Circa news came out in April for a story on wild horses. (below this piece is the Muddy Creek roundup update)

In April we met Joce Sternman of Circa news on the range and took her out to Stone Cabin.

It’s great that wild horses are staying a news point. However we really need some of the following facts to make a piece and not just the pro-slaughter bullet points that run politics.

We want our readers to know that we do give the entire story to journalists, but we do not edit the product. A few points we know our readers will find still missing from a news story on wild horses.

Unfortunately this story does not break new ground, a bit of fertility control and then it’s all “after the roundup” and “too many horses.”

We did tell them “do a FOIA,” ( Freedom of Information Act Request) and under current politics no one will answer any “hard question.” They do mention that in this piece.

We did answer both Chris Stewart (R-UT) and former State Director of Nevada, John Ruhs. We did not edit, we are simply sharing this piece. We hope you understand that. We do share your frustrations.

• We do understand Circa is a conservative publication and perhaps when asked “advocacy litigated fertility control and shut it down?” our answer did not fit in.? Our work at Fish Creek was litigated by livestock, not advocates. Livestock interests lost in court. Ruhs shut large scale fertility control down in the “favor factory.” (note :John Ruhs no longer sits in the state office in NV but now manages fire in Idaho).

• “Why would they want to stop large scale fertility control?” she asked. We answered, “Perhaps because they only want one thing, the resumption of a profit driven enterprise, slaughter of wild horses? Our range is ruled by politics, not the reality of the land.”

• The broadcast says a dose of PZP costs $3000. BLM only quotes the cost of PZP done via helicopter, not dart. Please remember large scale fertility control as shut down with no legal or ethical reason at Fish Creek by John Rujhs. It was shut down by intimidation.

• We did explain changes in inventory methods that contribute to what is being dubbed “exploding populations.”

• Public land ranchers get something for about 20% of market value when they graze on public land instead of private property. All industry has had to adapt and many no longer exist (look at the newspaper industry). Public land ranching produces only 3% of US beef and costs the tax payer over $100 million a year in revenue loss. We need to look not just at wild horses, but the big picture, and that includes the “holy cow.” If we do not address the larger equation of land management nothing attempted in the small equation, management of wild horses, will succeed. The horse will just be the scapegoat.

• Our regular readers know, WHE we remind you all the time, that the “cost of the BLM program” has become a tagline with no comparative value. An $80 million dollar program for wild horses is practically nothing when you compare it to other expenses. The military in 2014 spent $84 million on Viagra in one year. The livestock program lost the tax payer over a billion dollars in one decade. Perspective is everything. We did say that on tape.

• We did explain what “multiple use” looks like as a talking point and it does not translate to the range. We explained the “math on the range” in a way that would address “multiple use,” not from the chair of a representative in Congress or a lawyer for livestock, but on the ground, the only place it matters. It did not make the piece.

  
  We know all of our readers know what we discussed.

  This is a pretty typical piece. But if you watch it closely and listen, you can see there is an interesting subtext.

  In the subtext it seems almost as if the livestock industry feels no responsibility to the larger picture of public lands because they "make a living" off public lands. May made "livings" they can no longer work in because the industry is now obsolete. Less than 3% of meat in the US at a loss to the tax payer of over a billion in the last decade? Maybe taking a bit of responsibility would be a more graceful approach when you make a living heavily subsidized by the tax payer? Sounds much better than "golly, kill the horses is the only thing we can do."

  There are plenty of “tools in the toolbox” that do not involve a bullet in the head or ripping out a mares ovaries.

  You can comment on the Circa story on facebook if you like. https://www.facebook.com/dispatchbycirca/videos/301814883745751/

  Muddy Creek update below.

We are just in from Muddy Creek Roundup: Day 2, 35 captured today. Total for two days is 139. One death; foal kicked by stud after capture yesterday.

We are editing video. Muddy Creek continues tomorrow. Eagle being later this week. Owyhee next week.

A note about what we have seen so far at Muddy Creek: whomever is working the Judas is releasing too slow. Two days of this operation we have seen horses look for a way out of the jute without the Judas guiding (the purpose of the Judas). Two pictures keep circulating from Sulpher of horses, not “run through barbed wire,” but of horses that escaped the trap and crashed into barbed wire. This group was actively looking for a way out. If they had broken through there was a very long drop off they could have fallen down. Maybe someone needs to make sure the guy working the Judas is paying attention?

A lot of all the non interview footage in the Circa piece was WHE’s. It was primarily taken prior to the humane handling policy. We explained about our years long legal battle to get one. The distinction id not mentioned. Many of you will recognize the footage. Thank you all for helping us to stay in this fight!