May 20, 2008
Home Means Nevada For Wild Horses
“Nevada has gold, silver, and wild horses.”
Ray Field, Executive DirectorWild Horse Foundation
From our offices here in South Reno we can look out the windows up to the scraggy peaks of the Virginia Range where wild horses forage in the sage and grass. We hike and ride bikes among the Virginia Range Mustangs, we drive up after work to catch the sunset over the Sierra Nevada as they graze the flanks and meadows.
We even use them in our branding materials; of course, we have to give them colored mohawks and other various treatments. But that is just the way we roll! :~)
Nevada is home to more than half of the wild horses in the United States, and for the most part they exist in harmony with the land and people, as integral to our identity as the Sage, Bighorn Sheep, and Lahontan Cutthroat Trout that we hold as official icons. The state derives identity from the western ethos the wild horses represent, and we as a company derive inspiration from their intelligence and tenacity.
So when the Nevada Department of Agriculture announced plans to monitor the largest contiguous herd in the United States with the notion that more than half needed to be removed from the land, we decided to go out and take a closer look.
Thankfully Willis Lamm, a wild horse supporter and owner of Least Resistance Training Concepts; country singer and president of the Let ‘em Run Foundation, Lacy J. Dalton; and Craig Downer, Wildlife Ecologist and expert on the Virginia Range Wild Horses from the University of Nevada, were more than happy to show us around. We would have also liked to have spoken with representatives from the Nevada Department of Agriculture, but they were either unable or unwilling (see comment below).
What we found were a few bands of healthy and happy looking horses ranging peacefully across the low hills above the Carson Valley, southeast of our offices in Reno. The main thrust of the NDA Wild Horse Position Statement is that the range can support about 500 to 600 wild horses, according to an estimate in a study by the Natural Resource Conservation Service in 2001. But that estimate appears only to pertain to the 85,000 acres of rangeland in the study plot. The herd actually roams on more than 200,000 total acres of rangeland. According to the NRCS projections, there is more than enough rangeland to support the 1000 to 1200 Wild Horses known to exist in that area.
Most visitors see the Wild Horses when driving to and from the Virginia City area, but much of the range is publicly accessible by 4×4, ATV, foot and bicycle. Other states like New Mexico and Maryland are actively promoting their wild horse herds and get many thousands of visitors as a result.
From Mammoth Lakes, CA to Yellow Stone National Park wildlife and humans have been butting heads in the West for much of the last century. In Nevada, encroachment on habitat and conflicts with humans are a constant and growing problem. There is no doubt that the Virginia Range Mustangs need to be actively managed to survive; but the volunteer groups, and local adoption can be a benefit to the community rather than a drain on tax dollars. Since wild horses are so closely tied to the existence and history of humans in the west and the unique identity of Northern Nevada that we owe it to ourselves to find a palatable way past this crisis that benefits our land, our horses and the Nevada brand.
For more information or to get involved visit:
- NVWildHorses.com
- Wild Horse Mentors
- Virginia Range Wildlife Protection Association
- Let ‘em Run
- Save Nevada’s Wild Horses Diigo Group
-Mike
Posted in Current Affairs, Nevada, Podcast, Reno-Tahoe, Social, Travel & Tourism, Video
May 21st, 2008 at 7:16 pm
First, I think it needs to be told that not one square foot of land in the Virginia Hills, Carson City area belongs to the State of Nevada. The wild horses live on private land, corporate land or BLM land. Its been a tremendous job to see these continue to survive but will need our help only for maintenance and care. Under the new Director of Agriculture who is an old cattle ruler who despises wild horses will do what ever he can to mislead the public into believing that they the wild horses are the enemy. My friends the wild horses are our legacy here before we were and with our help will be here when we’re gone for our future to have to enjoy and see. Politicians are here only for 4 years at a time, and this Agriculture Director is here for only a brief moment until we can run him off, he’s not elected. Get with it, call in, he’s already over loaded his mouth with every untruth aginst these beautiful wild horses. The State of Nevada Govenor’s Office is waiting on your call.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:24 am
The following comment was submitted by Ed Foster from the Nevada Department of Agriculture through the Contact Form on the Twelve Horses website. We received Ed’s permission to post it here:
“After reading your horse story I believe that you are misleading the public regarding at least one statement. Faxing the Department a “shoot list” the night before you start shooting is not really a request for our input. Willis Lamm took it upon himself to recruit a State employee to appear in your video and that doesn’t fly with us. Our response was “no, we’d like more notice.” I would hardly call that unable or unwilling.If you were truly interested in “what’s going on up there” you would have done a much better job of “trying to contact us.” For the record, as a taxpaying Nevada native, I find it laughable that you picked two of Earth’s most famous, chronic drug addicts to help deliver this message. That doesn’t do much for your or the horse people’s Nevada “cred”.”
