The latest public relations exercise by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), who issued a news release yesterday announcing they are soliciting proposals to establish wild horse “ecosanctuaries” on non-BLM managed land to “help the BLM feed and care for excess wild horses that have been removed from Western public rangelands,” exposes the hypocrisy that runs rampant through the Department of Interior agency.
Madeleine Pickens has been negotiating with the BLM for more than two years to set up a wild horse sanctuary, and has bought the grazing rights on 500,000 acres in Nevada to do so, but is no closer now to closing the deal than when she started.
The BLM have run out of money to continue their mission of mass destruction of America’s wild horses and burros, and are beseeching Congress for more taxpayer dollars so they can finish the job. Not sure they will get it because of a recent cut in funding of $2M because of hard work by advocates exposing the harsh truth about the BLM’s mismanagement of the Wild Horse & Burro Program, what an opportune moment for this type of damage control.
Incidentally, while all of this is going on, the BLM are shopping around other federal agencies for part of their budgets to beef up their barren coffers to continue their assault on the nation’s wild horses and burros.
The news release goes through the hoops of bureaucratic red tape interested parties must jump through, stating “applications for partnerships relating to ecosanctuaries located on both private and BLM-managed lands will be posted at a later time.”
America’s wild horses and burros should not be in long-term holding costing the taxpayer a reported $100,000 per day. In escalated and unnecessary roundups based on conjured numbers by the BLM, they have been harassed, abused and sometimes killed, stripped of their freedom, robbed of their rightful homes, separated from their families, with little or no hope of their lives ever being the same. These are violations of the Free-Roaming Wild Horse & Burro Act enacted to protect them from exactly this.
By the time the BLM are through with their roundup plans, there will be very few wild horses left on public lands. The small herds remaining will be below genetically viable survival numbers due to the gelding of stallions and the treatment of mares with admittedly experimental birth control drugs that could potentially cause the mares to be permanently sterile.
The only wild horses and burros left under BLM control for the proposed ecosanctuaries they are suddenly interested in will be the ones languishing in long-term holding who have escaped the three strikes rule and sold into uncertain futures.
Perhaps the BLM sees the ecosanctuaries they are suddenly interested in — managed as “private-public partnerships” — as a way to be rid of long-term held horses too. At least for awhile. Until, of course, the BLM declare there are too many wild horses and burros in the ecosanctuaries they intend to keep a say in.
Better for our wild horses and burros to be rid of the BLM.
Source: Press Release
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/newsroom/2011/march/NR_03_15A_2011.html
Tuesday's Horse 
There should be no doubt in anyones mind by now, who and what are destroying the Land !!!! CATTLE and MINING , the Horse is not ,he is part of the cure for the Damage ………………………. There cannot be any argument in this area………….. We need to stop the Lieing and deceiving the BLM is so very guilty of doing and they are so well versed in……….. It is time to put BLAME where it belongs , and save our innocent Mustangs !!!!!!
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Amen Arlene. Wild horses have actually been introduced onto lands that have been damaged for a variety of reasons. Since the BLM say they manage the land and not horses, then this shows just how clueless they are…. or corrupt. You choose.
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I would like to know who , what or whomever appointed the BLM the Wild Mustangs as their charge?????????? If they in fact belong to American Citizens should nt we be the deciding or voting factor of their fate>>??????????If this is true that no one in Authority has the right to delegate their charge but the People…?????
