On this agenda is the resumption of mustanging, the slaughter for profit of wild horses. More on that soon.

The Bureau of Land Management “Planning 2.0” has been thrown on the trash heap by the Senate yesterday. It has now gone to the President for signature.

The end of 2.0 is not the end of the fight for our environment and all of the wild things that rely on it. This is a barometer of the fierce and united efforts by industry to remove any regulations, controls or opposing voices.

This did not happen overnight. This has been built tool by tool over years and years. A few years ago we tried to turn your attention to address this machine as it was being built. Our efforts were continually undermined by mismessaging and distraction tactics. Our wild places and wild things can not afford that now.

What comes next? We learn more about the nature of the threat, our own weaknesses and continue the fight. It’s that simple.

This post is broken into two sections; our weaknesses and the threat.

Those of you that took part in our webinar over the weekend have an opportunity to participate in tonight’s updated action team list. You should receive your code via email.

Our weaknesses

The challenge WHE face right now is that so many of you feel blind sided by what is happening. Your ability to understand has been limited, not due to your lack of passion, but the fault lies with an advocacy crippled by the often misleading and distraction tactics used by opposition and “our own side.” It’s not your fault, it is the fault of sensational mismessaging.

Wild, wild horses are the most misunderstood, mismessaged, under reported of all. An educated and sophisticated, non reactive force, is needed now.

Our alerts on environmental, wild horse concerns are going to start coming at you fast. We want you to understand why.

Those of you that want to help are varied in your knowledge of how process works. When we use terms like AML, HMA or RMP/LUP many in the ranks of willing hands don’t understand. When a bill has an “H” in front of it, it is from the House of Representatives. When a bill has an “S,” it’s a Senate bill. Many did not understand that as we engaged in messaging on 2.0. (NOTE: we find this same type of basic knowledge vacant in places like the BLM Wild Horse Advisory Board too, so don’t feel bad).

We will be running a “How Wild Horses are managed” webinar this Sunday from 4-6 Pacific time. The webinar will cover the basic framework, terminology and have time set aside for your questions. We will set the webinar so you can participate live or view it in a recorded form. We need a minimum of 15 participants to cover associated costs. If you would like to participate please make the minimum donation of $10. at the link below. If we do not meet the minimum, your contribution will be refunded. WE ADDED THIS BY REQUEST.

An additional session of “Wild Horses 101” has been added this Thursday, the 16th, from 4-6 pm Pacific.

The threat

Conveying the threat of this legislative landslide is a challenge for us. However we can give you a very fast over view. For those that want to learn more we are offering the webinars. For those that want to get involved we are creating action teams from participants in the webinars based on need, time that can be devoted and skill level.

YOU CAN LEARN A LOT FROM 2.0

You don’t have to understand 2.0 in depth to learn from it.

2.0 was a three year process to build it, costing nearly a billion dollars. It was a revamping of process to manage your public land, the first in 30 years.

Essentially the intention was to remove the loopholes that allowed a stranglehold by local cronyism. It was intended to stop the destruction of habitat that was threatening the poster child of western public land, the Greater Sage Grouse (GSG). The GSG is/was in the process of listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). 2.0 created minimal restriction to industry to avert a listing (if listed industry would come to a halt).

So you simply have to look at who opposed 2.0 to learn from it.

Environmentalists (and WHE) had issues with 2.0. But the issues were essentially the same issues we had with any other land use planning, the restrictions did not go far enough. In addition wild horses were given the same terminology of management practices without first defining that terminology, ie the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recommendations should have come first. However the opportunity to incorporate those definitions was not lost in 2.0 and was on the “to do” list and absolutely possible in the frame of 2.0. It simply should have been given that consideration instead of all the “bowing and groveling” to placate industry that would never be satisfied.

Obviously they were not satisfied no matter how much they were given “first chair.”

The machine went into high gear. There are multiple pieces of legislation that we need to address, but nothing is a barometer of the threat as the way 2.0 went down.

Legislation was introduced in the House. It was immediately voted and sent forward. The Senate cleared it in mere weeks to go to the President. Those of you engaged in any legislative issue over the last few years can attest, nothing moves that fast.

So let’s look at those opposed to 2.0 so vehemently that they wanted it completely off the books and why.

Simply look at the forefront of today’s celebrants; states, counties, extraction and the livestock industry.

Let’s look at the “Public Lands Council.” A lot of people think this is an agency. It’s not. It is a lobby group for livestock interests.

“This is Strike Two for 2.0. Streamlining is needed in the planning process, but not at the expense of input from local communities and permittees or elimination of economic analysis requirements,” said Dave Eliason, PLC president and Utah rancher. “The final rule also shifts away from BLM’s mission to protect multiple uses of public lands, and it disregards both local input and economic analysis. We look forward to the President quickly delivering the third strike by signing this resolution so that BLM may begin a new, inclusive process.”

Orin Hatch, (R-Utah), click his name to review his environmental record. In many ways he is the mentor of both Bishop (R-Utah) and Chaffetz (R-Utah)

“The federal government needs to pursue policies that empower local communities and adhere to the multiple-use mandate – which serves as the bedrock of our public land management policies,” Hatch said in a press release.

What we need you to understand is that this bill had very little debate on any specific provision  of 2.0 that was in dispute. This was simply a broad effort to undermine any attempt to remove cronyism that has been responsible for the mess our public land is in for decades. At the heart of the movement is allowing industry to operate without restrictions.

Under threat is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act. (We are going to get an article out today on how and why the WFRH&B ACT is a target).

For now just let it sink in that this assault has been massing for years, is well organized and running like a freight train over all you hold dear. (more very soon).

There are several bills we need YOU to take action on. However our intention is not to create a bunch of reactive “flying monkeys.” Our intention is to create an educated and discerning advocacy. If you can not tell the difference between a distraction and an urgent need, we are trying to help you focus.

These legislative threats are greater than any helicopter blade, hot shot or bared wire fence. The horses need you to understand.

If you have very limited time sending a letter to your representatives is the most effective message you can send. If you send (sent) a letter on the SAFE Act, soring, 2.o or other and get back a response that reflects no real recognition of your concerns we have a “sample” letter here that will send a very effective message: https://wildhorseeducation.org/2017/03/07/are-you-fed-up-with-a-congress-that-wont-hear-you-open-letter/

Our next action alerts will be out soon. There is a lot on the plate.

House Co-Sponsors to destroy 2.0

Senate co-sponsors to destroy 2.0