November 20, 2007

• Another horse was found dead by gunshot on Friday from the Corolla wild horse herd, bringing the total up to seven since 2001. An additional horse was found decomposing in a march in July 2006. Despite the reward of $12,000 being offered for information leading to arrest and conviction of the horse shootings, no progress has been made in the investigations. http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=137210&ran=182430
• Committee member, Sharon Brown of the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Preservation Society in New Zealand is pressing for oversight of the horses owned by Murray Haitana and Martin Foote's Wild Horses of Aotearoa Charitable Trust. Horses are skinny and have been put down with their remains allowed to naturally decompose on the sanctuary grounds. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4280959a11.html
• The Nevada Commission for the Preservation of Wild Horses will conduct their next meeting on November 26, 2007 an 12:00 pm (noon) at the Washoe County Commission Chambers, 1001 E. 9th, Reno, NV 89512. Copies of the Commission's agenda were cited as posted on their website, at http://www.wildhorse.nv.gov/ but as of today, no agenda is publicly available.
  
  The Commissions privately released agenda plans to address and may take action on the following items:
  
  1. Issuing recommendations for the National policies and procedures of implementing gelding herds in lieu of functional reproductive herds to the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board.
  
  2. Discussing Litigation Options regarding the wild horse and burro program though no information was provided on what the Commission intends to begin litigation on.
  
  3. Requesting studies on fertility control treatments that now have been applied to a large percentage of the remaining wild populations.
  
  4. Reviewing BLM management of the Nellis wild horses located in the Nevada Wild Horse range with special emphasis on water management or the lack of it.
  
  
• The Bureau of Land Management in Utah has bombarded the public with FIVE Draft Management Plans for establishing how public lands will be managed within the next 10-20 years. These plans will become the guiding foundation for HOW Utahs wild horse and burro herds will be administered and grant BLM the future authority of what they do to those herds. Land use plans are huge documents that require hours of study of BLMs proposals. Posting five of them all within the same few months is yet another effort by land managers to overwhelm the public and consequently, discourage public awareness, participation and involvement.
  
  To access ALL currently proposed Draft Management Plans, go to: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/prog/planning.1.html


• Moab Draft Management Plan - Public Input Due by November 30, 2007
  http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/moab/planning/draft_rmp_eia.html#Download
• Vernal Draft Management Plan -Supplemental - Public Input Due by January 3, 2008
  http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/vernal/planning/rmp/draft_rmp_eis/draft_rmp_eis.html
• Kanab Draft Management Plan - Public Input Due by January 12, 2008
  http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/kanab/planning/draft_rmp_eis.html
• Richfield Draft Management Plan - Public Input Due by January 26, 2008
  http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/richfield/planning/rmp/draft_rmp_eis.html
• Monticello Draft Management Plan - Public Input Due by February 8, 2008 http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/monticello/planning/draft_rmp_eis.html