May 29th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Ed, we have corrected the verbiage that alludes to your lack of participation. The exact date of when you were contacted was not known to us.
The reason why we initially became involved in this issue is because we see the Wild Horses of Nevada as a great benefit for tourism. We decided to donate some of our company time to creating a video that illustrates this perspective.
We’ve certainly heard a variety of different opinions about how these horses are currently being managed, as well as who is paying for it. In all cases, and from both sides of the issue, no one has brought irrefutable evidence to support their claims.
Nevertheless, we have observed a few things that are striking. One, there is no doubt that these non-profit horse groups care about the health of the horses and are taking measures to care for them on their own accord. Two, we talked with an individual out of Texas, Ray Field who a serves as the executive director of the Wild Horse Foundation and assures us that there are plenty of people who are willing to adopt wild horses from Nevada; in fact, he is willing to come out as soon as he is invited to do so. Three, if the Department of Agriculture is indeed doing their job to effectively manage these horses then why have their populations swelled to a number twice the size that has been deemed appropriate?
Many wild animals throughout the United State from wolves to birds are tagged and studied to determine their populations, migratory patterns, and health. If the NDOA is indeed responsible for these herds, then let us see an exact account of these horses, as well as where they end up once they are rounded up and sent elsewhere.
The individuals on the video are expressing their opinions, and it has no direct reflection on the credibility of Nevada’s horse people or us for that matter. Our credibility lies in the fact that you are more than welcome to comment here at any time about your perspectives on the matter and we will happily feature them.
June 10th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
[...] Horses (where I’m employed) we kinda stirred up the dust on the wild horse issue and did a video podcast and created a social community to foster more dialog on the subject. Here’s the video, and if [...]
July 29th, 2008 at 10:56 am
[...] to hit the national news stream, months after a media blow up which caught the attention of Willie Nelson and Snoop Dog. In this Episode of Horse Power we talk with Deanne Stillman, author of the LA Times Best Seller: [...]
August 7th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
today in the Sacrmento bee paper the Washington Office of the BLM told the world how they intend on killing the 30,000 wild horses and all they have to do now is tell us the public which slaughter plant there using and when there shipping the horse meat to France. I want to know when is enough, come on twelve horses, help me put this in the eye on the news and get the real people on board to stop this senseless killing of America’s animals for economic reasons. Animal abuse leads to human abuse its a known fact and we have to stop our government from promoting this suicide of America. for how you visit us wildhorsefoundation.org. God Bless America.
August 7th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
today in the Sacramento Bee paper the Washington Office of the BLM told the world how they intend on killing the 30,000 wild horses and all they have to do now is tell us the public which slaughter plant there using and when there shipping the horse meat to France.
“”While the agency has not decided on a method of euthanasia, BLM spokesman Tom Gorey said the top three possibilities would be shooting them, giving them a lethal dose of barbiturates or killing them with a bolt to the head, a method commonly used in slaughtering.”" This is another blunder of a government PR person really jumping off the cliff killing America. They leak this out unless they have the plan already stamped and in action.
I want to know when is enough, come on twelve horses, help me put this in the eye on the news and get the real people on board to stop this senseless killing of America’s animals for economic reasons. Animal abuse leads to human abuse its a known fact and we have to stop our government from promoting this suicide of America. for how you visit us wwww.wildhorsefoundation.org. God Bless America.
August 20th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
please type in the whole link into your browser,
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7242930&versio
n=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
help save these 33,000 while we can, contact Congressman Nick Rahall of west Virgina and voice your opinion loudly fats, the deadliy is coming fast.
August 24th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Bravo Ray Field!! My wife and I are activly involved in protesting the BLM horse slaughter. I have searched through many blogs about horses and this is the first one where anyone has said anything about this travesty. Wea have contacted just about everyone in the political stream who might be able to stop this. From President Bush on down. Isn’t President Bush a Texas Cowboy? Wouldn’t you think that this would rub him the wrong way? Anyway Thanks again and you can see some of our involvement at: http://www.arizonahomebiz.com/Bulletin.html
October 27th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Wild horses are indeed a part of our historic heritage. They need to be viewed as features on a cultural landscape and should be preserved whenever possible, jsut as other cultural resources and features are preserved.
