Mar 26 23
Today I learned about the ‘Protest Resolution Report.’ I might add that it is never included with the NEPA/Eplanning docs that we all view for government projects. This one is associated with Land Use Plans (LUP).
While I don’t have time to follow up as to what laws BLM must conform to regarding these reports, I am going to assume by law they must do this, and make it available for public view before they can continue on their ‘path of intended destruction‘. Unless you know what you’re looking for, where to look, or have actually commented on one, you’ve probably never seen them either.
I’ve been reading thousands of reports for two years and this is the first I heard of them.
Purpose of report
(Director’s Protest Resolution Reports analyze each unique or summarized protest issue statement received on each individual BLM Proposed Resource Management Plan or Plan Amendment to determine whether the State Director followed established procedures, considered relevant information in reaching proposed decisions, and whether the proposed decisions are consistent with the applicable statutes, regulations, and BLM policy.)
They have a ‘one page website’ with all the states listed here.
Relentless attacks
Every day we are bombarded with so many new wild horse atrocities (roundups, herd areas zeroed out, deaths, slaughter pipeline), it’s really hard to keep up and often things get thrown to the side and forgotten as we move on to the next tragedy of the day. Yesterday, as I spent another 13 hour day at the #WHBA research desk, I came across this report by accident.
Uusally when archiving documents, I skim across reports, and tag keywords to get a general understanding of what is covered in them. Some that grab my attention, I read in entirety.
Like this one, the document that caught my eye:
BLM. (2022, sep 7). Director’s Summary Protest Resolution Report. Wild Horse Management for the BLM Rock Springs and Rawlins Field Offices Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement (PRMPA-FEIS). 36p.
https://www.blm.gov/wyoming/directors-protest-resolutions/protest-resolution-report/wild-horse-management-blm-rock
archive PDF PDFarchive
I really get ‘blown away’ by how much knowledge, and experience these advocates have.
Logic, Wisdom, Experience, Heart, and most important…. Devotion!
It takes some grit to stay in the WHB effort with all the negativity and death we see each day.
And still… ALL 26 public comments made in protest (substantial in form by leading experts of wild horses and rangeland) were dismissed or denied by BLM.
This shows how ‘pressure’ from powerful livestock industry rules our government, destroys our public lands, gets no true monetary compensation, often recieves public subsidies, and cost the tax payers $$$ millions $$$ to oversee it all!
Then it costs $$$ millions $$$ more to continuously work to repair the damage from their livestock: lame attempts at vegetation repair (scapegoat and roundup horses / leave livestock numbers unchanged, and land remains the same) and heribide treatments to curb the spread of invasive weeds they brought with them, vegetation destruction (clearcutting to make more grazing land), riparian repair, wildlife exterminations (killing predators), wildlife protection (sagegrouse habitat), etc… and we pay for ALL that too.
For the we little bit of money they take in from the $1.35 a month fee for cow and calf, the amount ‘we pay out’ to keep them grazing is extrodinary in comparison. In my opinion, that’s just a really bad business plan.
And we keep paying for it all: again, and again, and again – year, after year, after year.
Pure Lunacy!
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”
– anonymous
The sayings…. “robbing us blind” or “taking us to the cleaners” comes to mind.
It’s way past time to end public ‘welfare’ ranching!
“Men of every rank were eager to get into the cow business. In
a short time every acre of grass was stocked beyond its fullest
capacity. Thousands of cattle and sheep were crowded on the
ranges when half the number were too many. The grasses were
entirely consumed; their very roots were trampled into dust and
destroyed. In their eagerness to get something for nothing,
speculators did not hesitate at the pennanent injury, if not the
total ruin, of the finest grazing country in America. ”
–H.L. Bentley in 1898
I sure doesn’t seem much has changed in the last 125 years, does it?
Is Knowledge Power?
Yes, and no… that’s a double sided question in the world of Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Yes knowledge is powerful and in most cases would put you on the winning team. But in a world where backdoor deals, deceit, corruption, and politics all go hand in hand… it seems to be ‘who you know’ that gives you the advantage, not the knowledge and scientific facts that can back you up!
Climate change, destruction of resources (land and water), extinction of species…. what will be left for the next generations if we don’t get our leaders to change course?
The reality of human action’s are both disturbing and uplifting
On the one side we have those that do the harm.
Those that have no moral compass, no concern, or considerations.
They easily take advantage of our public resouces, abuse the systems,
exploit nature and her creatures: for profit, power, and even amusement.
Rape, pillage, plunder, and profit … that’s their motto.
For the animals and for the land, we have a moral and ethical duty to speak up for them.
And on the other side, there are humans that relentlessly and selflessly step up to be the voice for those who can’t speak for
themselves. That action in itself is heroic!
To see people come together for a greater cause is heartwarming and sends a strong message to those that ‘were chosen’ to
‘govern us’. We need to keep reminding them who they work for. It’s the American People, not the livestock industry, and not the foreign mining industries.
I want to thank you advocates who commented on this Protest: Erik Molvar (Western Watersheds), Laura Leigh (Wild Horse Education), Jen Howe (and others that aren’t on my friends list).
Getting your voices on record is important, even if they don’t listen.
But also I want to thank you for continuously fighting for the WHB’s and ‘their lands’, year after year. Because one doesn’t stand a chance without the other. Working together we can gain ground. #wildhorseteamwork
Many of you have been volunteering to this wild horse and burro cause for decades, other have found careers within the efforts, and that’s great too.
But either way, your calling and actions are noted and recognized.
So to you, and all the other advocates (not listed) who tirelessly continue to make BLM be held accountable for their actions and keep those embers burning with BLM’s collective asses under the fire…. You all ROCK!
Seriously…. You all are true BADASSES!
#endpublicwelfareranching
#rockspringsgrazingassociation #welfareranchers #bureauoflandmanagementwyoming #soldouttolowestbidder #wildhorseelimination #ourpubliclands #visitwyoming #protestresolutionreport #wildhorses #WHBA #badasses
#wildhorseholocaust #WHB
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