so I am speaking for maybe more children than I realize.
I was sad most of the time about what the speakers were saying. Simone Netherlands described a roundup that I heard about my first year of the petition but hearing about it again was upsetting. Two foals had to be put down after their hooves fell off from being chased by the helicopter. They suffered for days before they were put down.
The mood was elevated. Everyone in the room except for the 4 BLM employees (2 administrators and 2 armed guards) was on our side. They want the roundups stopped. But one speaker, toward the end was discouraging because she reminded us that we probably won’t get heard. That we shouldn’t be happy. That we’ve all already said NO to the roundups and that the BLM will not listen!
But I think we will be heard. I think it was a great meeting of supporters and that it will spark a bigger movement.
I was surprised to find out that many people don’t know what is happening to the horses. I want to tell the world. I didn’t know either until I read the book “Mustang – Wild Spirit of the West” by Marguerite Henry. It is written for a younger audience so it is a quick read for any adult who want to be educated about wild horses. We need to spread the word so we can save the horses!
Sincerely,
Robin Warren (Wild Mustang Robin)
Youth Campaign Director for Protect Mustangs
Mustang Robin hands Amy Dumas (BLM) the growing petition against helicopter roundups at the California BLM public hearing on helicopters in Sacramento July 10, 2012
We respectfully ask you to cancel the three proposed wild horse and burro roundups (Buckhorn, Coppersmith and Carter Reservoir) on the northern California-Nevada border because there is no proof that the indigenous wild horses are ruining the thriving natural ecological balance. There is no exact head count and therefore no “excess” wild horses.
We don’t like the BLM wasting taxpayer dollars on animal cruelty, nor for the government to spend money on environmental assessments for roundups when, according to the PEER report, the livestock is causing range damage.
We believe the government should not remove native wild horses to warehouse each horse or foal at a cost of $1.30 a day ($39 a month) when livestock grazing permittees pay only $1.35 a cow/calf pair per month to graze on public land.
We would like to ask you to bring the mustangs and burros water or feed if they are at risk but leave them ALL on the Herd Management Areas (HMAs).
If there is a range damage issue then take ALL the livestock off and kindly ask the permittees to put them elsewhere.
Removing wild horses puts them at a high-risk of being sold and going to slaughter after only 3 adoption attempts. Also, if they are over 10 years old they can be sold without limitation according to BLM regulations. Selling native wild horses who end up butchered for human consumption in foreign countries is morally wrong and goes against the spirit of the 1971 Free-Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act.
We document wild horses and burros in their HMAs, write about them and enjoy taking photos of them. Our work is shared with the global public. If you roundup the wild horses and burros it will negatively affect our work.
Removing the wild horses and burros will affect the genetic viability of the herds and the normal herd dynamics will be ruined forever.
Skewing the sex ratios is cruel and causes extreme stress on the mares and ruins the natural family dynamics of these indigenous animals.
At the last National Academy of Science public meeting it was proven that mountain lions are hunting a lot of foals and are managing the population as nature intended so drugs such as PZP, ZonaStat-H, SpayVac, GonaCon, and other forms of contraception or sterilization are probably not necessary.
We all know darting isn’t going to work–the roundups will continue in order to give wild horses and burros contraceptives.
How much money has been spent on fertility control research in the past fiscal year? And in the past 40 years how much money was spent on this research?
And how many wild horses and burros are really out there?
Do you have photos and videos to prove too many wild horses and burros are out there causing damage?
How many heads of livestock are using or will use the very same HMAs?
What “multiple use” does BLM serve on the Buckhorn, Coppersmith and Carter Reservoir HMAs? Who is getting permits for these HMA’s? Please provide information about lease sales, energy development, water rights and grazing issues for the three HMA’s.
These animals are being managed to extinction. Cancel the roundups! We don’t have many wild horses and burros left in California.
Please respond to our questions in writing without delay. Thank you for your kind assistance.
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.
Please send comments today to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), who “manages” our wild horses and burros. Email them at CBCwildhorses@blm.gov with “Cancel Buckhorn, Coppersmith and Carter Roundups” in the subject line.
