Congressmen Seek to Halt BLM Gathers

A bipartisan group of congressmen have asked Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to halt controversial gather operations in Nevada and postpone all pending wild horse gathers until an independent study of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mustang management operations takes place. The BLM is a division within the Department of Interior, and the Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 p
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A bipartisan group of congressmen have asked Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to halt controversial gather operations in Nevada and postpone all pending wild horse gathers until an independent study of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mustang management operations takes place. The BLM is a division within the Department of Interior, and the Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 places mustang and burro management under BLM jurisdiction.

In a July 30 letter U.S. Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, and 53 other House members called on Salazar specifically to stop the mustang gather from the Tuscarora Complex in Elko County, Nev., during which 17 horses died due to dehydration or roundup-related injuries.

In the letter the Congressmen labeled the BLM's mustang management policies as "deeply flawed" and requested a halt to all gathers "until the agency demonstrates that it has addressed the failings of the current program and can ensure the safety and well-being of the animals you are charged with protecting."

The letter also called for an independent study of the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro program by the National Academy of Sciences, a nonprofit group that advises government agencies on scientific issues. The study would determine the most accurate, science-based methods for estimating wild horse and burro populations and recommend practical, effective non-lethal, publicly acceptable management alternatives to current BLM policies

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Written by:

Pat Raia is a veteran journalist who enjoys covering equine welfare, industry, and news. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her Tennessee Walking Horse, Sonny.

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