Mustang Advocacy Mere Propaganda?
I, a while back, I had the pleasure of being told that the information I put out there about our wild horses is "propaganda", and unfairly attacking BLM personnel. This was about a specific roundup of a small herd in Oregon, which I posted on another site, where they were removing all but 40 horses on 78,000 acres. So I replied, and of course, had to share, so resharing this archive (please consider that some statistics are a year old, with captured/captive mustangs in government holding now at 45,000 double the wild horses left roaming in our west) with a cost to keep them behind fences, approximately now around $57 million:
Thanks for the update on the week old foal. Glad to hear he made it through the roundup, running miles on rough, volcanic rock trying to keep up with his frightened dam. However, this is a small herd, and it is my opinion that he and the ancient stallion, as the others- belong out there. 40 horses and 78,000 acres is not appropriate, nor genetically sound management.
I'm sorry, I'm surprised of your reaction to my comment... but this is in no way an attack on the BLM personnel "in the trenches", if you've followed anything of what I've ever written, you'd know me by now to be supportive of regional BLM people who simply "do their job" this has nothing to do with them. It has everything to do with issues of wild horse management at the government level in Washington.
In addition, with all due respect.... What 'propaganda' are you referring to? Propaganda is used to win over a view- and it usually has something to do with ill gain. To me, as I see it from my very humble layman's terms, there's actually much to lose. But let me think a moment on the perspective of a 'gain'..... I guess, looking at it like that and with that said-- perhaps it is propaganda... and selfish on my part I suppose ....
Propaganda... increasing general awareness with concern over this nation's dwindling wild horse numbers (mustang population decrease of 40-50% in the last decade), and the strange correlation of a loss of 111 herd management areas (19 MILLION ACRES) designated "for wild horses".
Propaganda... the desire to regain at least comparable 111 management areas
Propaganda... to assure that we as taxpayers do not spend $34 Million dollars to care for captive horses, or spend $1 MILLION per average roundup... or to break it down to spend $3,000 per horse to process off the range (in hopes to adopt in out for $125).
Propaganda... for the desire for the government to "think out of the catchpen" and apply the money they spend on roundups- instead on improving/building water sources, as well as focus more on the eco-tourism benefit of American mustangs.
Propaganda.... with the idea and desire for fair/better/sound management practices of our wild horses on our public rangelands with minimal invasive removals.
Propaganda... in terms of the desire to promote healthy sustainable & genetically viable herds.
Propaganda... for a desire to restructure management levels that is scientifically based.
Propaganda... to desire to view our wild horses and burros on the rangelands without fences or public fees, and for our children and children's' children to see these magnificent mustangs, wild and unselected for... and again where there are no fences.
Propaganda... because I don't want the mustang, to be a human influenced- manipulated/engineered - "breed", but rather as shaped by ancestors and their environment for optimal survival.
Propaganda... because I don't want our wild mustangs in artificial preserves/zoos out east- and as I see it, this is perpetual, slow/methodical motion toward extinction of generations of wild born horses.
Propaganda... the attempt to stop/slow the elimination of wild horses & burros in resource rich lands, and protect the last of the wide open spaces in our Great Basin, belonging to the people.
Propaganda... because many of these icons of the American west, somehow end up in fine dining restaurants overseas... And while the government does not "dispose" of these horses knowingly as they articulate and stipulate, however, according to the director of the wild horse and burro program, admitted in 1997 that 90% of our wild horses do end up going to slaughter. There are indeed workarounds and backdoors to these horrors.
For a brief moment, my propaganda issues aside... the wild horse debate is much more than BLM regional/local offices and the personnel that handle the horses. However, the 40 horses in Stinkingwater as an 'appropriate management level' is, to be blunt, ridiculous... a number, again, picked arbitrarily with little or no accurate scientific basis. 20 mares and 20 stallions, sure, it was designated by BLM to be at that level which they are currently maintaining/removing for, but it's scientifically unsound. 150-200 animals is the appropriate genetic viable level.
To establish permanent and sound wild horse and burro management, protection, and preservation on our open public western rangelands.... is my focus and intent of this "propaganda" campaign.... That is what I, and we wild horse and burro advocates, stand to gain. Thank you for bringing this concern of propaganda to my attention, I shall continue to work on that.
Where the wild winds blow,
Mustang Meg