Requesting a 50 million dollar fund for Wyoming’s wild horses to mitigate environmental distress from fracking on the range

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Protect Mustangs

SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY

Bureau of Land Management

Attn: Mark Ames

Rawlins Field Office

P.O. Box 2407 (1300 North Third Street)

Rawlins, WY 82301-2407

Email: BLM_WY_Continental_Divide_Creston@blm.gov

RE: Continental Divide-Creston Natural Gas Development Project (CD-C Project)

Dear Mr. Ames,

We are against this massive fracking Continental Divide-Creston Natural Gas Development Project (CD-C Project) and ask you to stop this project before it ruins the environment and endangers America’s native wild horses in Wyoming.

The drilling proposed will not only displace native wild horses but also threaten the wild herds with environmental dangers/disease.

If you choose to go forward with this during the environmentally risky CD-C Project then we ask that you do the following:

1.) We request you take immediate action to ensure native wild horses will live in their native habitat and not be rounded up for permanent removal.

2.) We request you prohibit drilling in native wild horse habitat.

3.) We ask that you work with the energy companies involved including BP American Production to create a 50 million dollar “Protect Wyoming Mustangs Fund” to mitigate the impacts to native wild horse habitat, air quality and water sources from the proposed Continental Divide-Creston Natural Gas Development Project.

4.) We request you never grant NEPA waivers for any aspect of this project. Wild horses and other wildlife, the environment and air quality must be protected.

America’s wild horses are a native species and must be protected as such.

Kirkpatrick, J.F., and P.M. Fazio, in the revised January 2010 edition of Wild Horses as Native North American Wildlife states:

The key element in describing an animal as a native species is (1) where it originated; and (2) whether or not it co‐evolved with its habitat. Clearly, E. 6 caballus did both, here in North American. There might be arguments about “breeds,” but there are no scientific grounds for arguments about “species.”

The non‐native, feral, and exotic designations given by agencies are not merely reflections of their failure to understand modern science but also a reflection of their desire to preserve old ways of thinking to keep alive the conflict between a species (wild horses), with no economic value anymore (by law), and the economic value of commercial livestock.

Please respond directly to me with regards to our requests.

Thank you for your kind assistance to urgent this matter.

Sincerely,

Anne Novak

Executive Director

Protect Mustangs

San Francisco Bay Area

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Protect Mustangs is devoted to protecting native wild horses. Our mission is to educate the public about the native wild horse, protect and research American wild horses on the range and help those who have lost their freedom.

Request for public participation in BLM Wyoming RAC meeting using communication technology

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Protect Mustangs

(Photo © Cat Kindsfather, all rights reserved)

Growing Concern BLM will wipe out certain Wyoming herds to appease the local grazing association

The public feels their written comments are not taken into consideration by BLM.

Stakeholders want to participate in the Wyoming RAC meeting giving oral comments using technology such as a teleconference or Skype to foster the public process.

The scoping notice is alarming: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wy/information/NEPA/rfodocs/adobetown-saltwells.Par.3977.File.dat/ATSWScopeNotice.pdf

Protect Mustangs is circulating a petition requesting the BLM use communication technology to allow oral comments.

Below is the formal request to include the public in oral comments using communication technology and Livestream the controversial meeting.

From: anne@protectmustangs.org <anne@protectmustangs.org>

Subject: Public wants to give oral comment using technology

To: dsimpson@blm.gov

Cc: mpool@blm.gov, cwertz@blm.gov, cwarren@blm.gov

Date: Friday, February 1, 2013, 1:22 AM

Dear Sirs & Madames,

The public is up in arms that such an important opportunity for public comment is being held in a remote area without the ability to make oral comment using technology to bridge the distance.

Most people have jobs that prevent them from traveling to Rock Springs, Wyoming to spend the night and speak at 8 a.m. the following morning.

The cost of traveling to your location is also excessive.

