Monday, May 31, 2010
Dead foal triggers passion about mustang roundup in Nevada
RGJ.com
By Frank X. Mullen Jr. • fmullen@rgj.com • May 30, 2010
The foal was 4-days-old and just skin and bones when it was given a fatal dose of drugs at the Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse facility in Fallon.
The mercy killing at the Indian Lakes holding center May 16 sparked complaints from wild horse advocates that the BLM isn’t taking good care of its thousands of captured wild horses.
The report of the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office investigation was submitted last week to the district attorney, who will decide if any laws were broken.
Sheriff Richard Ingram said the report contains the facts and makes no recommendations. At issue is a state law that makes “failure to provide proper sustenance” to animals illegal. Ingram said the charges made by horse advocates were serious.
“This is important because there are obviously two passionate sides to this issue,” he said.
BLM officials say thousands of mustangs must be rounded up in the West because an overpopulation of horses is harming native wildlife and the rangeland. Activists say the agency is managing the land for the benefit of ranchers, mining operations and other moneyed interests at the expense of the wild herds.
The advocates have long complained that the agency isn’t taking good care of mustangs. They said the recent death of the foal proves the BLM isn’t equipped to do the job properly.
“The photos of the foal are self-explanatory,” said William L. LeRoy, a wild horse advocate from Arizona who has been working with Nevada activists. “If that foal was on private property and someone drove by and saw it, there would be an investigation.”
Photos and videos of the baby horse have appeared on the Internet.
“Aside from the issues of whether the roundups should have been conducted in the first place, there’s the issue of making sure those captured horses get the same standard of care as any other horse in the United States,” LeRoy said.
BLM officials said some horse advocates are looking for any reason to attack the agency’s wild horse removal program and that 2,145 mustangs now at the Fallon site, including about 320 baby horses, are well treated, constantly monitored and treated for health problems.
The emaciated foal was born May 13 and euthanized three days later after horse advocates visiting the facility asked about the animal’s condition. It was dehydrated and malnourished, the BLM said.
Dean Volsted, BLM wild horse manager, said the baby horse was very weak at birth and had been examined by a veterinarian for the first three days of its life.
“The foal’s condition had declined dramatically,” he said. “The mare didn’t have enough milk.”
After the advocates called his attention to the animal, he said, it was again examined by the agency veterinarian who determined it had “a hopeless prognosis for survival.”
Advocates argue that the animal’s extreme condition did not happen overnight and that the BLM workers should have known it was in grave trouble without visitors having to point that out.
Volsted said some “orphan foals” have been given to private sanctuaries to nurse, but because the foal’s mother was trying to feed it, the foal was left with its dam because natural milk would give it a better chance for survival.
“There’s not a question in my mind that (the foal) had good care,” Volsted said. “These (newborns) are very fragile animals. … Some of the horses that came in (to the facility) were in very poor condition and their health has been largely stabilized.”
But he said some of the pregnant mares weren’t able to have healthy offspring.
About 90 horses have died related to the Calico roundup, most at the Fallon pens, according to the BLM. Foals are not counted in BLM records. The emaciated colt’s death is in addition to at least 87 fatalities as a result of the Calico roundup, not counting mare miscarriages.
“These horses were taken off the range because BLM claimed they were at risk of dehydration and starvation, the reasons given for destroying the captive foal,” said Terri Farley, a Verdi author and wild horse advocate.
She said the horses, particularly the pregnant mares, were stressed by the helicopter roundup and their subsequent captivity.
“If this foal was born in the wild, instead of suffering in a fenced sand box, it might have lived,” Farley said.
Roundups to continue
The BLM removes “excess horses” from federal rangeland each year. This year the agency removed 1,922 mustangs from the Calico Mountain Complex north of Gerlach.
Wranglers using helicopters to herd the animals removed more than 80 percent of the Calico wild horse population, leaving behind an estimated 600 horses on the 859-square-mile complex.
This year, the agency plans to remove another 8,000 horses from Western rangelands, clearing out five federal designated wild horse areas, including two in Nevada.
Wild horse advocates said the BLM can’t take care of the horses it already has.
“We have been saying for months that one veterinarian is not adequate to monitor thousands of wild horses and now more than 300 foals,” said Ginger Kathrens, director of the Cloud Foundation, a wild horse advocacy group. “If volunteers were allowed on a regular basis to view these horses (in the Fallon pens) the death of this little colt might have been prevented.”
Volsted said one veterinarian for both the Fallon and Palamino Valley adoption center, where another 500 horses are boarded, is adequate. He said the horses are checked once a day and sick animals immediately receive care.
BLM officials said foals aren’t part of the agency’s wild horse count until they get older and are freeze-branded.
Eventually, many of the animals held at Fallon will be transported to long-term holding facilities in the Midwest, Volsted said.
“We moved 82 horses (in May) to the Palomino Valley adoption center for an Internet adoption auction in July,” he said. “Beginning in June we’ll be shipping 400 to 500 head, the younger horses, to other adoption venues.”
Horses will be shipped to Montana, Texas, New Mexico and the Midwest, he said.
“We won’t be shipping any of the mares with young foals,” Volsted said, adding foals won’t be weaned until September.
“We have a staff of 10 people at Palomino Valley and two full-time BLM people in Fallon as well as the contractor’s crew,” Volsted said. “There is a vet there on a daily basis and the wranglers are experienced in health care and can treat minor medical needs.
“Yes, we have one vet, but there’s a whole crew of experienced people out there overseeing and caring for these horses.”
By Frank X. Mullen Jr. • fmullen@rgj.com • May 30, 2010
The foal was 4-days-old and just skin and bones when it was given a fatal dose of drugs at the Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse facility in Fallon.