October 27th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Nevada’s wild horses have been evicted from their herd management areas and penned by the thousands in order to give priority to cattle, mining, hunting and other lobbies that have the capability to make large donations to political campaigns. Unfortunately wild horse advocates, although thousands strong, are gathered in small organizations that haven’t the funds to influence the legislators in our state or our Congress to save these wonderful, intelligent, hardy and loyal American wild horses from ending up penned, mistreated or sold across the border into slaughter. BLM’s option to euthanize these animals needs to be taken off the table . . . now!
November 18th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
don’t forget folks, December 13, National Day of the Horse, the celebrated day of the horse, over a $100,000,000,000.00 with b as billion industry so why can’t we take this to the table and challenge the cattle industry. If you didn’t make it to the advisory board meeting you didn’t miss anything. Don Glenn of the BLM showed his Back side by the almighty budget taking in 42.9% of the BLM being in Washington alone, I don’t remember there being any wild horses but lots of ass’es in that office. My advice is don’t adopt any of those ass’es. they won’t come with shots or coggins. The advisory board meeting bascially said, “Kill the Horses”, thats it, thats simple. I say lets ride our wild horses or every horse on washington decemeber 13, down 1600 pennsylvania avenue, let ride folks. The arrorogance of the BLM is growing wider everyday. Don Glenn likes to tell people if you don’t like sue the BLM, well christmas is right around the corner and he can be sued personally. The people were talking. People want justice and they’re at the point where they’re looking to getting it and the courts are turning to help. New President means new ideas and new money support. My final thought is that the BLM is treating the wild horses worse off than any person will ever do.
November 21st, 2008 at 6:00 am
Good news! I posted the Washington Post article here – http://nvwildhorses.ning.com/forum/topics/a-dramatic-rescue-for-doomed – yesterday and people are already expressing their desires to help.
November 21st, 2008 at 6:43 am
While Mrs. Pickens has “declared” to take to wild horses, this isn’t done yet, she has no land and no plan. We all want the wild horses to go to homes, when they give to her, The Director of the BLM can do this “fee free” and if she is a non-profit she is entitled to the “Save the Mustang Money” from FORD which is $78,000 and change, she will get that to, she will need this with her money to feed. The Federal law still states she will only receive “title to 4 horses a year”. Its important to remember that the T. Boone Pickens plan is to put windgens on this area, they both can survive on it, during the Wild Horse Summit, Pickens stated she wanted land in northeast Nevada now its in Oklahoma, and when they get this land it will be water rich of course and T. Boone Pickens is rich for buying up and controlling water rights. The pipelines will run off this land for sure with water to Colorado.
Point being that saving the Wild Horse comes with a dual purpose tag but as long as she saves them and the BLM will be moniotoring them who cares, the last one now that if she takes these, EVERY Non-Profit in the world trying raise money for there cause for wild horses will loose there right because she will own every wild horse off the federal land and thats that. The only sanctuaries, us here at the Wild Horse Foundation included will survive because we have been protecting the wild horses for years. People can come and see these and know America’s Legacy is still alive and living.
Finally, even at the meeting I have spoken out loud and told everyone that the wild horses have to move out from the west to the east, more grass, cheaper hay and water is plentiful. Now the Pickens have said it and now you’ve heard again. Wake up folks, it will take the “Pickens Plan” a year to get done and that means another $37,000.000.00 to feed and care for them from us in the meanwhile. What a deal!
February 2nd, 2009 at 7:09 am
For the record…
This shoot was conceived, and had been known about, since at least April 24th. What couldn’t be known was the exact shoot date. The crew needed a day for which a high confidence forecast existed for proper weather for range videography. This also had to be a day when the film crew and other people participating in the project would all be in the region and be available. The specific date and time of the shoot was provided to the Department as soon as it was determined.
Nobody was “recruited” as Mr. Foster falsely claimed. The advocates used the same “chain of command” that they had used for years. I know because I was the one who contacted Mr. Mike Holmes, the Virginia Range Estray Program Manager, who has been our official point of contact since he was placed in the position many years ago. Homes was provided with a generic explanation about the project in April and specific shoot details as soon as they were known.
This was a horse related pro-Nevada tourism piece. Since tourism comprises a huge portion of Nevada’s sinking economy and ecotourism is an element that the state wishes to develop further, this was a very credible project on the part of Twelvehorses. The Department was invited as a courtesy to help ensure that the piece was factual and to participate however they wished. Mr. Holmes, the Department’s Virginia Range Program Manager and expert on the subject, informed us that his superiors told him not to participate.