The public comment period will be Feb. 8, at 8 a.m. Interested persons may make oral comments or file written statements for the council to consider. Depending on the number of persons wishing to comment and time available, the time for individual oral comments may be limited. If there are no members of the public interested in speaking, the meeting will move on to the next agenda topic. ~ BLM

I’d like to ask you to please find a way to engage all the stakeholders in oral comment and allow enough time for this to occur.

We’d like to go on the record to ask you, as an act of good faith, to facilitate the public’s wish to comment orally by implementing a teleconference during the comment period or allow stakeholders to comment orally via Skype.

We request you LiveStream the 2 days of meetings to show you are engaging in transparency.

Thank you for your kind assistance.

Best wishes,

Anne Novak

Release Date: 01/09/13

Contacts:

Cindy Wertz (307) 775-6014

WYOMING RESOURCE ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING SET FOR FEBRUARY

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming Resource Advisory Council will meet Wednesday, Feb. 6, Thursday, Feb. 7, and Friday, Feb. 8, at BLM’s High Desert District, Rock Springs Field Office, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, Wyo., in the Pilot Butte Conference Room.

The meeting is open to the public. The meeting will begin on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility on Lionkol Road. The meetings will begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday and Friday at the Rock Springs Field Office. Planned agenda topics include a discussion on checkerboard land ownership, landscape scale partnerships, invasive weeds, trails and follow up from previous meetings.

The purpose of the council is to advise the Secretary of the Interior through the BLM on a variety of issues associated with public land management. For more information contact BLM RAC Coordinator Cindy Wertz, (307) 775-6014.

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. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.

–BLM–

Wyoming State Office 5353 Yellowstone Rd. Cheyenne, WY 82009

Anne Novak

Executive Director

Protect Mustangs

P.O. Box 5661

Berkeley, California 94705

Links of interest:

Wyoming Resource Advisory Council Meeting: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/news_room/2013/january/09-RAC.html

BLM scoping statement Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Area: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wy/information/NEPA/rfodocs/adobetown-saltwells.Par.3977.File.dat/ATSWScopeNotice.pdf

Water Wars: Mining vs Wild Horses

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Protect Mustangs

Old Gold during roundup (Photo © Cat Kindsfather, all rights reserved.)

Wild horses are removed due to drought but water can be used for mining?

Please send your comments in to request water be allocated to wild horses and roundups in the region stopped before any mines be allowed to take the water from the aquifers during an alleged drought.

BLM Seeks Public Comment on Proposed

Arturo Mine Project Draft EIS

ELKO, Nev.–The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Tuscarora Field Office announces the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Barrick-Dee Mining Venture’s Arturo Mine Project proposal to expand the Dee Gold Mine located approximately 45 miles northwest of Elko, Nev. The notice opens a 45-day public review and comment period that will end March 4, 2013.

A public meeting will be held Feb. 6 at the Elko District Office, from 4 – 6 p.m. The Elko District Office is located at 3900 E. Idaho St., Elko, Nevada.

The proposed project would be located at the previously authorized Dee Gold Mine site. The proposal includes the expansion of the existing open pit, construction of two new waste-rock disposal storage facilities, construction of a new heap-leach facility, and the construction of new support facilities. The proposed project would create approximately 2,774 acres of surface disturbance on public land. The life of the project is estimated to be approximately 10 years of mining and ore processing followed by three years of site closure and reclamation. The proposed project would provide an estimated 240 jobs.

Comments received during the scoping period in June 2010 were addressed and evaluated, and appropriate issues are incorporated into the draft EIS as project alternatives. These alternatives include partial pit backfilling, a single waste-rock storage facility, no-action alternative, and the proposed project. The preferred alternative for the Arturo draft EIS is the proposed project.

Copies of the Draft EIS are available at the BLM Elko District Office and also online at the BLM Elko District Web site address: www.blm.gov/rv5c

Comments should be mailed to: Bureau of Land Management, Arturo Mine Project, Attention: John Daniel, 3900 Idaho Street, Elko, NV 89801-4611; emailed to: BLM_NV_ELDOArturoEISComments@blm.gov; or faxed to (775) 753-0255. Questions concerning this project should be addressed to John Daniel at the above address or by phone at (775) 753-0277.