The mercy killing at the Indian Lakes holding center May 16 sparked complaints from wild horse advocates that the BLM isn’t taking good care of its thousands of captured wild horses.
The report of the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office investigation was submitted last week to the district attorney, who will decide if any laws were broken.
Sheriff Richard Ingram said the report contains the facts and makes no recommendations. At issue is a state law that makes “failure to provide proper sustenance” to animals illegal. Ingram said the charges made by horse advocates were serious.
“This is important because there are obviously two passionate sides to this issue,” he said.
BLM officials say thousands of mustangs must be rounded up in the West because an overpopulation of horses is harming native wildlife and the rangeland. Activists say the agency is managing the land for the benefit of ranchers, mining operations and other moneyed interests at the expense of the wild herds.
The advocates have long complained that the agency isn’t taking good care of mustangs. They said the recent death of the foal proves the BLM isn’t equipped to do the job properly.
“The photos of the foal are self-explanatory,” said William L. LeRoy, a wild horse advocate from Arizona who has been working with Nevada activists. “If that foal was on private property and someone drove by and saw it, there would be an investigation.”
Photos and videos of the baby horse have appeared on the Internet.
“Aside from the issues of whether the roundups should have been conducted in the first place, there’s the issue of making sure those captured horses get the same standard of care as any other horse in the United States,” LeRoy said.
BLM officials said some horse advocates are looking for any reason to attack the agency’s wild horse removal program and that 2,145 mustangs now at the Fallon site, including about 320 baby horses, are well treated, constantly monitored and treated for health problems.
The emaciated foal was born May 13 and euthanized three days later after horse advocates visiting the facility asked about the animal’s condition. It was dehydrated and malnourished, the BLM said.
Dean Volsted, BLM wild horse manager, said the baby horse was very weak at birth and had been examined by a veterinarian for the first three days of its life.
“The foal’s condition had declined dramatically,” he said. “The mare didn’t have enough milk.”
After the advocates called his attention to the animal, he said, it was again examined by the agency veterinarian who determined it had “a hopeless prognosis for survival.”
Advocates argue that the animal’s extreme condition did not happen overnight and that the BLM workers should have known it was in grave trouble without visitors having to point that out.
Volsted said some “orphan foals” have been given to private sanctuaries to nurse, but because the foal’s mother was trying to feed it, the foal was left with its dam because natural milk would give it a better chance for survival.
“There’s not a question in my mind that (the foal) had good care,” Volsted said. “These (newborns) are very fragile animals. … Some of the horses that came in (to the facility) were in very poor condition and their health has been largely stabilized.”
But he said some of the pregnant mares weren’t able to have healthy offspring.
About 90 horses have died related to the Calico roundup, most at the Fallon pens, according to the BLM. Foals are not counted in BLM records. The emaciated colt’s death is in addition to at least 87 fatalities as a result of the Calico roundup, not counting mare miscarriages.
“These horses were taken off the range because BLM claimed they were at risk of dehydration and starvation, the reasons given for destroying the captive foal,” said Terri Farley, a Verdi author and wild horse advocate.
She said the horses, particularly the pregnant mares, were stressed by the helicopter roundup and their subsequent captivity.
“If this foal was born in the wild, instead of suffering in a fenced sand box, it might have lived,” Farley said.
Roundups to continue
The BLM removes “excess horses” from federal rangeland each year. This year the agency removed 1,922 mustangs from the Calico Mountain Complex north of Gerlach.
Wranglers using helicopters to herd the animals removed more than 80 percent of the Calico wild horse population, leaving behind an estimated 600 horses on the 859-square-mile complex.
This year, the agency plans to remove another 8,000 horses from Western rangelands, clearing out five federal designated wild horse areas, including two in Nevada.
Wild horse advocates said the BLM can’t take care of the horses it already has.
“We have been saying for months that one veterinarian is not adequate to monitor thousands of wild horses and now more than 300 foals,” said Ginger Kathrens, director of the Cloud Foundation, a wild horse advocacy group. “If volunteers were allowed on a regular basis to view these horses (in the Fallon pens) the death of this little colt might have been prevented.”
Volsted said one veterinarian for both the Fallon and Palamino Valley adoption center, where another 500 horses are boarded, is adequate. He said the horses are checked once a day and sick animals immediately receive care.
BLM officials said foals aren’t part of the agency’s wild horse count until they get older and are freeze-branded.
Eventually, many of the animals held at Fallon will be transported to long-term holding facilities in the Midwest, Volsted said.
“We moved 82 horses (in May) to the Palomino Valley adoption center for an Internet adoption auction in July,” he said. “Beginning in June we’ll be shipping 400 to 500 head, the younger horses, to other adoption venues.”
Horses will be shipped to Montana, Texas, New Mexico and the Midwest, he said.
“We won’t be shipping any of the mares with young foals,” Volsted said, adding foals won’t be weaned until September.
“We have a staff of 10 people at Palomino Valley and two full-time BLM people in Fallon as well as the contractor’s crew,” Volsted said. “There is a vet there on a daily basis and the wranglers are experienced in health care and can treat minor medical needs.
“Yes, we have one vet, but there’s a whole crew of experienced people out there overseeing and caring for these horses.”
Sunday, May 30, 2010
"Emaciated Wild Horse Victim of BLM Abuse"
The Desert Independent
More...
May 30, 2010
To the Editor:
Thank you for publishing this sad news. Awareness of these atrocities that occur to wild horses in roundups and holding pens is needed to help hold the BLM accountable. This article and the picture were heartbreaking, but necessary. These roundups and the holding pens are doing things to these beautiful wild animals that wouldn't dare be done to other protected wild animals. Old, young and pregnant horses are run to death by low flying helicopters. Others become so lame that they are put to death. I've heard accounts where the horse's hoof walls were destroyed and all that was left was bone and nerve.
More...
