Press Release from The Cloud Foundation
The Gulf and Western Public Lands suffer under Salazar and Baca’s Leadership
Salazar's Wild Horse Perspective - Photo by Elyse Gardner
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 http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/resources/wild.html
Photos, video and interviews available from: The Cloud Foundation
makendra@thecloudfoundation.org
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
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
The Cloud Foundation’s press release is not only articulate and professional, it is very informative in so many ways. I had no idea about the proverbial “revolving door” between extractive industries and government agencies like DOI. I heard rumors of it, but very seldom get the names of the parties involved. It all seems just so blantantly unethical.
I am pleased that there is a letter effort and hope all wildlife (excluding the trolls at National Wildlife and Safari, of course) and environmental advocates can put aside differences to accomplish to goal of “One Voice” for our priceless natural resources and wildlife.
Asking Salazar to resign is akin to asking any dictator, living high off the hog to step-down. Those days are gone. He has to be removed.
Maybe we all should start calling the relevant committees with 3 demands : (1) Salazar’s removal, (2) complete overall of the mission and structure of DOI, and (3) moratorium on all activities pending comprehensive review and new leadership…”stand down”.
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sorry….(2) overhaul. not overall….sheesh! need more coffee.
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I agree compeltely.
It appears that Salazar fired the wrong person to cover his backside!
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Now Bob Abbey is moving over to Mineral Management service, hopefully his replacement is better for the horses, though I can’t believe anyone w/BLM background will be any different. It’s like they’ve all been cloned,
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And now Salazar is splitting up MMS into 3 new bureaus? More bureaucracy on top of failed bureaucracy? More mouths for us to feed? Maybe Obama is attempting to bring unemployment down by creating an endless stream of new government jobs.
Article on the changes from Law 360: http://topnews.law360.com/print_article/171919
“Bureau of Ocean Management” – NOAA is already supposed to be managing the oceans. They seldom consult any of the folks who actually make their livings on the water in their decision-making. Ask any of my fisherman friends about that!
To my mind, “Safety” should already be covered by OSHA, “Environmental Enforcement” by the EPA, and “Natural Resources Revenue” by the GAO. We don’t need NEW layers of bureaucracy. We need people at existing bureaus/agencies to do their jobs!
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He is not making new agencies out of the MMS, he is splitting up the responsibilities so those in the area of regulation have nothing to do with those who grant leases and accept royalty payments (and bribes) from the oil industry. It is long overdue. This is a positive move that should have been done the minute Salazar was appointed. Cheney turned the MMS into his own private business stocked with his oil and gas cronies. One only has to look at the Gulf to see the outcome of 8 years of Cheney & Co.
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Thanks for clearing this up. From what you’ve said, it sounds like something that should be done in government across the board. And you’re right – Cheney (the puppetmaster) was the driving force in creating so many “sweetheart” messes. I don’t know if Obama has the courage (or the clout) to get out the big broom.
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good article. Losing sleep listening to the wild horses calling for help. wonder if Obama growing up in singapore? affected his ability to have empathy for animals?
Anyway we need to jump on board and try to show how the BLM wastes of millions, billions? of tax dollars.
How they are selling out our public lands to their buddies. damit I want those helicoptors to stop killing horses and I want the BLM to be forsed to remove their barbed wire and forced to make sure water is NOT fenced off.
So sick and tired of their wild horse killing and the way they hide like criminals what they do to horses.
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That Ruby pipeline is hundreds of miles of pipe. What happens if someone breaks part of it on purpose? how will they guard that amount of pipeline from attack? it is crazy and natural gas should be shipped the way they always ship it.
In this day and age of domestic terror and foreign terror to expect a pipeline to remain with no issues is a crazy waste of taxpayer money!
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Attack by whom? I think we have done more damage to our own country in the past few years than any terrorist. Wall Street destroyed our economy and Big Oil is decimating our Gulf. Economic and environmental terrorists all in the name of unregulated capitalistic greed.
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attack on the pipelines by anyone local or from another country. Not to make light of 9-11, it was so easy for a few people to learn how to fly a plane and crash it into NY.
what if for example more of those killers fill 4 wheel drive trucks with gas cans and ram it into the ruby pipeline. We can not guard every inch of our country forever. That’s why I say a pipeline for natural gas is a crazy waste of taxpayer money! It is a target!! plus it destroys our lands, and wild horses.
And yes, that oil ‘leak’ has killed the Gulf and the federal gov, taking gifts and bribes to give away our land money have destroyed America. from within. To me it is like treason!!
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NOW is the time for advocates to hit the mainstream media-the spotlight is on the BLM..we can get our message heard NOW..Huff poswt has an Abbey article up..they are the ;largest most read internet news source..look for these articles and post…mainstream has not been on top of the BLM-we have-provide them proof of what we have found..the ruby pipeline, the shoshone defense fund vs the Barrick Cortez goldmine/BLM, all the many lawsuits won by the Western Watersheds Project..these back up our claims that the horses are being managed to extinction in order to prostitute our lands to private industry..Don’t let this momment pass..the media has a short attention span
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Off subject (not really). Same situation, different country.