Before including your address, phone number 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.

-BLM-

URGENT! Stop Wild Horse Slaughter & Cruelty in Nevada

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Protect Mustangs

Protect native wild horses! © Protect Mustangs.org

Take Action to Save Wild Horses

Gather in peaceful protest on January 4th (in conjunction with the Carson City Rally) in hometowns around the world to STOP the Slaughter of Native Wild Horses. Let your friends know what is going on. TOURISTS speak out! Do you support NEVADA’s cruel treatment of iconic mustangs?

Post pics holding your signs on Protect Mustangs’ FB wall and we will share them out!

Post here: https://www.facebook.com/ProtectMustangs

Make your voice heard, contact the White House, your Congressional Representative and your Senators to request they halt the roundups, stop the slaughter of U.S. wild horses and burros as well as return all wild horses in holding to the range.

Come to the Carson City “Slaughter is not the Answer” Rally in Nevada’s Capitol. From 10:30 a.m. -1 p.m on January 4th. In front of the Nevada State Legislature building 401 South Carson Street, Carson City, NV. Info: Bonnie Matton 775-720-6086

Send your letters in to Hidden Valley by 9 p.m. PST Jan 3rd. Your letters will be taken to the Governor at the end of the Jan 4th Rally in Carson City.

email: hiddenvalleywildhorses@gmail.com

We need your HELP! Please write an original letter off this form letter and send it to Shannon Windle, President of Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund. She is taking it to the Governor!

Dear Governor Sandoval,

I am appalled by the current treatment of Nevada’s Virginia Range wild horses. These horses belong to the State of Nevada and their fate ultimately lies in your hands. 80% of Americans are opposed to horse slaughter; now the Virginia Range wild horses are being dumped at livestock auctions by the State of Nevada – the first step in the slaughter pipeline. To treat one of this State’s natural resources with such disregard is reprehensible. You, as the highest ranking official of the State of Nevada, have the authority to stop your Department of Agriculture from this inhumane treatment and its continued determination to wipe them off the range altogether.

To preserve these icons of Nevada’s western heritage, please direct the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDoA) to take the following steps immediately, before these horses are gone forever:

1. STOP sending all Nevada Virginia Range wild horses to the livestock auction immediately. These horses are entering the slaughter pipeline and being put at direct risk of ending up at slaughterhouses in Canada and/or Mexico. I am opposed to having Nevada’s horses served on dinner platters in foreign markets.

2. STOP the random trapping of these horses. Poor to no planning has resulted in 153 horses being removed from the Virginia Range. The opportunistic methods being implemented to trap Nevada’s horses has had almost no impact to the public safety concerns that the NDoA is using as an excuse for the taking up of these horses. I oppose the indiscriminant taking up of Nevada wild horses.

3. RE-ENGAGE the cooperative agreements previously entered in to between NDoA and wild horse advocate groups. These agreements originally allowed non-profit funds to be used to relieve the burden on the tax payer regarding the management of the Nevada wild horses. I support cooperative agreements that allow NDoA to hand over Nevada’s horses to the care of advocate groups that use their donor funds to find them good, quality forever homes.

4. RE-ENGAGE wild horse advocates willing to assist in the on-going management of the Nevada horses as provided in NRS 569. I oppose the current policies affecting Nevada’s wild horses that have led to reactive versus proactive decision making regarding which horses to remove, have led to the use of dangerous techniques implemented in the taking up of horses, put the public at risk of injury during these round ups, and caused entire communities to become outraged at the activities in which the NDoA has engaged.

5. ENCOURAGE AND SUPPORT new legislation and departmental policies that will protect and preserve the Nevada Virginia Range horses. I support these living symbols of our pioneering American spirit and laud them as proud symbols of Nevada’s past, its courageous present, and its strength of tomorrow. I encourage you to ensure they are protected and become the focus of enjoyment for both tourists and residents of current and future generations.