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Americans Call for Urgent Reform in Department of Interior’s Wild Horse and Burro Program
Media Contacts:
Makendra Silverman
Tel: 719-351-8187
Anne Novak
Tel: 415-531-8454
For Immediate Release:
Americans Call for Urgent Reform in Department of Interior’s Wild Horse and Burro Program
The Gulf and Western Public Lands suffer under Salazar and Baca's Leadership
Washington, D.C. (May 28, 2010)— Currently being questioned by the House Committee on Natural Resources regarding the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar has come under fire for his lack of oversight on offshore drilling. Wild horse advocates contend that the mismanagement extends not just to an unparalled ecological disaster at sea, but a humane, environmental and fiscal disaster on our public lands. Wild horses and burros are being rounded up off their legally designated homes on Western ranges while extractive industries are allowed to monopolize public lands at enormous expense to the American taxpayer and the environment.
The impact of extractive uses on public lands is perhaps best described by project coordinator, Lars Ecklund, of the proposed Ruby natural gas pipeline which would impact wild horses and wild public lands in its 600-mile path. As quoted by the Klamath Falls Herald and News on April 16, 2010, Ecklund said “Once we get that [FERC approval], all hell will break loose… don’t think we’re going to put this pipe in without making a mess … It’s going to look like Hiroshima. It’s going to look nasty.” Salazar, who signed an agreement with the FERC Chairman on March 17, 2009 to facilitate offshore drilling, has been unresponsive to public calls to stop the Ruby project.
Secretary Salazar is no friend of wild horses. He stated that “they don’t belong on public lands” while running for the U.S. Senate in Colorado in 2004. Under his leadership at DOI, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has retained the same entrenched bureaucrats who continue to run the Wild Horse and Burro program into the ground. Salazar has continued the Bush-era policy of massive wild horse removals off public land leading to the demise of America’s wild herds—burdening the taxpayer with a bill of $3.5 million per month for the 37,000 now incarcerated wild horses. Since Salazar’s appointment, over one dozen herds have been zeroed out with at least another five on the chopping block for fiscal year 2011.
“Destruction and death of the animals the American public cherishes have been Salazar’s hallmark/brand as Interior Secretary,” states Katie Fite, biodiversity specialist for Western Watersheds. “He failed to protect wolves and sage grouse, and oversaw the brutal Calico wild horse roundup and many others. He’s hell-bent on selling out the public lands to ranchers and big energy scoundrels—in whose corporate interest it is that there are no wolves, no grouse, and no wild horses left.”
In June of 2009, Salazar hired Sylvia Baca away from BP America to become his Deputy Assistant Secretary of Lands and Minerals Management. This is not Baca’s first stint at Interior. From 1995 to 2001 she was the Assistant Secretary for Lands and Mineral management and also served as the Acting Director of the BLM. During her tenure as Acting Director allegations of wild horses being sent to slaughter were revealed in a series of shocking articles by AP reporter, Martha Mendoza. Her meticulously researched articles revealed BLM contractors and employees working together to traffic wild horses to slaughterhouses. In a PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) White Paper released in 1997 on this topic, PEER reported that “On February 19, 1997, the BLM issued a press release announcing the results of an internal investigation ‘which contradicts recent press allegations that wild horses are routinely sent to slaughter.’ Despite this self-proclaimed clean bill of health the BLM simultaneously announced a series of 20 reforms in the Wild Horse and Burro Program and promised more reforms to come.” Despite the promised ‘reforms’, some of the same employees implicated in this investigation are working at the BLM today, at least one in a position of authority.
In 2001, Baca left the Interior Department to take a job as a senior manager at BP America—the same BP of the Gulf disaster. Ironically, while at BP, one of her responsibilities was to develop health, safety, and emergency response programs. Then in June 2009 the offer came from Salazar for her to return to DOI, this time with a promotion.
Six months after beginning her second stint at DOI, Baca attended the December 2009 BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board Meeting in Reno, representing the “Salazar Plan” to the Board. The Plan would move 26,000 wild horses from the West to preserves in the East and Midwest, on private land purchased with taxpayer dollars. “The Plan requires hundreds of millions of dollars for land acquisitions. It's being sold as an eco-tourism opportunity. People are thrilled of the sight of mustangs running free, by battling stallions and long-legged foals," states Terri Farley who attended the meeting. “But this Plan takes our wild horses off public lands, castrates all stallions and sends segregated, non-reproducing animals to pastures back East. It's expensive, unnecessary and cruel. And for what? Most tax-payers would choose the once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing mustangs in the wild, over funding more grazing cows and more oil and gas installations pounding away."
During a break in the meeting in Reno, Cloud Foundation Director Ginger Kathrens, used the opportunity to say hello to Secretary Baca and show her pictures of the Calico horses of northwestern Nevada. The horses were slated for a dead of winter removal because, BLM contended, they might starve if left on their half-million acre home range. “Craig Downer had taken wonderful pictures of the wild horses and then enlarged them for the Board to see,” said Kathrens. “When I showed her the pictures and called her attention to the health and beauty of the horses, she stated it didn’t look like they had anything to eat and walked away.”
Then in April 2010, the Cloud Foundation scheduled a meeting with BLM Director Bob Abbey in an attempt to find solutions to the management difficulties within the Wild Horse and Burro Program and to work collaboratively with the BLM. Deputy Secretary Baca attended that meeting “and we were met with open hostility from her,” states Kathrens. “At one point she indicated we should thank them (the BLM) for not euthanizing the wild horses held in holding corrals, intimating that they had the legal authority to do so.”
“Sylvia Baca is just doing Secretary Salazar’s bidding as far as I’m concerned and they are both bad for the wild horses and the environment,” states American Herds blog writer Cindy MacDonald. “ Look what’s happening in the Gulf. Interior is dangerously unresponsive and ineffective under Salazar’s leadership. He was picked to clean up the reported corruption within the agency and instead, it is the same old faces making the same bad decisions.”