When one looks at the “big picture” with respect to the current administration and management of the Department, wild horses apparently aren’t allowed to be a component of any positive advertising. Persons involved in such activities seem to suffer some kind of assault, including having a government official from his government computer defame individuals who participate in pro-horse and pro-Nevada activities.
Beware of spin and misdirection. The Department’s and Mr. Foster’s actions and comments speak for themselves.
July 29th, 2009 at 6:25 am
First its important to know that many wild groups have been working endlessly to Protect the Wild Horses from the very politicians that are suppose to protect them under federal law. The President of the Wild Horse Foundation, Susan Calhoun has made it clear that prote3cting the wild horses is an integrel part of out legacy. While others celebrate there claimed heritage days we as white Americans can’t get hot butter passed through congress for all the confusion and fuss over elected officials wanting there share of the pie. There’s no pie here, it’s all about doing the right thing, thats it. Our country has gotten so turn up side down it couldn’t find it’s way back right if we flip it.
The Executive Director Ray Field sent several letters out to key officials laying out a plan to have every wild horse and burro adopted by November 1, in short, the BLM pays each adopter $10,000 for each wild horse or burro they adopt, paying $2,500.00 the first year and so forth but using the remaining money from the 30 million to do this to gain interest in “our American owned Banks”, basically 22.5 million earning interest and thats a lot of cash to use to hire a company to over see the payment system, This is the short side, placing every wild horse and burro into homes. Paying over 4 years makes it more lucrative to take a wild horse or burro. This would rid the long terms and short holding contracts and BLM of high financial burdens in contract they have. We simply wouldn’t need them not would we need the 30 million in budgets for the horse program every year. 49% of the 45 million the BLM requests stay in Washington according to Don Glenn, November meeting in Nevada on budgets. Why give someone an 8 hour a day paycheck when you can ELIMNATE them. This program would not need them and it would gain more jobs on the private side and get the government out of the wild horse baby-sitting service of which they do such a terrible job. Congress has even told BLM to get their act together but what do they care, they said it and NOBOBY is listening.
There’s a Bill call R.O.A.M. in congress as we speak and there is one for $700,000,000.00 for the wildhorses and who are they fooling, this issue is about Public Lands and its mis-use by the Cattlemen. 160 cows to 1 wild horse sounds like even odds to me. If it takes this much land to feed cattle then time to remove the cattle, period. This is OUR LAND not private business ranchers land and if they want to lease for micro-pennies on the dollars compared to real world leases then they have to take the good, the bad and the ugly like we all do, period.
To better the idea of $1.35 for around 25-35 acres it’s time for congress to look and see about opening these lands up for public bid increasing the revenue for the government by 20 fold. Hey, there’s an idea, more money for the same land, wow, like health insurance ran by government, more money but less health care so lets flip it.
This is OUR LAND; protect it because our government has sold it out.
Ray Field, Executive Director, Wild Horse Foundation
cc: Susan Calhoun, President, Wild Horse Foundation
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:20 pm
compatriots!
Status Update Wednesday, 02 September 2009 16:48
The DC District Court Judge denied our request for a Temporary Restraining Order. We are not giving up on these horses though– KEEP CALLING YOUR SENATORS and CONGRESS PEOPLE, All MEDIA OUTLETS and tell your friends– this is another treasure being destroyed if we can’t stop this unneccessary, callous and massive roundup.
We will do our best to keep you updated- the round up is scheduled to begin tomorrow, Thursday Sept. 3 and over the next few days or week the BLM plans to remove over 70 horses– from older mares and stallions to young foals. Don’t give up.
Who Has Been Hired to Round Up Cloud’s Herd? Wednesday, 02 September 2009 14:28
Dave Cattoor is a contractor hired by the BLM to perform wild horse round-ups. He and his wife and son run a business largely funded by the American taxpayer to harass and remove wild horses and burros. He was indicted by a federal grand jury and pled guilty to illegally hunting wild horses, aiding and abetting in 1992. He rounded up protected American mustangs, corralled into pens, loaded them into trucks, and hauled them to a slaughter house in Texas where they lost their lives. It was government theft and animal abuse. Among wild horse and burro advocates, he has a reputation of being cruel and inhumane. Photographs of newborn foals run to exhaustion, found hog tied on the range, horses and burros bleeding from their nostrils, broken legs and injured during exhausting gallops to captured pens are displayed on many wild horse and burro web sites.