The next meeting of the Nevada Department of Agriculture Board of Directors isn’t scheduled until March. By then, several hundred more horses might be removed from the range. Additionally, there are 41 Virginia Range wild horses scheduled to be sold at the livestock auction on January 9, 2013.

Please act now to protect the Virginia Range wild horses so a long-term solution can be found.

Sincerely,

Sign, print your name and address.

Mail your letter to Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund, PO Box 20052, Reno, NV 89515 or scan and email it to hiddenvalleywildhorses@gmail.com no later than January 3, 2013.

All letters will be delivered in person to the Governor’s office in Carson City on Friday, January 4, 2013.

Cruel way to drag foal by pulling bailing twine around their neck (Photo © Bo Rodriguez)

(Graphic by Anne Novak & Denise Delucia for © Protect Mustangs.www.ProtectMustangs.org May be used for social sharing. Photo © Bo Rodriguez)

Wild horse fans worldwide outraged over photos showing cruelty in Nevada

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

3 week foal under attack by hired security ~ picture by Bo Rodriques

Reno Wild Horse Advocates are not only outraged by the Nevada Department of Agriculture’s war against the Virgina Range horses but also the documented cruelty exhibited with the manhandling of the these wild horses upon capture.

R.T. Fitch received testimonials and pictures regarding the inhumane practices of the Ag dept. and developer Diloretto from outraged advocates.

Included, here, are two photos of hired gun security cruelly manhandling a 3 month old foal at the Ag Dept trap on private land. This needs to stop and it needs to stop now.

We strongly encourage you to call, email and/or fax Nevada’s Governor Brian Sandoval,

http://gov.nv.gov/contact/governor/

Office Phone: (775) 684-5670
OfficeFax: (775) 684-5683

photo by Bo Rodriques

and let him know, even if you do not live in Nevada, that you do not approve of the state’s attack upon the Virginia range horses and that you will spread the negative news far and wide until such actions cease.

Likewise, please contact the office of the Department of Agriculture’s Director Jim Barbee and express your concern.

Office Phone: 775-353-3600
Office Fax: 775-668-1178

Please remember that these captured horses will go to auction and historically, if not rescued by advocates, will be purchased by kill buyers and go to slaughter, that is a given.

Cross-posted from Straight from The Horses Heart

The public is invited to the Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board meeting October 29-30 in Salt Lake

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

BLM Sets Meeting of National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board for October 29-30 in Salt Lake City
The Bureau of Land Management’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet in October in Salt Lake City to discuss issues relating to the management, protection, and control of wild horses and burros on Western public rangelands. The day-and-a-half meeting will take place on Monday, October 29, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday, October 30, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., local time. The meeting will take place at the Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown at 215 West South Temple. The hotel phone number for reservations is 801-531-7500 or 1-800-333-3333. The agenda of the meeting can be found in the September 24, 2012, Federal Register (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-09-24/pdf/2012-23472.pdf). The Advisory Board provides input and advice to the BLM as it carries out its responsibilities under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The law mandates the protection, management, and control of these free-roaming animals in a manner that ensures healthy herds at levels consistent with the land’s capacity to support them. According to the BLM’s latest official estimate, approximately 37,300 wild horses and burros roam on BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states. The public may address the Advisory Board on Monday, October 29, at 3:30 p.m., local time. Individuals who want to make a statement at the Monday meeting should register with the BLM by 2 p.m., local time, on that same day at the meeting site. Depending on the number of speakers, the Board may limit the length of presentations, set at three minutes for previous meetings. Speakers should submit a written copy of their statement to the BLM at the addresses below or bring a copy to the meeting. There may be a Webcam present during the entire meeting and individual comments may be recorded. Those who would like to comment but are unable to attend may submit a written statement to: Bureau of Land Management, National Wild Horse and Burro Program, WO-260, Attention: Ramona DeLorme, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, Nevada, 89502-7147. Comments may also be e-mailed to the BLM at wildhorse@blm.gov . For additional information regarding the meeting, please contact Ramona DeLorme, Wild Horse and Burro Administrative Assistant, at 775-861-6583. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may reach Ms. DeLorme during normal business hours by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339. The Advisory Board meets at least once a year and the BLM Director may call additional meetings when necessary. Members serve without salary, but are reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses according to government travel regulations.
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. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
–BLM–

