BLM's Transparency is Depressing

Posted directly from Terri Farley's blog. When the BLM is finally transparent, it shows just how awful captivity can be for our wild horses.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 WILD FOAL WATCH all photos by Karen Hopple Dear Readers, Visitors to the Bureau of Land Management's Palomino Valley hoped to see spring foals. They did, and here's how one described the wild horse corrals, "...filthy, with standing water from the storm that smelled like cesspools. The horses were a mess, covered with mud and feces...The strangles is spreading... heard coughs in every area of the center." Disheartened by the condition of the captive horses, the visitors drove out of town to see how mustangs on their own had weathered the high desert storms. The free-roaming horses were doing just fine. Foals nursed, studied the two-legged newcomers and hopped like bunnies over sage brush. Back at Palomino Valley, the captive foals huddled low in the mud, trying to stay alive. WHY? Free-roaming mustangs sought natural shelter and higher ground away from rain run-off. The only shelter at Palomino Valley covers hay bales and a work area where stallions are castrated. In the corrals, there is no shelter and BLM failed to use on-site trucks and bulldozers to cover even the muddiest areas, so that newborns could nap on dry dirt. I've been accused of cruelty because I favor mustangs running free -- searching out their own food, shelter and safety. Take a look at these photos and judge for yourself which horses are happier. Next, take action. Use this simple form to tell BLM this is not the way you want millions of tax dollars spent. It's easy, just : click here to say LET 'EM RUN! all photos by Karen Hopple Permalink to this blog post

ONWARD

Reposting this directly from Laura Leigh's blog 3/13/2011

Phoenix, Forward

What can I say? It was another Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Meeting. I went. Not because I feel that the board has any meaning except to act as an illusion of public participation in process. The Board sleeps half the time and has no real legal authority… and NOTHING REAL every comes out of the meetings… from the Board. However I did attend as another voice and “warm body” to represent our herds.

Many other wonderful people were there. I am not going to start naming because I will miss someone and end up editing this entry for days. I do not have time to create a slideshow or edit video but I am posting a few pics to share.

Do not, for one second, believe there is no funding for summer. Do not, for one second, believe this is “time off.”

Funding will be pulled from another agency or program. The “balls to the wall” pace of the last year will continue. The agenda has not changed no matter what words are printed, spoken or drawn in the sand. The actions on the range, in holding, hidden in closed facilities remains unchanged.

There is no “New Direction” until the train is a hundred miles down track no one has even laid yet.

I’m back out… and the pace will pick up not slack off. This IS NOT “time off.” It is time to reload…

WE need a Congressional investigation into this program… no NAS study with parameters given to them by BLM, no internal investigation into contractor actions, no “observers” provided by a 501 that may very well be illegally operated and a conflict of interest for an Advisory Board Member… no more.

We need something tangible from Abbey now.

For starters let’s try transparency of actions… OPEN closed facilities to the public, approve sanctuaries that give something back to the tax payer, start making lease holders actually pay for the cost of their leases and stop running an entitlement program on public land… AND adhere to the most basic premise of the act and start treating these animals in a humane fashion according to today’s standards and NOT some 1800′s cowboy mentality.

Am I really asking too much in a supposedly civilized nation?

RT, Ginger, Madeleine at Press Conference

Protest outside

Elyse taping press conference

Maureen VanDerStad streaming the vigil to home viewers...

Vigil

the "Bored" meeting

another "Bored" member

protest outside

Outside the meeting

AMEN!

"good" cookies!

"family" gathering... and an adult beverage

New Life... March 13, 2011: Nevada

Back to work….

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USDA says no horse meat transport across state lines

Good news from USDA and tie-in to the debate

While writing his next statement for the debate, John came across this article that was just published. Bottom line is that even if individual states pass legislation to inspect horse meat the USDA stated they still can't transport across state lines. Didn't we tell them that??? What is priceless in this article, is Larson's comments. Just like many of our radical opponents, you give them the facts and they still dismiss it and continue with their propaganda. The sponsor of the Nebraska bill (LB305), Sen. Tyson Larson of O'Neill, and the Legislature's Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Carlson of Holdrege aren't buying it. Larson said Monday he'd like to see the section of federal law or the 2008 Farm Bill that specifically bars state-inspected horse meat from leaving the state. "From everything I've seen, I would have to disagree (with the USDA)," he said. Federal law would not allow horse meat to be shipped out of state http://journalstar.com/news/unicameral/article_5e4075de-9c26-5609-8e78-3cd61d47c4aa.html Debate Update: We have heard that Duquette has issued an alert (not on facebook but through another channel) asking his minions to post comments on the debate. I'm sure you'll see more incoherent posts shortly! BTW-I know everyone is frustrated with the amount of time it is taking to post comments but please hang in there and continue to show your support. If you haven't followed the debate here is a snapshot. John has posted two clear, concise statements with facts and supporting documentation. Stenholm posted a biography and a rant against HSUS and PETA. You can access the debate issues in the right hand column on this page -http://www.nptelegraph.com/horse_sense/