Let's hope so...

Reports indicate that the BLM has requested that money be included in the Federal budget for the euthanasia of un-adoptable wild horses. Of course, horse advocates will resist this effort and try to portray this as a change in policy, even though it is exactly what has been required by law since 1971 when limited protections were first legislated.

In addition to potential savings of $80,000,000 per year in horse maintenance costs, we may finally see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of reducing the damage done to public lands. It might be wise to contact your elected officials to encourage action on this effort.

That would be great since there are way too many of those critters doing a tremendous amount of damage wherever they are on OUR piblic lands!

It's in there. Along with an overall 10 million dollar cut for horses and burros. Trouble is Trump has no clue how hard the horse people will fight this. I hope it happens but I have my doubts.

Most of his budget looks like it was written by the oil, gas and coal industry. Oh yeah, it probably was. If left to his own devices Trump will set conservation efforts back a hundred years.


From a BLM press release.

Managing Healthy Wild Horses and Burros on Healthy Rangelands: The budget request proposes $70.7 million for the Wild Horse and Burro program and eliminates appropriations language restricting BLM from using all of the management tools provided for in the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The BLM manages wild horse and burro herds on 26.9 million acres of public lands. Low public demand to adopt or purchase excess animals, a lack of effective reproduction-control tools, and high costs to care for unadopted or unsold animals have restricted the BLM's ability to manage herd growth. As a result, the BLM estimates that nearly 73,000 wild horses and burros roam public lands as of March 2017, almost three times the number that is sustainable and healthy for the land and the animals. The President's budget would help reverse the declining health of wild horse and burro herds and the public rangelands on which they?and many other species?depend, by allowing the BLM to use the full range of tools identified in the 1971 Act, including humane euthanasia and unrestricted sale of certain excess animals.

Let's split the different NVBh, and then lets leave Trump to his devices.

We'll split 70/30 and give you the better half.

I'll take 70 years back, in a Nevada Minute.

That would put us at 1947, Say June 10th, 1947, before horse and burro problems, before horse meat processing regulations, before wolf problems, before treehugger/PETA organizations, before EPA - Environmental Protection Agency came and went rogue, before US Fish and Wildlife Service became an arm of the anti-hunters. before anti-hunters were National heros and role models , back when hunting images were a part of the Sports section of the Reno Evening Gazette, before ant-hunters took over the administration of the US Forest Service and the BLM, back when cattlemen and sheepmen were sportsmen and shared their property with other sportsmen (no charge), before State Fish and Game agencies were taken over by non-hunters and predator promotors, back when Americans loved America. Back when the world respected and looked to America as a friend and shining light on a hill.

The Woodstock generation has turned the entire country into the same kind of pasture they created in 1969, and then walked off and left for someone else to clean up. Trump or someone worse, is going to clean up it someday, including the mustangs and burros, but that's just one pig sty that's got to go in the dumpster.



Ya, I'd say....... leave Trump to his devices............. from my perspective, outdoors folks would be a damn sight better off. Course, that ain't going to happen, so enjoy those long manes, your Rocky Mountain Canaries. Our current ideology/culture wants'em, that's why we got'tem, and that's the reality of it.

We can't straddle the fence and not suffer the consequences. A sore crotch is a symptom green hunters often suffer from.

DC

Lumpy, If it were possible to set the clock back 70, or even 60 (1957), years I would be with you. Trouble is ypu can't reset the clock. I didnt say set the clock back, I said set efforts back. There's a big difference. Trump has an agenda to drain the swamp. He needs to remember though that both sides of the swamp need draining and the people who need to drain the swamp won't do it because they are in there bottom feeding with the rest.

We can't just sit here in our rockers and remenisce about the good old days. That's a symptom of old men like me and you. And the world, good or bad, won't wait for us or listen to those years of wisdom.

DC, you're alright in my book. I know that doesn't help much, but I stand with you.

Well, I guess if people think Trump will set conservation back 100 years, they better lock arms with the horse lovers. I'm sure they appreciate the help.

Any day now I expect to see a picture of Trump pushing an old lady in a wheel chair over a cliff. Poisoned rivers, a moon scape forest, and starving wolf pups. Wait for it.

Thanks eel, truth is, you are who I look up to, in these discussions, and you do it with profound brevity. I envy you.

NVBh, it's refreshing to have someone reply without blood in their eye. Thank you as well.

I understood you were referring to conservation "efforts", that was the reason I used the EPA, USF&W, etc. and should have included the Sierra Club, as part of my "past 70 years" of needed conservation "effort", roll back.

I couldn't agree with you more, Trump "claims" he to wants to drain the swamp and like you I believe both sides of the swamp need draining. And I think I'm understanding you to say it won't happen because the ones to drain it are the part of the swamp themselves. Again, I agree. I am far more pissed off with the Republican'ts than I am the Demo'ists because I expect and demand more from the Republican'ts. A Demo'ist is a Demo'ist, transparent and dependable in his/her political behavior. What I hate, worse, is a Republican't that presents himself/herself as a conservative, when in truth, he's/she's a leftist, in a Red/Republican't suit.

Trump has his work cut out for him, no doubt. Is he up to it? I suspect not, but he's the only one that say's it needs to be done and he's the only one that's in there, up to his ass, hacking away at the gators, on both sides.

Under Trump the BLM budget includes the budget to start to address the mustang and the burro population, that's how it has to start, a desire, and then small steps, one after the other, until something changes. Will the Judiciary, the Legislature, and the Bureaucracies fight him, yes Sir, they'll fight like hell to stop him.

It took us 70 years to get to the mess we are in, while Trump and others may want to take a bulldozer and a wrecking ball to it, and get it done over night, I don't believe that is possible, nor do I believe it's wise or smart to, "jerk the rug", so to speak.

Some of the public want's to roll the ball back but most of them, including me, are not too thrilled with the convulsion that a wrecking ball will cause, socially, economically or culturally, if it all happens over night. I want it rolled back, but I want it rolled back more slowly, so we can all adjust to the consequences of "draining the swamp", including both parties, a few independents and the staffers that do the heavy lifting for these guys.

Beyond this budget, at the BLM, I believe much of the the power of the swamp dwellers comes with the Bureaucracies the politicians have built, that protect them and their ideologies. I believe Trump's Secretarial appointments are very much calculated, by Trump, to start by "draining the Bureaucracy swamps". The Bureaucracy have become god's unto themselves. That must change.

The public is going to have to be the one to drain the Electoral swamp, at the polling booth. Trump can't fire your Senators or mine but he can gut their ideology Generals. He seems to be doing that. I hope the new Bureaucrat Generals are as committed as I believe Trump is. We'll know with in three years or less, but not in 180 days.

All the best in your/our mustang wars.

Incidentally, I've spent a great deal of time, on the front lines, regarding these conservation issues, and I still do, but my methods are not acceptable to most that frequent MM, so I generally refrain from sharing my activities.

DC