Some media pundits have concluded that Salazar has only months to go before being replaced as Secretary of the Interior. “It can’t come too soon for our wild lands, the horses or the environment,” MacDonald concludes.
The Cloud Foundation continues to ask for DOI’s assurance that the elimination of wild horse and burro herds across the West is not motivated by extractive industries. This is difficult to believe because tens of thousands of privately-owned livestock are grazing on herd management areas across the West and oil and gas exploration is rampant in some herd areas.
The Cloud Foundation asks the public to contact President Obama and call for the immediate resignation of both Salazar and Baca. Both need to be replaced with a true stewards of our public lands like the recently deceased Stuart Udall, who established the first public wild horse and burro range in Cloud’s Pryor Mountains and understood the value of protecting and preserving public lands for multiple-use rather than greed-based destruction.
A conservation organization, WildEarth Guardians, is currently circulating a letter demanding that Secretary Salazar resign for his poor decision-making and mismanagement of wildlife and watersheds, air, land and water, to which the Cloud Foundation is one of the signatories. “The country needs an Interior Secretary that will do more than wear a cowboy hat and talk tough in front of cameras,” said Dr. Nicole Rosmarino, wildlife program director for WildEarth Guardians, “Salazar promised to be the new sheriff in town but his form of policing seems to be to look the other way.”
###
Links of interest:
Greens call for Salazar's resignation, Washington Post http://bit.ly/9NQeao
Public Opposes the Salazar Plan press release http://bit.ly/SalazarPlanOpposed
Interior and FERC Announce Agreement on Offshore Renewable Energy Development: http://www.interior.gov/news/09_News_Releases/031709.html
Deputy Assistant Director Sylvia V. Baca http://www.doi.gov/archive/bio/baca_bio.html
Ruby Pipeline press release http://bit.ly/74789s
Wild Earth Guardians http://www.wildearthguardians.org/
Western Watersheds Project http://www.westernwatersheds.org/
PEER http://www.peer.org/
American Herds - http://americanherds.blogspot.com
Wild Horses: Management or Stampede to Extinction? Reno Gazette Sunday Special by Frank X. Mullen. http://bit.ly/9rGFwV
CNN Report, Issues with Jane Valez-Mitchell, March 25th http://bit.ly/dvl7NE
Roundup Schedule- updated May 2010 http://bit.ly/74789s
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/
Disappointment Valley... A Modern Day Western Trailer- excellent sample of interviews regarding the issues http://bit.ly/awFbwm
Fact Sheet on Wild Horses and Burros http://bit.ly/74789s
Why Salazar’s Plan Falls Short fact sheet http://bit.ly/74789s
Mestengo. Mustang. Misfit. America’s Disappearing Wild Horses - A History
Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation
The Cloud Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a focus on protecting Cloud's herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana.
107 S. 7th St. - Colorado Springs, CO 80905 - 719-633-3842 www.thecloudfoundation.org
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Illegal horse slaughter still operating in Miami-Dade
Illegal horse slaughter still operating in Miami-Dade
Posted using ShareThis
Rescued horse at Pure Thoughts Horse & Foal Rescue in Loxahatchee, FL
Posted using ShareThis
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Another faltering Calico foal brought to the safety of a rescuer's sanctuary
Left to right: Ellie (at water), Austin, Drew Boy, Bella (behind tree), and Iron Man
Another faltering Calico foal brought to the safety of a rescuer's sanctuary
Posted using ShareThis
Calico's wild horse lawsuit: understanding the ruling
Nevada horses by Carrol Abel
Calico's wild horse lawsuit: understanding the ruling
Posted using ShareThis
House Panel to Hold Seven-Part Oversight Hearing Series on Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Explosion
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=630&Itemid=27
May 18, 2010
CONTACT:
Blake Androff, 202-226-9019
Washington, D.C. - As the Committee with primary jurisdiction over offshore oil and gas drilling, the House Natural Resources Committee, led by Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), will hold a seven-part oversight hearing series to investigate the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and examine the future of America's offshore oil and gas policy.
Rahall will kick off the series with two Full Committee oversight hearings on May 26 and May 27, followed by five Subcommittee hearings to look at many issues related to the incident in more detail - from MMS' enforcement of safety regulations to the impacts the spill is having on the huge range of natural resources in the Gulf.
"I will ensure that we exercise our oversight responsibilities to the fullest extent. We will vigorously investigate what happened in the Gulf of Mexico, but we will do so in the broader context of what this means for future offshore leasing. The Committee will take a comprehensive look at MMS' regulations to determine if remedial actions may be necessary to prevent such a tragic disaster from occurring again," said Rahall.
Chairman Rahall has been aggressively involved with the oversight of offshore oil and gas drilling for over three decades. Since becoming Chairman in 2007, Rahall has led the Committee in holding nearly 20 oversight and legislative hearings on offshore oil and gas drilling.