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Everytime I write call or sign a petition, I add my own comment asking for a full investgation of the WH&B program by congress, it is truly the only way we will effect change in this program, I am also asking for the Burns amendment to be over turned so that the 71 law goes back to its original form, as long as Harry Reid is the majority leader in the senate no WH bill will get thru him to the floor of the Senate to be voted on. We have so much evidence that can be presented to an investigation..the most important and first..John Marvel and WWPs armload of cases won this year alone where federal judges have been convinced by their evidence that cattle allotments are being mismanged by BLM and theat they are misrepresenting the facts to the Judge in the case..stated in the case “opinion”..we donot have to give our opinion..the proof that livestock are damaging public lands has been proven many times in federal court..Marvel would love a national stage to present this on instead of having to take it case by case to courts..Now-we have given congress concrete proof of where damage is actually occurring and by whom and then the fact the courts are recognising in their writings that BLM comes into court-lieing and misrepresenting the facts…How hard is it to draw the line between that and what we are alledging? Piece of Cake..then the ball is in their court, clean up the grazing mess on HMAs, balance out multiple use by moving cattle to the bottom and take WHs from the bottom and move them to the top-the top of MU means a reallocating of AMLs by transfering the cattle aums to WH-amls, increase the HMA WH population by returning horses from LTH facilities, and make it 250 horses to every 2 cows..now we have balance and healthy range lands..there are millions of acres of public land available to cattle which are not in HMAs set aside primarily but not exclusively for WH use.
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By the way, go back and read the alternative management options document..they ALWAYS intended the public would step up and take these horses and develope sanctuarys..its right there in B&W in the document..It enraged me when I read it, they intended to blackmail our hearts from the get go..I over road my resistance to this plan of theirs-ONLY- to genetically save this herd..as there plan to PZP-22 is the final stage of their extinction plan. Take a look at the Pryor herd, get lots of pictures..because you have witnessed the end.
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First of all, I have been dealing with the BLM for 5 months to try and get 72 SA stallions and mares from Adobe Town canon city facility, since the day Grey beard was rounded up..It has been a nightmare, I found a 35,000 acre existing private “wild preserve” not an ecco sanctuary-which to me are smaller acreages where horses are not truly wild and self sustaining but have to be maintained thru large sums of money via donations..I have seen too many problems with people needing 50,000 a month in donations to buy hay..In Madelines case-she is asking to be paid as a LTH contract holder, not as someone taking it on as a private citizen..all that being said..I found out yesterday that not only do you have to be approved by the DC office but the district office which oversees several states and then the state office..so if any of those offices do not want land in their state used for the purpose of preserves or sanctuarys-they can block it, and it has happened to me in Colo, and I imagine if MP went private-it would definately happen in Nevada..we need to address the issue of these district and local offices..I was given one reason after another as an issue. they were breeding herd , I was not PZPing these mares..this herd will be used for research in the wild, something we are sadly needing, there are mountain lions there, it is some of the most fabulous wild horse land I have seen, the only thing that needs to be done..is manage the land, see to imporovements, make sure water is developed in places that have no natural sources.. a her that has been PZP-22 is useless as a control group, you have destroyed the social order..this will be real in the wild research, there are people who buy property here just to live within this wild horse mesa, you have built in volunteers and watchdogs, there is already a existing tourism to to tour the existing herds..this could be a model for what we COULD do with private preserves..enter the BLM and it is totally mucked up..let private citizens and private enterpise do this..BLM cannot give up control..they want us to follow their broken model-which is unsuccessful as a business and humane model..no thanks..I will not partner with the BLM..they need to get out of the way..On the other hand I say to wild horse lovers..that is not enough- you need people with lifetime horse experience, to be involved and I mean people who have run stallions mares and foals and know what it means to run a ranch responsably, who understand genetics from doing it-we who take on these wild horses have a greater burden than BLM-not to love them into extinction-to use our hearts and our heads.
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Took me a while to find this, but if anyone wants to wade (or drown!) in the actual solicitation from the “grants.gov” website , here it is:
http://www07.grants.gov/search/synopsis.do;jsessionid=VbsmNQlWnByNXPngRYJKLZ8pcQ7QddP9wxVp2hq5vn3F6rBJgN4Q!1145704052
The “Synopsis” was complicated enough. When I went to the “Full Announcement” and opened the “DOC” (ZIP file is the same verbage) I was FLOORED. In my opinion, the only people who will be able to understand all this are those who have already received or thoroughly investigated government contracts and know the process.
If it’s like other government contracts, minorities, Native Americans, and woman-owned businesses will have an advantage over “others”.
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yeah; if madeline pickens has purchased her Ranch; why doesn’t the BLM “turn over the 10,000 Mustangs in holding as they promised ?