Governor Sandoval: Stop the sale of Nevada’s wild horses to kill-buyers

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

Governor Brian Sandoval ~ Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Call Governor Brian Sandoval and politely let him know you want the trapping and selling of Nevada’s indigenous wild horses at auctions frequented by “kill-buyers” to STOP now.

80% of Americans are against horse slaughter.

Does he want Nevada to stay on the top of the bad list as perceived by Nevadans and everyone else?

The first auction is this Wednesday in Fallon, N.V.–a town where he once lived.

More than 22 Virginia Range wild horses from ‘The Meadow’, on the outskirts of Reno, are going to be sold by the pound. Kill-buyers will be bidding on America’s icons to sell them to slaughter for human consumption in foreign countries.

Politely ask Governor Sandoval to step in–to stop the removals and the sales. Ask him to RELOCATE all the wild horses who have been trapped already by the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDOA) and bring them food and water if needed on the range.

Rotten development planning and urban sprawl is removing habitat from wildlife–including wild horses. Not only is the sprawl causing global warming but now it’s causing strife in communities over wild horses.

It’s the developers’ responsibility to fence out wildlife to prevent entry on their property if that is what they wish. Nevada is a “fence out” state by law.

Back in August several wild horses were taken by people connected with a development. The horses ended up at the prison where they process wild horses to go to the auction frequented by kill-buyers. Who were these people and are charges being prosecuted against them? Are they connected to the current trappings at a development now conducted by the NDOA?

Taxpayers should not pay for the NDOA to remove wild horses when the developer is not taking responsibility for putting up fencing. Nevada wants fiscal responsibility.

Land development does not need to ruin indigenous wild horse habitat, break their families apart and sell them at auctions where kill-buyers purchase horses to sell to slaughter.

We are asking for a win-win NOT for Nevada’s wild horses go to their brutal death–to slaughter.

More wild horses are needed to stop Nevada’s mega-million dollar wildfires. According to a report by CoreLogic, U.S property exposed to wildfire is valued at $136 billion.

If some wild horses do need to be brought in then the mustangs should NEVER be sold at an auction frequented by kill-buyers but should be cared for by the State of Nevada or given to sanctuaries and rescue groups. Their lives are the responsibility of the Silver State if they are not on Federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. We know Nevada can do the right thing.

80% of America’s population are against horse slaughter. If Governor Sandoval wants to run for President someday, then he needs to be aware that he is smearing himself by delaying taking action to stop the sale of Nevada’s beloved wild horses to kill-buyers. His character is being measured during this time of crisis.

He has an opportunity now to make history and win the endearment of 80% of Americans nationwide.

Contact the Governor here:

Governor Sandoval
Tel: 775-684-5670
fax: 775-6845683

Emails can be sent via this link.
http://gov.nv.gov/contact/governor/

Send us a copy of emails you send him. Our email is Contact@ProtectMustangs.org

Also contact Governor Sandoval on Twitter @GovSandoval

Here is an example of wild horses not causing damage from Barbara Warner’s comment against the Sheldon Refuge wild horse wipe out:

“The 1990-91 GAO ( Government Accounting Office) study proved that horses do not over-graze or destroy riparian areas. Sheldon is still recovering from the damage that cattle have been proven to cause. Horses have flat hooves which don’t cut into the ground and constantly move as they graze. The increased population of pronghorns proves that wild horses benefit them and no doubt many other species as well.”

Here is an excellent scientific example of wild horses as native wildlife: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562

This photo shows several Virginia Range wild horse families at ‘The Meadow’ on the outskirts of Reno.