Subject:
Full Committee Oversight Hearing on "Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Strategy and Implications of the Deepwater Horizon Rig Explosion" (Part 1 of 7-part series)
When:
Wednesday, May 26, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subject:
Full Committee Oversight Hearing on "Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Strategy and Implications of the Deepwater Horizon Rig Explosion" (Part 2 of 7-part series)
When:
Thursday, May 27, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subject:
Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Oversight Hearing on "Our Natural Resources at Risk: The Short and Long Term Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill" (Part 3 of 7-part series). Chairwoman Bordallo
When:
Thursday, June 10, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subject:
Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Oversight Hearing on "Ocean Science and Data Limits in a Time of Crisis: Do NOAA and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have the Resources to Respond?" (Part 4 of 7-part series)
When:
Tuesday, June 15, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subject:
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Oversight Hearing on "The Deepwater Horizon Incident: Proposals to Split Up the Minerals Management Service" (Part 5 of 7-part series). Chairman Costa
When:
Thursday, June 17, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subject:
Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Oversight Hearing on "State Planning for Offshore Energy Development: Standards for Preparedness" (Part 6 of 7-part series)
When:
Thursday, June 24, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subject:
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Oversight Hearing on "The Deepwater Horizon Incident: Was the Minerals Management Service Doing its Job" (Part 7 of 7-part series)
When:
Tuesday, June 29, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Witnesses for all Hearings:
TBA
May 18, 2010
CONTACT:
Blake Androff, 202-226-9019
Washington, D.C. - As the Committee with primary jurisdiction over offshore oil and gas drilling, the House Natural Resources Committee, led by Chairman Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), will hold a seven-part oversight hearing series to investigate the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and examine the future of America's offshore oil and gas policy.
Rahall will kick off the series with two Full Committee oversight hearings on May 26 and May 27, followed by five Subcommittee hearings to look at many issues related to the incident in more detail - from MMS' enforcement of safety regulations to the impacts the spill is having on the huge range of natural resources in the Gulf.
"I will ensure that we exercise our oversight responsibilities to the fullest extent. We will vigorously investigate what happened in the Gulf of Mexico, but we will do so in the broader context of what this means for future offshore leasing. The Committee will take a comprehensive look at MMS' regulations to determine if remedial actions may be necessary to prevent such a tragic disaster from occurring again," said Rahall.
Chairman Rahall has been aggressively involved with the oversight of offshore oil and gas drilling for over three decades. Since becoming Chairman in 2007, Rahall has led the Committee in holding nearly 20 oversight and legislative hearings on offshore oil and gas drilling.
Subject:
Full Committee Oversight Hearing on "Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Strategy and Implications of the Deepwater Horizon Rig Explosion" (Part 1 of 7-part series)
When:
Wednesday, May 26, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subject:
Full Committee Oversight Hearing on "Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Strategy and Implications of the Deepwater Horizon Rig Explosion" (Part 2 of 7-part series)
When:
Thursday, May 27, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subject:
Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Oversight Hearing on "Our Natural Resources at Risk: The Short and Long Term Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill" (Part 3 of 7-part series). Chairwoman Bordallo
When:
Thursday, June 10, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subject:
Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Oversight Hearing on "Ocean Science and Data Limits in a Time of Crisis: Do NOAA and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have the Resources to Respond?" (Part 4 of 7-part series)
When:
Tuesday, June 15, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subject:
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Oversight Hearing on "The Deepwater Horizon Incident: Proposals to Split Up the Minerals Management Service" (Part 5 of 7-part series). Chairman Costa
When:
Thursday, June 17, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subject:
Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Oversight Hearing on "State Planning for Offshore Energy Development: Standards for Preparedness" (Part 6 of 7-part series)
When:
Thursday, June 24, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Subject:
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Oversight Hearing on "The Deepwater Horizon Incident: Was the Minerals Management Service Doing its Job" (Part 7 of 7-part series)
When:
Tuesday, June 29, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building
Witnesses for all Hearings:
TBA
The hearings will be webcast live and archived on the Committee's Web site at http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Breaking News: Push to Save America’s Wild Horses Continues after Judge Dismisses Case on Technicality
Media Contacts:
Makendra Silverman
Tel: 719-351-8187
Anne Novak
Tel: 415-531-8454
For Immediate Release
Push to Save America’s Wild Horses Continues after Judge Dismisses Case on Technicality
Public’s stake in future of wild horse herds only grows
Washington, D.C. (May 25, 2010)— Solely on the basis of standing and mootness the lawsuit brought against the Department of Interior (DOI) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) by In Defense of Animals (IDA), wildlife ecologist and Cloud Foundation Board Member Craig Downer and author Terri Farley was dismissed by the Honorable Judge Paul L. Friedman of the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. on May 24th. The Cloud Foundation continues to call for the return to the wild of the beleaguered Calico horses now in holding pens. To date at least 90 horses have died, 40 or more mares had spontaneous late term abortions due to stress and an unknown number of young foals have died in the privately-owned feedlot-style pens in Fallon, Nevada where the majority of the captured horses are held without windbreaks, shade or cover.
“The case remains that these horses need to be turned back out onto their designated range. After the suffering they continue to endure they deserve no less,” states Ginger Kathrens, Director of the Cloud Foundation. “We’re asking the public to write the President. It is time for an executive order to be handed down to place an immediate moratorium on roundups. The public is speaking clearly---they want their wild horses protected on our public lands and this ruling does nothing to change this unified appeal.”
The Cloud Foundation thanks the law firm of Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, who worked pro-bono to stop what became a deadly winter roundup in which nearly 2000 horses lost their freedom. Judge Friedman’s decision did not address the merits of the argument, only the plaintiffs’ lack of standing. Additionally, Judge Friedman ruled that the arguments against the roundup methods were moot as the roundup/removal operation had already taken place.
“I'm heartsick that Judge Friedman didn’t rule in favor of the Calico horses, but it's important to note that he dismissed the case on a technicality, not on the merits of the case” explains co-plaintiff Terri Farley, author of the children’s Phantom Stallion Series. “This lawsuit shone the light of public scrutiny on BLM's abuse of the mustang. Those of us who had our eyes opened will never look away.”