Madeline has only the best interests of the Mustangs in mind imo; anne white
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Sorry this link doesn’t work. I tried again and this procedure should get you to the page . Go to:
http://www.grants.gov/
Choose “Find Grant Opportunities” from the red box on the left and you should get a blue drop-down menu. Choose “Advanced Search”. Type L11AS00033 in the “Search by Funding Opportunity Number” box. Then go to the bottom of the page and click “Search”. click. Then click on “Wild Horse Partnerships for Eco Sanctuaries on Private Lands” to open the page with the Synopsis and Full Announcement.
I tested it, and it worked for me.
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Another one of the CRAZY BLM’S CRAZY IDEAS. WE NEED TO GET RID OF THIS BUREAU, THEY ACCOMPLISH NOTHING POSITIVE FOR THE HORSES AND BURROS. JUST KILL KILL, KILL
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LOL Now that WE THE PEOPLE have been heard they are practically BEGGING for our help now well I say to the BLM, you want my money NO WAY, NOT TILL THE BLM RETURNS ALL MUSTANGS to their lands and I will THINK about helping out but then again I think some BLM employees and a Director or 2 need to serve some jail time!
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I would suggest tarred and feathered and run out of America as their fate it is so apropos…………….(means befitting) for the crimes they have committed against a Protected by Law Wild Mustang…………………………
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Amen ! ! ! for “abusing living foals by putting them in risk of harm and illhealth
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I would not ever consider Wild Mustangs in the category of Livestock , they are not , nor should they ever be in that category so no where mentioned is The Wild Mustangs because they do not fall into any category that the BLM considers there responsibility…………….., therefore the Mustangs need an agency that deals with them only……………….. Which is not so far fetched an Idea……………..These are Living Breathing Memories of past history, that represent all in history that deals with the development and settling of the West…………………… For which America is forever indebted to them for, as also for all aspects of our development as a country as a whole …………… These Horses are the representatives of all America for which they have earned protection and preservation……………… This is their Given………….
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I agree with you 100%!
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I listened to and watched the BLM Advisory Board Meeting, March 10th-11th, 2011 and had a variety of emotions, none pleased or happy. Mostly anger to despair. Laughing (at) too, but there is nothing to laugh at about the BLM. The BLM is serious business bent on the destruction of our wild horses and burros. Yes, never once did anyone mention Madeleine Pickens in the the talk, talk, talk about “sanctuaries.” Hmmm, I wonder why? Maybe because she knows the BLM inside-out and will want what is fair and humane for the horses? And her sanctuary would bring more attention to America’s wild horses. The “secret” will be out. Most importantly, the horses will be safe with Ms. Pickens. The BLM’s proposed private sanctuaries screams of a road to horse slaughter! And of course the BLM will find a way to continue the roundups. Very “telling” was the “woe is we,” no money. It was obvious this was a ploy for the public enabling the BLM to do more under the radar. And a “playing” with the advocates, giving hope. At the last minutes of the 2-day Board meeting, as all were packing up papers, Robin Lohnes, Chair of the BLM Advisory Board said, “Our next meeting needs to be before the summer gathers. That is, summer 2011. WE need CONGRESS! Thank you, Vivian for your timely and very informative articles.
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I would never trust the BLM as far as i could throw them, these are nothing but greedy rotten murdering B*st*rds, What we need to do is remove our Mustangs from there Clutches , We need to have An Agency specifically for there protection, and preservation I am sure we can accomplish this, The BLM even admits it is not a horse agency, what we need is a true Horse friendly Agency that is, for the horse…………. We have advocates that are TRUE EXPERTS in every facet of the Horse, lets get them to come together in one place and discuss this , just like The BLM comes together in one place and has one of there terror for the horse meetings, the experts here are oh so awesome , brought together in one place would bring astounding results for the Horse……. and their welfare…………………
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Look at the BLM Mission (at the end of their news releases). No mention of horses, unless you consider they fall under the category of “livestock grazing,” but think they are referring to cattle, no mention of the wild horses and burro program.
The BLM manages more land – over 245 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. 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.
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