| December 17, 2004 Senator Harry Reid US Senate Hart Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Reid
Thank you for your years of personal attention to the National and Nevada wild horse and burro programs. You might remember that I was an author, along with Nevada Legislators that provided for the only State Wild Horse Commission in the Nation. It was then Governor O'Callahan that appointed me to the first Commission where I served 9 years under two subsequent Governors, Governor Bryan and Governor Miller. I continued to ghost write the opinion pages for Governor O'Callahan for the Las Vegas Sun. You, I, and the Nevada Wild Horse Commission have many years history working together to make this program a success. As you may remember, we have worked very hard with you over the years to improve this program. We have met with you here in Reno and Carson, have met with you on numerous occasions in Washington, and have always kept you and your staff briefed on issues that would be of concern to you. The wild horse and burro program has the potential to be 10 times more positive that the Smokey the Bear program. I hope I have been advised incorrectly that you were a co-sponsor of this mean spirited legislation. Given our history together I am surprised that you did not contact me to review this legislation and discuss it with you prior to any votes. Wild Horse Organized Assistance (WHOA), Velma Johnson, (Wild Horse Annie) and myself were instrumental in the initiation and passage of the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act. I have personally dedicated over 40 years of my life to working on and improving this program. Senator Reid, you and I have sat down across the table too many times in the past to work on this program to abandon it now. I would like to go over a few items that you may or may not be aware of. BLM doesn't always explain exactly what programs are happening, enough for legislators such as youself, to have the most updated information to enable you to see that we are making tremendous progress. We personally testified before your Committee on the Nellis emergency in the early 90's. WHOA took over 500 orphan foals from that gather, rescued and adopted them at no expense to the Government. We have continued this with the orphan foals out of Nevada to this date. It appears to me that there was little consideration given by the authors of this bill towards looking into the true avenues that would have improved the program as a whole. But it also appears that no one really read the Strategic Plan, in which most of the obstacles that seem to have gotten recent attention was predicted and solutions were disclosed. Congress passed that Legislation to give us that extra funding and the tools to accomplish the Strategic Plan. Now, when we are near the solutions, 3/4 of the way through that plan, you pull the rug out from underneath the horses and the American Public. I understand that the BLM spending has increased from $18 million to $40 million. Costs on everything including the cost of a loaf of bread, heating, and especially gas, has increased dramatically over the past 5 years. But remember, