Is BLM really starting to listen … ???
*Wild Horses and BLM’s promise of a new day dawning* – LA Equine Policy Examiner
“Animal advocates are a bit saddle sore from past relations with BLM. Trust is in short supply. The proclamation of a new day dawning was delivered with mixed messages wrapped in a pretty package.”
“The announcement also says, ‘The euthanasia of healthy excess animals or their sale without limitation to protect the animals from slaughter’ is a topic of discussion and an option that will be off the table. Dean Bolstad, National Program Division Chief, confirmed interpretation of this wording to mean that the topic will not be included in the Secretary’s initiative.”
BLM’s proclamation by BLM Director Bob Abbey: “Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey today announced that the agency is taking the Federal Wild Horse and Burro Program in an unprecedented new direction, and is seeking in-depth public comment on a Strategy Development Document implementing Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s Wild Horse and Burro Initiative.”
There are links toward the bottom to access the document for comments: “To gather feedback, the Strategy Development Document outlines specific areas where the BLM is seeking public input over a 60-day comment period. To ensure input from the broadest number of stakeholders, the BLM is using ePlanning. To access the document and provide the BLM with feedback, select this link. A PDF version of the document is also available by clicking on this link.”
Both links seem to be broken at the moment …
“Costs for the program, particularly those for animals in holding facilities, have risen dramatically in the last several years. In fiscal year 2009, for example, approximately $29 million, or about 70 percent of the total wild horse and burro program budget of $40.6 million, was spent on animals held in corrals and pastures.”
Hopefully our coming proposal to implement a relatively inexpensive fertility control program in Spring Creek Basin using volunteer labor – with major $$ savings – will be well-received …
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 
I’d like to think so, but did you see how difficult it is to comment on the document? There are 6 documents with instructions for how to comment! And, as far as I can tell, the public comments are not made public.
With all the simple, open source technologies like WordPress for easily sharing information and allowing people to comment, why did the BLM take this approach? I can only imagine how much it cost to have someone implement this poor solution…
Agreed …