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Links of interest:
Law Firm of Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney http://www.bipc.com/home.php
In Defense of Animals http://www.idausa.org/
BLM Daily Fallon Reports http://bit.ly/dailyfallon
Humane Observer Reports from Fallon http://humaneobserver.blogspot.com/
CNN Report, Issues with Jane Valez-Mitchell, March 25th http://bit.ly/dvl7NE
Herd-Watch http://bit.ly/9Wvh58
Roundup Schedule- updated May 2010 http://bit.ly/74789s
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign: Report on the Calico Roundup
Dr. Bruce Nock Report “Wild Horses: Stress of Captivity” http://bit.ly/9R8bgM
Wild Horses: Management or Stampede to Extinction? Reno Gazette Sunday Special by Frank X. Mullen. http://bit.ly/9rGFwV
Americans Want to Stop the Roundups in Der Spiegle http://bit.ly/cqZvKr
American Herds - "What's Left?" http://americanherds.blogspot.com/2009/12/whats-left.html
Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation
Celebrate Cloud's 15th Birthday by Protecting All Wild Horses
Happy Birthday Cloud- 15 Years Old!
Celebrate Cloud's Birthday and Help Protect America's Mustangs
Dear Cloud Fans;
Saturday, May 29th, is the most important day of the year for the Cloud Foundation as we honor the 15th birthday of the horse who has inspired me over the years and has provided the spark that has created a movement to protect and defend all wild horses living in precious freedom on their home ranges with their families.
Saturday, May 29th, is the most important day of the year for the Cloud Foundation as we honor the 15th birthday of the horse who has inspired me over the years and has provided the spark that has created a movement to protect and defend all wild horses living in precious freedom on their home ranges with their families.
Please contribute what you can to celebrate this remarkable horse and all the remarkable wild horses, including the wild spirit in your own horses, if you're so lucky to have them in your life. You may call in a birthday donation to 719-633-3842, go online to paypal, or send a check. No amount is too small. If you wish to donate on behalf of your horse, just let us know and you and your horse will be acknowledged on our website (how about sending us a picture too!) The funds will be added to the Freedom Fund and will be used to expand the Pryor Wild Horse Range to reflect the true, historic range of these unique Spanish mustangs.
Happy Trails and Happy Birthday Cloud!
Happy Trails and Happy Birthday Cloud!
Ginger
Attention Kids for Cloud: Naming Contest!
There are new faces in the Freedom Fund bands! I've named Conquistador's colt "Diego" but I need help naming Trigger and Mae West's filly daughter and Bo and Chalupa's son (the first Freedom Fund foal). Kids - what do you think? Please email your ideas to info@thecloudfoundation.org. Winners will receive a signed copy of the new Cloud: Challenge of the Stallions DVD.
Bo & Chalupa's son- name? Trigger & Mae West's daughter- name?
Chalupa's colt on left, Diego on right
Events Reminder: Check the Cloud Foundation Calendar for details on events California and Colorado this June!
The news goes from bad to worse for the captive Calico horses
The news goes from bad to worse for the captive Calico horses
Posted using ShareThis
Captive wild horses, captured on film by Pam Nickoles
Posted using ShareThis
Monday, May 24, 2010
Wild horses: Calico roundup case dismissed
Cross-posted from the Nevada Sun
ASSOCIATED PRESS | May 24, 2010
A federal judge Monday officially dismissed a lawsuit brought by animal rights activists over a big wild horse roundup in northern Nevada, saying the case was moot and plaintiffs lacked standing.
U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman in Washington, D.C., who in December denied an injunction to prevent the roundup, said the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has already gathered 1,922 horses from the Calico Mountains Complex north of Reno, therefore challenging the use of helicopters was moot.
The group In Defense of Animals, wildlife ecologist Craig Downer and children’s author Terri Farley also claimed in their suit that shipping horses removed from the range to long-term holding corrals in the Midwest is not permitted under the Wild Horse and Burro Act.
But Friedman said the plaintiffs failed to show how sending the horses to other facilities would cause harm to themselves. Read all >>
Related reading:
ASSOCIATED PRESS | May 24, 2010
Wild horses rounded up from the Calico Complex in northern Nevada earlier this year in wintry conditions left out in the cold for good as federal Judge Paul Friedman dismisses case to protect them.
U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman in Washington, D.C., who in December denied an injunction to prevent the roundup, said the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has already gathered 1,922 horses from the Calico Mountains Complex north of Reno, therefore challenging the use of helicopters was moot.
The group In Defense of Animals, wildlife ecologist Craig Downer and children’s author Terri Farley also claimed in their suit that shipping horses removed from the range to long-term holding corrals in the Midwest is not permitted under the Wild Horse and Burro Act.
But Friedman said the plaintiffs failed to show how sending the horses to other facilities would cause harm to themselves. Read all >>
Related reading:
- Calico Wild Horse Lawsuit Dismissed on Technicality, not Merits, IDA Press Release, May 24, 2010 (from TCF blog)
- Judge dismisses Nevada wild horse roundup lawsuit, Reno Gazette-Journal, May 24, 2010
- NV horse roundup suit dismissed by federal judge, Nevada Appeal, May 24, 2010
Oklahoma Horse Trailer Accident Highlights the Need For Federal Legislative Action
Animal Welfare Institute
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Animal Welfare Institute has been working to alleviate the suffering inflicted on animals by humans since 1951. Please join us in our work to protect animals – visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Washington, DC – The need for federal legislation ending the slaughter of and providing safer transportation for American horses came to the forefront again last Tuesday, as we witnessed another horrific accident involving an overturned cattle trailer carrying 30 horses.
At around 6:00 am on May 18, 2010, Christopher Dobbin of Missouri fell asleep behind the wheel of a stock cattle trailer hauling horses bound for slaughter in Mexico to a temporary feedlot in Texas. Eleven of the 30 horses died as a result of the careless and inhumane transportation methods used by Dobbin, who was issued a reckless driving citation. This unfortunate accident underscores the desperate need for quick and thorough legislative action to end the slaughter of American horses and provide safer transportation for equines.