These wild horses are loved around the world. Tourists enjoy observing them at ‘The Meadow’ and elsewhere. Eco-tourism businesses could boom taking customers on wild horse safaris. This would create jobs for Nevada.

Now the Virginia Range wild horses are being trapped, castrated and ripped apart from their families only to be sold at a series of auctions, frequented by kill-buyers in Fallon, N.V. starting September 19th, 2012 and ending around October.

As of this date, the Nevada State Department of Agriculture has trapped more than 60 indigenous wild horses–of all ages–and is planning to dispose of them by selling them at the auction frequented by kill-buyers.

Please contact Governor Sandoval and ask him to take this opportunity to make history.

Links of interest:

Governor Brian Sandoval’s website: http://gov.nv.gov/

Governor Brian Sandoval on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GovSandoval

News 4 reports: Sixteen Virgina Range wild horses captured http://www.mynews4.com/mostpopular/story/Sixteen-Virginia-Range-horses-captured/EB28hJXRfkG2koVMTe7lgQ.cspx

Nevada policy change ~ sells its wild horses by the pound: http://www.examiner.com/article/nevada-policy-change-sells-it-s-wild-horses-by-the-pound

U.S. property exposed to wildfire valued at $136 billion: http://www.artemis.bm/blog/2012/09/17/u-s-property-exposed-to-wildfire-valued-at-136-billion-says-report/

2012 Nevada wildland fires: http://forestry.nv.gov/fire-program/2012-nevada-wildfires/

Nevada is a fence out state: Rural Fencing Rules in Nevada | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7148677_rural-fencing-rules-nevada.html#ixzz26mvCdAOj

Video of wild horses in ‘The Meadow’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02I_W761f4M&feature=youtu.be

Nevada policy change sells its wild horses by the pound

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

Cross-posted from The Examiner

By Carrol Abel

Some of the Virginia Range horses to be sold at auction by the pound

Photo credit: S. Bains

Not many people are aware that the state of Nevada is the legal owner of all wild horses in the state except those on public lands. Fewer yet are aware that Nevada will be making their horses available at a September 19th livestock auction where they will be sold by the pound.

“A livestock auction sale yard does not differentiate whether a person is a horse lover or a kill buyer that’s the unfortunate part of this,” stated Ed Foster , Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) spokesman, on a News 4 broadcast in Reno, Nevada.

Kill buyers transport horses to slaughter across the border. The meat then ends up on dinner plates in other countries.

Late in 2011 NDA Director, Jim Barbee, created a policy in which horses removed from the range were offered to the public on a first come first serve basis for a price of $90 each. These sales were open to “anyone with a checkbook”, but most attendees were wild horse advocates.

The announcement of a change in policy resulted in an overwhelming number of calls to Nevada Governor, Brian Sandoval. Most of the calls were referred to Mr. Foster. Governor Sandoval’s office had not responded to this mornings Examiner.com questions at the time of publication.

In conversation with Examiner.com, Foster cited the reason for a change in policy centered around the third public sale at which the advocates did not buy the horses from NDA, but waited and purchased them at auction. “They kind of jerked our chain a little bit”, said Foster. “I think the Director had a very reasonable offering to the groups to have these horses before anybody else had a chance to. They basically spit on that and I don’t think the Department was willing to go through this little exercise again with them.”

Advocates cite questions regarding the legality of the paperwork involved at that particular sale and say they were advised by their attorney not to participate.

There were subsequent sales in which the advocates purchased all the horses made available to them. Why would Director Barbee change policy after successful sales?

Foster stated he was not aware of any subsequent sales and was doubtful they had occurred, but promised to look into it.

The 23 horses involved in the auction were removed as “nuisance” horses along the Virginia Range foothills of east Reno. Foster indicated in the broadcast that Virginia Range horses were coming down into residential areas of Reno because they were starving. When asked about emergency planning by Examiner.com, he stated, ” There is no emergency plan for the horses due to the drought… The big picture is, and this is the rule of the planet, it’s survival of the fittest.” Foster spoke of the lack of funding and went on to point out, “There’s nothing other than for us to respond to citizen complaints regarding the horses.”