He is currently being investigated by the Department of Interior Inspector General for procurement fraud. It is known from federal contracting web sites that he has earned 13 million dollars since 2000 for which records are available. It is believed he has earned more than 21 million dollars since his conviction. Both he and his wife spoke separately before the Wild Horse and Advisory Board in 2009 and advocated for the continued use of helicopter round ups in an attempt to influence the boards recommendation to continue their lucrative contracting business. Federal law prohibits the use of contractors that have been convicted of a crime. Generally, a indictment would eliminate a contractor from consideration. However, Mr. Cattoor has been rewarded and made a millionaire many times over by the BLM despite the public outrage.
Fully knowing the public’s concern about Mr. Dave Cattoor ‘s inhumane practices, the BLM Billings, Montana office have denied humane groups request to placed humane observers on the ground with full access during the Pryor round to ensure animals are treated humanely. Wild horses advocates have advised the BLM Billlings office as well as BLM officials in Washington DC that foals only day old and heavily pregnant mares are among those the contractor plans to run long distances for captured.
Click Here for more information about Dave Cattoor
Click Here to see a Helicopter Removal Pictorial
Article from Honoring Freedom: The Ride to Save America’s Wild Horses Wednesday, 02 September 2009 14:18
American Indian Leaders and others concerned about BLM’s wild horse management gather for Ceremony to honor the land and pray for the safety of the horses
Download PDF Here
Legal Battle to Save Clouds herd Wednesday, 02 September 2009 12:37
See Documents Who Has Been Hired to Round Up Cloud’s Herd Tuesday, 01 September 2009 15:02
Click Here to visit The Cloud Foundations YouTube page.
Congressman Raul Grijalva calls for BLM to stop Roundup Friday, 28 August 2009 00:00
Congressman Raul Grijalva calls for BLM to stop Roundup not only of Cloud’s Herd but of all Wild Horses and Burros
Download full PDF here!
Crow Elder & Historian Speaks Against Roundup Tuesday, 01 September 2009 00:00
Howard Boggess, Member of the Crow Tribe of Indians, Elder and Historian talks about the Pryor Wild Horses he’s known all his life. Mr. Boggess discusses what could happen if the roundup of Cloud’s herd goes forward on Sept. 4th. Everything that is against the law for me they are planning to do to these horses. This is a very sad thing as far as I’m concerned. The horses have lived here for over 200 years. Even under the harassment of the BLM they’ve survived since 1971.
Keep calling Secretary of Interior Salazar, BLM Director Bob Abbey, the Billings BLM Office and President Obama.
http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/index.php/donate-now
September 26th, 2009 at 6:58 am
The Public just doesn’t get it. Cattoor was covicted of Federal Conspiracy charges and given a $500.00 fine and made millions, hell I would do the same thing, trade $500. for millions, where’s the line. This is our government and how it works. Just look at the ACORN group group. Look, they went and knocked off the Cloud Herd because nobody adopted him or his band so rightfully he was a “stray” to the public. All some one had to do was go adopt him and turn him back loose with his mates and that would have ended that. The HSUS has a federal FDA waiver for the deadly PZP drug they make up one pill at a time so the consistancy isn’t there for every pill, it’s literally hand made pill at a time. This is why the HSUS has a contract with the BLM to use our public horses as experimetal pigs to speak so that the public can’t see the ill effects on the long term issues it causes. Don’t be fooled they only use around 185 presently for this program aaccording to BLM records and the HSUS folks bring in a nice hefty pay check taking away from the money that can be used for the wild horses otherwise. My suggestion would be since HSUS has 2 horse sanctuaries why not use the horses on those to experiment with the drug and see how it works, oh, wait a minute, they can’t then there donors would see how inhumane they are treating the animals and it would cause them to loose money, scratch that idea so lets use the stupid publics wild horses on open range where nobody will see them.
It’s simple really, the BLM flexed there muscles on the Cloud band to piss off the wild horse groups and show that not even Ginger Kathryns can stop the BLM with all her documentaries and all the wild horse groups can’t either and Pickens running her mouth about saving the wild horses last October and she got made ABC’s person of the week by Charlie Gibson but why hasn’t she adopted or place just one wild horse in a home, now there something to thing about and one more thing. Would somebody please tell her to quit using our name for her benefit we have work hard to get here and I hate to get in her face on television and make a fool out of her, wait she has already done that by not doing anything for the wild horses while we have done thousands over the years into homes. Tell her to tell her rich husband to spend a little windmill money where her mouth is. We are the Wild Horse Foundation and its protected and Susan Calhoun is the President.