JoseCuervo
New member
The state of Wyoming threatend to sue the fed's due to overgrazing. But, the irony is that they want the wild horses to quit overgrazing, as it hurts the deer and elk, but they want the Welfare Rancher's cattle to do the overgrazing...
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> BLM to cut Wyoming wild horse herds
Associated Press
– The Bureau of Land Management will cut the number of wild horses on Wyoming public lands in order to settle complaints from state officials, who claimed mismanagement was hurting rangelands.
The bureau needs to round up another 2,200 horses in order to reach previously set management levels, said Cindy Wertz, a BLM spokeswoman in Wyoming. There are now about 5,400 wild horses in Wyoming, Wertz said.
In May, state officials said they intended to sue the bureau, claiming it had mismanaged wild horses to the point that grasslands were overgrazed, hurting deer and elk herds.
They asked the BLM to keep the number of horses at appropriate management levels. The agency has agreed to do so by December 2004, according to a settlement announced Wednesday by the Justice Department.
“The basic, bottom line here is that the state of Wyoming and the U.S. Department of the Interior have avoided long-term, costly litigation,” Tom Sansonetti, a federal assistant attorney general for natural resources, said at a state press conference Wednesday.
“In my own estimation, by the time this thing had gone through district court, appellate court, whatever, it would be a year from now in trying to get to the bottom line of what’s the right thing to do.”
Wyoming Department of Agriculture Director John Etchepare said some ranchers, especially those near southwest Wyoming’s Adobe Town Wilderness Study Area, have been unable to graze cattle in certain areas because wild horses have eaten too much grass.
“The other problem we have now is we have to wait for that to begin to recover,” he said.
Attorney General Pat Crank pointed out that large numbers of horses can damage areas around streams and springs. “There is only so much water out in the Red Desert,” he said.
“The horses congregate out there and they eat all the feed around the various watering sources. And that could have a significant impact on the wildlife.”
The state is home to one of the largest wild horse populations in the country. The BLM oversees 16 herd management areas across the state, many in remote areas of Carbon and Sweetwater counties, in the southern part of the state.
Wertz said the BLM has gathered 3,100 wild horses since Oct. 1 – more than half of which were rounded up within the past month.
More gathers are planned for this fall.
Federal law calls for excess wild horses removed from public rangelands to be relocated to long-term sanctuaries and made available to private owners for at least $125 through a BLM adoption program.
Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., praised the settlement.
“This is an important step to address the immediate needs in Wyoming, but we must continue to develop long-term solutions to ensure the viability of the rangelands and the health of the herds throughout the West,” Thomas said.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> BLM to cut Wyoming wild horse herds
Associated Press
– The Bureau of Land Management will cut the number of wild horses on Wyoming public lands in order to settle complaints from state officials, who claimed mismanagement was hurting rangelands.
The bureau needs to round up another 2,200 horses in order to reach previously set management levels, said Cindy Wertz, a BLM spokeswoman in Wyoming. There are now about 5,400 wild horses in Wyoming, Wertz said.
In May, state officials said they intended to sue the bureau, claiming it had mismanaged wild horses to the point that grasslands were overgrazed, hurting deer and elk herds.
They asked the BLM to keep the number of horses at appropriate management levels. The agency has agreed to do so by December 2004, according to a settlement announced Wednesday by the Justice Department.
“The basic, bottom line here is that the state of Wyoming and the U.S. Department of the Interior have avoided long-term, costly litigation,” Tom Sansonetti, a federal assistant attorney general for natural resources, said at a state press conference Wednesday.
“In my own estimation, by the time this thing had gone through district court, appellate court, whatever, it would be a year from now in trying to get to the bottom line of what’s the right thing to do.”
Wyoming Department of Agriculture Director John Etchepare said some ranchers, especially those near southwest Wyoming’s Adobe Town Wilderness Study Area, have been unable to graze cattle in certain areas because wild horses have eaten too much grass.
“The other problem we have now is we have to wait for that to begin to recover,” he said.
Attorney General Pat Crank pointed out that large numbers of horses can damage areas around streams and springs. “There is only so much water out in the Red Desert,” he said.
“The horses congregate out there and they eat all the feed around the various watering sources. And that could have a significant impact on the wildlife.”
The state is home to one of the largest wild horse populations in the country. The BLM oversees 16 herd management areas across the state, many in remote areas of Carbon and Sweetwater counties, in the southern part of the state.
Wertz said the BLM has gathered 3,100 wild horses since Oct. 1 – more than half of which were rounded up within the past month.
More gathers are planned for this fall.
Federal law calls for excess wild horses removed from public rangelands to be relocated to long-term sanctuaries and made available to private owners for at least $125 through a BLM adoption program.
Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., praised the settlement.
“This is an important step to address the immediate needs in Wyoming, but we must continue to develop long-term solutions to ensure the viability of the rangelands and the health of the herds throughout the West,” Thomas said.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
