Special Interests stay as Focal Points on BLM Advisory Board
Unedited BLM Press Release
Release Date: 05/16/11
Matt Spangler, 202-912-7414
The Bureau of Land Management announced today that it has made selections for three positions on the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board. The BLM has selected Robert Bray, Ph.D., as a new appointee for the category of Wild Horse and Burro Research, James Stephenson as a new appointee for the category of Natural Resource Management, and Julie Gleason as a new appointee for the category of Public Interest (with knowledge of equine behavior). These individuals will each serve three-year terms as members of the Advisory Board.
Robert Bray is Professor Emeritus of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at California State Polytechnic University. Dr. Bray, who lives in Woodstock, Virginia, conducted research and outreach/extension education programs with wild mustang herds for 15 years while a professor. He has 46 years of experience with horses, including management of three horse farms, as well as the owning, breeding, and showing of horses. Dr. Bray replaces Dr. Vernon Dooley.
The BLM manages more land – over 245 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
–BLM–
Washington Office Division of Public Affairs 1849 C Street N.W. Washington, DC 20420
Related articles
- BLM Briefly Opening Doors to Barricaded Wild Horse and Burro Concentration Camp (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
- Stop Obama’s Wild Horse Harvesting Machine: aka the BLM (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
- Captured BLM Wild Horse Gets New Home (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
- Movie Review: Wild Horses & Renegades (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
- BLM to Move 200 Captive Wild Horses from Foul Facility (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
R.T.
Are these appointments going in our favor or again in the opposite direction? I would hope that these individuals would work closely with us in securing a safe revision to their thinking, returning as many as possible to their home ranges, and those that are not returned, an adoption program be established where they can be adopted to good families. I think training would help and maybe those taking the wild horses would then have a good horse with no chance, hopefully, of turning the horse in for whatever reason. I hope we are starting to see favor in our direction.
LikeLike
How much difference do these people really make?…..how powerful are their decisions?…..Who do they answer to?…Should we really give them the time of day?….Does it really make a difference?….My personal feelings after attending a BLM advisory board meeting in Arlington was that they are there to act like they care……but whatever we say doesn’t make a hill of beans to the process…….Should we really take the time and energy to talk to them ?…What would happen if nobody showed up at their meetings?……Just wondering….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Seems like the BLM cherry picked obscure people none of the horse advocates even know. Over at least one candidate who has worked extensively with, and owns BLM wild horses, traveled to many roundups and would’ve been an excellent choice. No “NEW DIRECTION” here. What a farce! Think any of these new Board members will ever show up to a roundup? The ONLY Board member to ever show up at a roundup, to my knowledge, was Tim O. Harvey, who went to Twin Peaks for about a week. (Thank you, Tim.) It would’ve been great if one of the Board members could’ve been at a winter roundup.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If they don’t take the horses lives seriously why should we take them seriously?
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are not there to benefit the horses, but their new jobs and the Administration who hired them.
Undoubtedly, more propaganda and biased, untruthful statements and findings.
More costly salaries only to promote Obama’s plans and to continue this Administration’s and it’s funding corporation’s destruction of nature’s and our country’s beautiful wild horses and what natural land that is left on this continent.
Hope is a lie and a huge unscrupulous conglomerate, of this I am certain!
LikeLike
Are these paid position? I had understood that they are volunteer positions.
Were any of our known advocates under consideration for any of these three positions?
Seems like they would have loved to have one of our well-educated, well-informed, highly experienced people on board to help make rational, intelligent, reasonable decisions. Oh wait, this is BLM we’re talking about. Never mind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your right about this being the BLM! But I do believe that Craig Downer was or did apply. I thought I’d heard he was thinking about getting on a board. But of course they will not ask him. Their loss! We will just have to keep gathering members and put more pressure on them to do the right thing for our American horses. Especially since we will not stop until they are safe to roam free where they should be.
LikeLike
On the brighter side – doesn’t this see the back end of Larry ‘Gotta Save the Big Horns So’s We Can Kill ‘Em’ Johnson kicked curbside??
That, in itself, might be worth the trouble of initiating these three.
LikeLike
We need to have this Board subject to Public Review on a regular basis. Has this been done?
LikeLiked by 1 person
If this Advisory Board is the defining guidance for the Wild Horse and Burro program, then as “interested parties”, we are the stock holders.
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro/whb_get_involved_/advisory_board.html
The National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board assists and advises the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Land Management, and the Secretary of Agriculture, through the U.S. Forest Service, on wild horse and burro issues.
LikeLike
I have known Tim Harvey for years when he lived in Rhode Island and emailed him the particular thread. Here is his response:
Hi Marge,
I do not know any of the folks appointed so obviously cannot offer an opinion as to their qualifications, etc. I will meet them at the next meeting I assume. I do know of at least 2 others that applied for the public interest/horse behaviorist spot who I would have liked to see appointed to the board. Let’s hope they are supporters of our Mustangs!
Timo
LikeLike
My response to the choices (still needing to do more research mind you) was “eh, at least Dr. Burkhardt and that she-witch Taylor are gone”. Both of them are real pieces of work and were easily the most infuriating board members still around in Phoenix. I only say of the ones in Phoenix because Larry Johnson… yeah, he is not missed. *shudder*
LikeLike