In your comments ask them to cancel the three roundups (Buckhorn, Coppersmith and Carter Reservoir) on the northern California-Nevada border because there is no proof that the indigenous wild horses are ruining the thriving natural ecological balance. There is no exact head count and therefore no “excess” wild horses.
Let them know you don’t like the BLM wasting taxpayer dollars on animal cruelty, nor for the government to spend money on environmental assessments for roundups when, according to the PEER report, the livestock is causing range damage.
Also mention the government should not remove native wild horses to warehouse them at a cost of $1.30 a day ($39 a month) when livestock grazing permittees pay only $1.35 a cow/calf pair per month to graze on public land.
Remind them that removing wild horses puts them at risk of going to slaughter after only 3 adoption attempts. Also, if they are over 10 years old they can be sold without limitation according to BLM regulations.
If you have seen them and enjoy taking photos of them, tell the BLM that removing the wild horses and burros will affect you negatively, and let them know how it will.
Remind them at the last National Academy of Science public meeting it was proven that mountain lions are hunting a lot of foals and are managing the population as nature intended so the drug PZP and other forms of contraception are probably not necessary. We all know darting isn’t going to work–the roundups will continue in order to give wild horses and burros contraceptives.
And how many are really out there?
These animals are being managed to extinction. Cancel the roundups! We don’t have many wild horses and burros left in California.
Ask them to respond to you in writing with the questions you have about why they would justify a roundup and ask for their scientific proof to back up all their claims.
Do you want to know what “multiple use” BLM serves on the Buckhorn, Coppersmith and Carter Reservoir Herd Management Areas (HMAs)? Who is getting permits for these HMA’s? Do you have questions about lease sales, energy development, water rights and grazing issues for the three HMA’s?
Please don’t copy and paste this because then the BLM won’t count your letter. It’s better if you write your own email–even if it is a one-liner.
Anyone can comment. Comments are due by midnight P.S.T. tonight. Please share this with your friends so they can send in a comment too.
Feel free to cc us on your comments or forward a copy separately to us at Contact@ProtectMustangs.org so we can keep track of comments.
Thank you for taking any action you can to save our wild horses and burros!
Below is the BLM Scoping Notice which requires your comment to them:
BLM Extends Scoping Period on Wild Horse Roundup Environmental Assessment
The U. S. Bureau of Land Management is extending the issue scoping period for receiving public comments on issues that should be addressed in an environmental assessment (EA) for a proposed roundup of excess wild horses in northeast California and northwest Nevada.The BLM Surprise Field Office in Cedarville, Calif. is considering roundups for the Buckhorn and Coppersmith herd management areas (HMA) in November 2012 and for the Carter Reservoir HMA in July 2013.Issue “scoping” comments should be sent to Bureau of Land Management, PO Box 460, Cedarville, CA, 96104, or sent by email toCBCwildhorses@blm.gov. While scoping comments will be accepted well into the development process for the EA, they would be most helpful if received by May 24, 2012.The Buckhorn and Coppersmith HMAs are in Lassen County, Calif., and Washoe County, Nev. The Carter Reservoir HMA is in Modoc County, Calif. and Washoe County.The EA will analyze the environmental effects of gathering excess wild horses and consider the effects of several management alternatives, including not gathering the animals. The EA will not establish population levels, called appropriate management levels (AML), for these HMAs. These were established in the Surprise Field Office Resource Management Plan completed in 2008. The plan is available at http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/surprise/propRMP-FEIS.html.The roundups are being considered to bring the wild herd populations to levels that the rangelands can sustain in balance with other authorized users including wildlife and permitted livestock.The appropriate management level for the Buckhorn HMA is 59-85 wild horses; the BLM estimates the current population at 172. The AML for the Coopersmith HMA is 50 to 75 wild horses, with the current population estimated at 75. At Carter Reservoir, the AML is 25-35 wild horses, with the current population estimated at 55. Additionally, there are an estimated 123 wild horses roaming outside of the HMA near the Carter HMA.The BLM will consider public comments in development of the EA which will be released for public comments this summer.