“This unfortunate incident is one more unwelcome reminder of the need for swift movement on federal legislation. Pending bills would require better treatment of animals being transported, provide safer roadways for drivers, and criminalize acts that lead to the slaughter of America’s horses,” said Christine Sequenzia, federal policy advisor, Animal Welfare Institute (AWI).
AWI is actively working to achieve passage of the Horse Transportation Safety Act (H.R. 305), sponsored by Congressmen Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Steve Cohen (D-TN). H.R. 305 was introduced as a response to several earlier horrific accidents, including one in Illinois involving 59 draft horses being hauled in a double deck cattle trailer, 13 of whom died as a result. The Horse Transportation Safety Act would ban the transportation of horses in double deck trailers designed for shorter-necked species.
The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (S. 727/H.R. 503) was introduced by Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and John Ensign (R-NV) in the Senate and Congressmen John Conyers (D-MI) and Dan Burton (R-IN) in the House. This bill would finally put an end to sending American horses over U.S. borders to be slaughtered for human consumption. Horses have not been slaughtered in the U.S. for human consumption since remaining plants closed their doors in 2005. However, killer-buyers are still able to purchase American horses at U.S. auction houses, condemning more than 90,000 equines to inhumane transportation, grueling holding facilities and, finally, the cruelty of slaughter.
The Animal Welfare Institute commends advocates for speaking out against the inhumane transportation methods used to haul the horses involved in this incident and denounces sending American horses to slaughter. To learn more about what AWI and our efforts to end horse slaughter, visit http://www.awionline.org/.
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Media Contacts:
Christine Sequenzia, Animal Welfare Institute (202) 446-2140
Christine Sequenzia, Animal Welfare Institute (202) 446-2140
The Animal Welfare Institute has been working to alleviate the suffering inflicted on animals by humans since 1951. Please join us in our work to protect animals – visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org.
A Message from John Holland
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Sunday, May 23, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
More from Equine Welfare Alliance
Link to CBC segment on Canadian horse slaughter 05.18.10
No Country for Horses, our in-depth feature about the horse slaughter industry in Canada, originally aired on June 10, 2008.
With slaughterhouses closed in the U.S. and lucrative markets for horsemeat in France and Japan, the horse slaughter industry in Canada is booming. It's a controversial business to begin with, and after a lengthy investigation, CBC News has uncovered disturbing information about the way horses are transported, and the way they are slaughtered at one plant.
Now, some are asking whether this sector is being properly monitored, and how the slaughter of horses can ever be called humane.
Mellissa Fung reports.
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103415543035&s=53&e=001_Z8A3lSfNVTcTj0IsYot4HNSFedbKvDo7VI2-1BcCLF7R5U8SLSZowP6wde4_AxatcecjhJOqfPOzlUVBZVssglR1T4S_4r3kbk5vdByd_xB_6dpnPlx_Wic9abg6jEYfHmQxQpwfjF7yNpcBJ2vb_cbmAdp_Ay0-_qPSc9TZGuaP-j3RsKo2zuzqWGONOzJp4q0POInExw6tqXG5bv1oA==Now, some are asking whether this sector is being properly monitored, and how the slaughter of horses can ever be called humane.
Mellissa Fung reports.
More from Temple Grandin:
The following are selected responses about the conditions and quality of horse slaughter plants from an interview between reporter Mellissa Fung (MF) and Dr. Temple Grandin (TG), a designer of livestock handling facilities and a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD STUN BOX
TG: You have to have a non-slip floor - I can't emphasize that enough. The problem with flooring is that it wears out gradually, and people don't realize it's wearing out and the slipping and the falling gradually gets worse and worse and worse. If you have a slippery floor, animals panic. All species of animals panic when I go into new plant that's got a problem that I haven't been in before. I’ve had to put in new materials on the bottom of the stun box for non-slip flooring. It's easy to fix. You can put mats down or weld rods on the bottom of the box. One of the problems you get is called jigging and the foot will just go like this (makes a sound with her hand on table) and the animals will go more and more into a panic. Well, one little steel rod and that stops, and sometimes, that's all. It’s amazing sometimes how little tiny fixes will work.
RICHELIEU MEAT INC.
TG: There was a horse looking out over the top of the cattle stun box. That is not acceptable. You need high solid sides so the horse cannot see out into the plant. That's an easy fix, you're talking about just framing up a little bit of steel and putting some metal on that. You're not talking about capital improvements here.
MF: Why is it bad for a horse to be able to look out of the stun box?
TG: If the horse can see out, you get a lot of motion and commotion, which is scary. You don't want them seeing a lot of commotion. In the lead up to the stun box they can look over the top, that's fine, but once they go into the door through the plant they should not be looking out - the door should come down.
MF: What can cause stunning problems?
TG: There can be problems if they don't maintain the gun. When they stun the animal, you have to see - did they aim it right? Was the gun misfired or is the horse jumping all around? If the horse is jumping all around, that's either caused by a slippery floor or they poked it with an electric prod out in the alleyway and they got it all upset and frightened, or they let it stand up in the box too long. So you have to figure out - do I have a problem with the gun, or do I have a problem with the handling, or the floor of the stun box? Those are things that can cause stunning to fail. But those guns have to be maintained, like a fine hunting rifle. Every day you’ve got to take the gun apart, clean it fix it, you’ve got to make sure the gun doesn't get damp. It gets back to management paying attention to detail. One of the things that video showed was that management was sloppy. I've been in that Bouvry plant three times and when I’m standing there it works just fine. This brings up another thing, if someone wants me to approve a plant; they better put in video auditing that is audited by third party that can be tuned into at any time. So they never will know when someone’s watching, and they can do the scoring over the internet. In fact, some of the big cattle companies have already put that in.
MF: How long should a horse be in a stun box?
