More on BLM National Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board meeting
http://rtfitchauthor.com/2014/04/15/more-on-blm-national-wild-horse-burro-advisory-board-meeting/
Tim Harvey continues to be the only National Wild Horse & Burro Advisory Board member to ask intelligent questions and speak up for America’s wild horses & burros. Thank you, Tim.
Yesterday many wild horse advocates gave outstanding comments during the public comment period.
Those expressing anti-wild horse public comments included, Debra Hawk of the Wildlife Society, who used the word “feral” when referring to federally protected wild horses throughout her comments. Ken Brown of the Western Counties Alliance (WAC), which includes in it’s membership the Nevada Association of Counties (which is suing the BLM to rid public lands of wild horses and is pushing to kill all the wild horses in holding) spoke of his organization’s support of “disposal facilities” (slaughterhouses, presumably for horses).
Then, Ted Ramsey and Gary Moyer (again, wearing his cowboy hat indoors), spoke on behalf of the National Association of Conservation Districts with an anti-wild horse bias. Ted mentioned a new organization called National Horse & Burro Rangeland Management Coalition.
Some of these organizations, and the BLM, failed to disclose what is a clear conflict of interest. Some of these organizations have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the BLM/DOI. An MOU is, in essence, a deal that if you scratch our back, we’ll scratch yours.
Not only that, some of these organizations are part of a NEWLY FORMED organization, the National Horse & Burro Rangeland Management Coalition (www.wildhorserange.org). Take a look at the coalition policy statement:
BLM WH&B Advisory Board member Callie Hendrickson is currently the Executive Director of the White River Conservation District, that seems to have issued the above copy of the National Horse & Burro Rangeland Management policy statement.
BLM and National Association of Conservation Districts have an MOU:
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wo/Communications_Directorate/public_affairs/
news_release_attachments.Par.14825.File.dat/BLM-NACD%20MOU%20Signed.7-16-2013%20(1).pdf
Just take a look at the members of the National Horse & Burro Rangeland Management Coalition:
American Farm Bureau Federation, Masters of Foxhounds Association, Mule Deer Foundation , National Association of Conservation Districts, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Rifle Association, National Wildlife Refuge Association, Public Lands Council (BLM WH & B Advisory Board member John Falen was recently President of this organization), Public Lands Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International, Society for Range Management and The Wildlife Society.
These documents, along with the documents below, make it obvious that the BLM is stacking the deck both on the Advisory Board that “advises” it and the audience at these meetings, which could then make it look as if a broad segment of the American people might support BLM’s mismanagement of the Wild Horse & Burro Program (when in actuality, BLM anti-wild horse actions are likely a only supported by a segment of special interests).
BLM and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
http://www.fs.fed.us/biology/resources/pubs/mou_moa/sportsmens_access_mou_07.03.pdf
BLM and National Association of Counties:
http://www.naco.org/newsroom/latest/Documents/BLM-NACo-FS%20MOU%20Press%20Release%20FINAL_31413.pdf
More about Western Association of Counties (WAC):
http://www.washoecounty.us/large_files/agendas/041707/12.pdf