Please Submit Comments to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Urge Protection of Wild Horses & Burros in the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge

American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign

Feds Developing 15-Year Management Plan

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Comments Due November 8, 2011

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is seeking public input for the revision of its Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) ("the Plan") that will set policy in the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge Complex for the next 15 years. The plan calls for total elimination of the wild horse and burro populations living in the refuge, which are estimated to be 800 horses and 90 burros.

Mustangs and burros have called these lands home for centuries, but the USFWS holds the outdated and unscientific position that these animals are non-native species that need to be eliminated. Meanwhile the agency operates Sheldon more like a game preserve than a refuge, and eliminating wild horses and burros will allow the USFWS to increase big game species, such as Pronghorn and Bighorn sheep, for hunters to shoot.


Unfortunately, because the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act protects only mustangs and burros residing on BLM and U.S. Forest Service lands, wild horses are out of luck when it comes to federal protection on Sheldon refuge lands.
In previous requests for comments, the FWS received more input about wild horses and burros than on any other management aspect of the refuge. But instead of seeking an alternative that would allow for the maintenance of wild horses on the refuge (similar to the way the National Park Service manages several wild horse herds), Sheldon has made removal of the wild horses and burros the top priority of its new management strategy. Not surprisingly, the plan is supported by pro-hunting organizations.

This public comment period is the time to let the USFWS know that the public demands that this Refuge protect its culturally and historically significant wild horse and burro herds and manages them according to science, not special hunting interests. Please take easy action below to personalize and send your letter.  When you click send, your suggestions will be faxed to the USFWS.

Subject:

Your Letter: Given the limited number of horses and burros on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)-managed public lands and the importance of these iconic animals to Americans across the country, I urge the agency to evaluate and incorporate the following into the final Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge: • Designate the wild horse and burro populations in the Sheldon Refuge as an important historic and cultural resource and seek any necessary legislative changes to manage them within the park. • Vigorously explore the possibility of contracting with non-profit organizations that have experience in managing wild horses to help design and implement a PZP fertility control program, which would maintain the wild horse and burro population within Sheldon at present levels. • Correct the glaring contradiction whereby the USFWS allows numerous non-native birds favored by hunters and non-native fish favored by anglers to reside in the Refuge, but declares the wild horses and burros to be non-native animals that must be removed. • Examine the latest scientific evidence that indicates that the wild horse is a native, reintroduced species that fills a defined ecological niche in the high-desert environment. The USFWS cannot continue to base its management of public lands on outdated and unscientific premises. If roundups and removals proceed despite opposition, then I urge that the current wild horse and burro populations be phased out over time (as in Alternative 3 which allows 15 years for elimination of the wild horse and burro populations), and that bait/water trapping be used to remove the animals, as this is the least stressful method for capturing wild horses and burros. In conclusion, I oppose the removal of wild horses from this population and would likely visit the Refuge if wild horses and burros remain. Wild horses and burros could be the "key mechanism to establish support for the Sheldon Refuge" and attract "wildlife-dependent recreational" visitors to the Refuge to appreciate the history and beauty of America's wild horses and burros. Instead of catering to hunters, it's time that USFWS equally considers and addresses the desires of other Americans in developing the management objectives of this magnificent National Refuge. I urge you to revise the CCP/EIS and allow wild horses and burros to continue to live in their native lands in the Sheldon National Refuge. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely,

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service John Kasbohm

PO Box 111
Lakeview, OR 97630
US

Fax:(541) 947-4414

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If you prefer, you can submit your comments, which must be received no later than November 8, 2011, via the USFWS online form, facsimile or U.S. postal mail to:


Use click here to use USFSW online form to provide comments
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Address written comments and questions to:
John Kasbohm, Project Leader
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 111
Lakeview, OR 97630

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Fax: (541) 947-4414

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