I just received an e-mail about 5000 wild horses in Australia slated to be rounded up and sent to a slaughterhouse starting next week. There is a letter and a petition that can be sent to try and stop this at:
http://www.animalsaustralia.org/take_action/save-kimberleys-wild-horses/
Petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-5000-kimberley-horses-from-being-trucked-3000-k-to-slaughter-trucked-3000
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Personally, I’m completely sick of this entire, ongoing, probably never-ending, situation!! We all keep on reading, hearing, watching, & posting comments, signing letters & petitions, calling whoever….well, in my opinion, we need & must take these matters into our own hands, however that may be. I am not a violent person, nor do I condone it,but if, for example, someone where trying to invade your home, or cause injury to your loved ones or yourself, you’d damn sure defend yourself. These wild horses, as well as countless other animal victims, have no voice, no way to defend themselves or put up a fight, so, we MUST do their battles for them. This may seem strange, but I feel in my heart, that that’s why God created us, animal advocates, to fight the animal haters, good battling evil, we MUST protect these helpless creatures, as we were entrusted to be caretakers, NOT destroyers of life on this planet we ALL call home. If anyone actually thinks this is going to resolve itself,or the government is going to change &/or fix things, you have another coming. We have to BE the change that WE WANT, not depend on someone else!!
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GEORGE KNAPP LAMBLASTED THE BLM AND CONNECTED THE DOTS BEAUTIFULLY ON COAST TO COAST FRIDAY NIGHT. HE POSTED THE PICTURE OF THE EMACIATED FOAL AND TOLD THE WHOLE SORDID STORY OF THE CALICO ROUND-UP AND WHY IT WAS DONE. TOLD THE AUDIENCE (SEVERAL MILLION PEOPLE) ABOUT THE PRIVATE BROKEN ARROW RANCH/HOLDING FACILITY THAT WAS CONTRACTED BY THE BLM–KEEPING THE PUBLIC OUT. HE CONNECTED THAT WITH THE OIL SPILL–WORST OIL DISASTER IN HISTORY–ALL UNDER DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.
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Good to hear. I hope the talking heads on the Sunday politics shows go obsessive-compulsive of all of them, especially DOI. I’m getting fed up with the media uttering MMS without that useless agency’s boss…DOI/Salazar. It drives me crazy.
BTW….seems plan B has now officially failed (Mud/junk shots); they’re moving on to plan C and have another plan D. This is absolutely unbelievable. You ought to hear how the Danes are ridiculing BP for not starting clean-up sooner with Denmark’s oil skimmers (Danes offered….BP never responded).
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Why are there not supertankers out there skimming up all the oil. Just heard a BP exec say because the oil isn’t just in one area!! ARRRRGHHH!!! Soon it will all be one area –THE ENTIRE GULF OF MEXICO from shore to shore.
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FYI, the BLM has posted that the last dates for public tours of Fallon are 6-3 and 6-10, after that the facility will be closed to the public, meaning us the American citizens and taxpayers, who are paying their salaries and are paying for the care of OUR horses, what can we do????
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I really don’t think this is legal, it is? Public officials, public horses? Private property paid for with public dollars.
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I thought I read that Abbey is not just taking over the MMS reorganization, he is staying on as the head of BLM.
GOOD GRIEF!!!!!! Talk about the “peter principle” at it’s highest form. This is an agency freaking running amuk.
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Yep. Here’s the official press release:
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/newsroom/2010/april/nr_05_28_2010.html
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MMS is in a bit of trouble and may be done away with.If the timing is good it will right after Abby puts his butt in the headchair!
How many of you watched Ken Burns show on our national parks.I was amazed to see all the in- fighting bribs payolas etc and outright lies told to the public and what ever govt. was in charge at the moment.This has gone on since the very start. Each faction re-arranged the truth to fit their agendas,the in- fighting between agencies was brutal.The Old Growth Forest is here today only because FDR caught his own people in bed with the logging industry and they lied to his face!! So the above article needs to see the light of day not just us …. but sent as a letter to the editor of every major cities newspaper in the country!
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They are all either jumping ship or pushing each other overboard
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Greenpeace activists “get” to Salazar! Unfortunately they were arrested and charged with a felony–when do you think our government will arrest BP officials and charge them with the death of an ocean and it’s occupants as well at livilhoods of those affected?
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and in case you all missed it the capping of the well failed! Before its fininshed there will be no Gulf coast or otherwise at least the chant of “drill baby drill” will shut the Heck up for awhile! And then there is the huge Alaskan pipeline leak going on and tho it isn’t getting much press!
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Thank you to —-this site, the Cloud Foundation,Herd Watch and all the other truth-telling sites– and YouTube. Everything else is a lie and a cover-up! Obama visited the beach on the Gulf– a beach that was cleaned up and readied for his press/photo op! Oh great! Keep calling the White House–keep writing to the White House. Why are they saving oil covered pelicans–but not wild horses? Has the President visited the death camp of Calico? Keep the pressure on. Call and write– more than once–keep the pressure on. Express your displeasure with the BLM, DOI etc. Ask that your tax dollar be spent to free the wild horses (they are yours) on your public lands in accordance with the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act. Ask for the resignation of Ken Salazar and a change in the BLM policies–a change that will save our wild horses. Keep the pressure on!
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