TG: I'd like to get them stunned within 15 seconds. It [the horse] walks in, you shut the door and you do it. They're putting them in there and letting them wait, and that's wrong. They need to wait until the plant's ready and then open the door and bring the horse in. You don't let it wait in the stun box. Some of the plants do that now because they’re understaffed. Maybe they're going to have to add another person for handling so they don't have to do that.
MF: How long should you wait between shots if they first shot isn't accurate?
TG: You should just do it immediately. They have to do what's possible for them to do. If the horse falls down in the box, they may not be able to reach it that quickly, but they need to do something about it right away. You don't wait.
ELECTRIC PRODS
TG: OIE guidelines right now - and that's the World Organization for Animal Health - says that electric prods should not be used on horses. They need to be pretty much just getting rid of electric prods. Electric prods should not be used on sheep. On the 2010 of the AMI guidelines, to get an excellent score for sheep now, it has to be zero percent. They're still allowing 5% for big rams.
TG: A horse, as a species, is more flighty, than cattle are. So if you poke a horse with an electric prod, it’s going to get more upset than cattle would. They're both going to get upset, but the horse is more reactive. Horses as a species are more reactive than cattle are.
MF: Is that what makes horses harder to stun?
TG: They can be stunned really easily. I've been in these plants and I've seen them work right. It gets down to management just wanting to make the plant work right. I was supposed to go to that plant in Saskatchewan, but by the time I landed the trip was cancelled. That plant had a ton of problems. But I’ve been in Bouvry plant and seen it work well.
MF: How long ago since you've been there?
TG: About two years ago, and it worked just fine. But, it was not working just fine on that video. What this means is when backs are turned, people are not managing. We've had some problems with this, with cattle. When we're out there with a clipboard watching, people behave. This is why some companies now have video auditing. Cargill put in video auditing in all their plants for cattle and for pigs. And now an auditor that's in another state will tune into those plants on that video every day and score at least 20 cattle at random - they never know when they're going to get watched. It's very interesting what happens. Stunning usually stays the same. Handling is the thing that gets bad when the back's turned. Stunning is very equipment dependent - you've got to have a well-maintained gun. Handling is 100% people dependent, other than the slippery floors - slippery floors are a really important equipment thing.
MF: Why would someone just whip a horse?
TG: Well, some people shouldn't be handling animals. One of the things I’ve learned is when you look at 10 people out in a plant, or out in some big place handling tons of animals, there's one that shouldn't be there. They like to herd them and they just shouldn't be there. There's probably two that are very good handlers and then there are others I can train and supervise it really gets down to management taking animal handling seriously. Something like that horse being whipped in the face, I’d blame that on plant management. Plant management needs to be controlling that stuff. It’s up to plant management to set the standard. Good equipment makes good handling possible. I'm going to say to Bouvry’s if they fix the floor they'll have adequate equipment. It’s not state of the art, but it's adequate. But then, management has got to not just care when I’m there and do a show. I was really angry when Kurt was giving me this report of this video, because I know Bouvry's is capable of doing it right. You see, this gets down to management taking handling seriously all the time. This is not unique just for horse plants. Places that have a manager who cares, have good handling. Places that have a manager that does not care, often have bad handling. It doesn't matter what species you're handling.
MF: So those videos tell you that the management doesn't care.
TG: Management is not paying attention. You know, they put on a show when I was there.
BOUVRY HORSE EXPORTS
TG: It's an older facility, but it's an older facility than the one that's operated. It's adequate. They've got a covered bar - it's adequate. They've got just a single file chute that holds about four horses that leads up to the stun box and that's outside the plant. It's out in the barn, the chute where the horses wait in line. They line up in the barn and stand there pretty quiet. It's in the barn, and the steel gate comes up like this, one horse at a time, goes right in. I've watched them work that - they just went in with a pat on the rear end. They went in there pretty easily.
MF: Do the horses stay calm in the chute?
TG: They seem to stay calm in the chute because it's outside the slaughterhouse building itself. The chute is out in the barn. That’s good, that’s a real good design. The horse doesn't enter the slaughterhouse itself, until it enters the stun box. I've seen them wait quietly. When they get in the box with all the noise is when they start to get scared. There are things you can do to reduce noise. One of the problems in the plants are the materials that absorb noise you cannot clean. Materials that are easy to clean tend to be noisy materials.
TG: With the equipment they have at Bouvry they're capable of putting horses down in one shot and doing a good job - if management chooses to do a good job. The problem at Bouvry is not equipment mainly it's management. Hitting the horse in the face is management, that's Richelieu.
ELECTRIC PROD USE AT RICHELIEU
TG: Well, I’m more concerned with whipping the horse in the face. That's absolutely not acceptable and I understand that they were putting more than one animal in the stun box, that's also not acceptable. It's one animal at a time in a stun box. When you shoot the first one, the second one gets all upset. That's true for cattle, too. It’s one animal in a stun box.
TG: Whipping an animal in the face - doesn't matter what species it is - that's an automatic failed audit - a willful act of abuse.
MF: Why would somebody do that?
TG: Because they're stupid and not being supervised.
MF: What does management need to do to make sure that doesn't happen?
TG: They need to stop it. As far as I’m concerned, they need to put these plants on video auditing and have people who can look in at any time and score them. Just like some of the big beef plants have put in. The part that seems to get bad when the back is turned and nobody's watching is handling. Things like hitting them with a prod too much, that's the thing that tends to get worse when nobody's watching.
MF: Why is that?
TG: People are lazy and it's easier to get them [the horses] in if you poke them with a prod. Good animal handling is going to require that person who's driving the animals - no matter what species you're handling - to walk more. He's got to go back and get smaller groups. If he puts two ponies in a stun box, then he doesn't have to walk as much.
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