BLM experiments on wild horses with SpayVac®

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

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

Unedited Press Releasefrom the BLM August 27, 2011

The Bureau of Land Management and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have begun a five-year wild horse contraceptive study at the BLM’s short-term holding facility in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. The pasture breeding study will test the effectiveness of two formulations of the investigational contraceptive vaccine SpayVac® to determine if the treatment can reduce foaling rates in wild horse mares.

The goal is to see if SpayVac®, a novel formulation of a glycoprotein called porcine zona pellucida (PZP), will provide a longer-term effect than other PZP vaccines currently used by the BLM. If the vaccine is found to reduce foaling in this controlled setting, it will be considered for use with free-roaming horses to help control population growth rates on the range.

As the primary agency responsible for management of wild horses on U.S. public lands, the BLM has a need for a long-lasting contraceptive agent to control herd growth rates. Given the protection afforded by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 and a general lack of natural predators, wild horse populations increase at an average rate of 20 percent a year and can quickly exceed the carrying capacity of their ranges.

The BLM, as part of its development of a new wild horse and burro management strategy, has been stepping up its efforts to reduce population growth rates in wild horse herds using contraceptive agents. A main limitation of the agents currently available is that they are of relatively short duration or need to be administered annually. Maximizing the duration of contraceptive effectiveness is especially important in wild horses, which in most cases must be captured in order for the treatment to be successfully administered.

In the BLM-USGS study, 90 mares have been treated with either one of two formulations of the vaccine or a placebo. The mares will be followed for five years to measure anti-PZP antibody levels and compare the foaling rates between treated horses and controls. Although breeding is not usually allowed to occur in BLM facilities, a clinical trial in this controlled environment will provide critical information on how well SpayVac® works as a contraceptive.

The mares and stallions enrolled in the study were selected from horses already in BLM holding facilities. They are being housed in three 30-acre pastures and will be together during the next five breeding seasons. Foals that are born during the study will be offered for adoption each fall after they have been weaned. At the conclusion of the study, all adult horses will be returned to the BLM’s Adopt-A-Horse Program or placed in long-term pasture facilities.

The BLM has an interagency agreement with the USGS for research and scientific support, and this study is a collaborative effort with scientists from the USGS, veterinarians with the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and TerraMar Environmental Research LLC.

Contacts:	Paul McGuire	, 405-794-9624
	Heather Emmons	, 775-861-6594
	Tom Gorey	, 202-912-7420

Attend Aug 1st hearing in Reno to support wild horses against sprawl

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Protect Mustangs

Update: July 26, 2012

“I applaud the folks at Bella Vista II,” says Carrol Abel, past president of Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund. “They recognized a need to provide protections for wild horses in the area thus providing protection for future residents of their development. Our city needs to step up to the plate and require the same for future developments.”

You can follow the discussion on our Facebook page for more information: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=391654087560283&set=a.240625045996522.58710.233633560029004&type=1&theater

Urban sprawl threatens wild horse habitat

If you cannot attend, send us your comments and we will deliver them.

A public hearing will be held by the Reno Planning Commission in Council Chambers at City Hall, 1 East First Street, Reno, Nevada.

Hearing Date & Time: August 1, 2012, 6:00 PM

Case Number: LDC10-00051

Project Name: Bella Vista Ranch Phase II

Description: We will transcribe this soon. It’s on the public notice posted above

Applicant: Corona Cyan LLC

Staff Contact Phone Number: (775)334-2272

City of Reno

Community Development Division

P.O. Box 1900

Reno, Nevada 89505

You can email your comments to us at Contact@ProtectMustangs.org and we will get them to the hearing.

Thank you for doing what you can do to help wild horses remain in freedom.

Protect Mustangs™

Education, outreach and action to protect America's native wild horses™

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