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August 1, 2009
Los Angles Times
202 W 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dear Editor:
Your July 27, 2009 editorial entitled "Wild Horse Sense" was well
researched, factual, and, more importantly, offered a potential
solution to the wild horse dilemma on public lands administered by
Bureau of Land Management (BLM). First of all, I would like to
compliment you and your editorial staff for weighing in on the wild
horse issue that has become an economic and ecological crisis on
public lands in the west. Economic in the sense
that in FY 2008 BLM will spend at least $27 million for off-range
wild horse holding facilities. Ecologically, if the nearly
30,000 animals out on the range can't be controlled to appropriate
management levels, it will be an environmental disaster. The lead
in statement in that editorial, “ The
animals are an environmental problem. Creating refuges for them is
the practical, humane solution", parallels a position taken by the
Public Lands Foundation and adopted by our Board of Directors in
1999. The Board cited as its number one recommendation to:
-Establish 10 National Wild Horse and Burro Ranges with
clearly defined and fenced boundaries and commit those Ranges
primarily to horses and burros.
-Remove all feral horses and burros from public lands outside
those established ranges.
-Manage resident populations on those ranges to maintain the
health and desirable genetic characteristics of the horse or burro
herd and the condition of their habitat.
-Provide visitor access and interpretive facilities.
-Animals in excess of the carrying capacity of the Ranges and
those animals gathered from outside the established Ranges would be
offered to prospective adopters for a reasonable period and, if not
called for, sold to the highest bidder with no restrictions on the
future use of the animal.
-Funds generated would be designated for the administration of
the Wild Horse and Burro Program with the excess going to the
general fund.
Perhaps 10 Ranges are too many but a national system of Wild Horse
and Burro Ranges is the ultimate answer to bring about proper and
sustained management that makes economic and ecological sense-not
continued management of 199 Herd Management Areas scattered
throughout 10 western states.
The Public Lands Foundation is a non-profit national conservation
organization whose members are mainly retired BLM employees. We
advocate and work for the retention of the National Public Lands in
public hands, professionally and sustainably managed for the
responsible common use and enjoyment of the American people.
Sincerely, George Lea, President
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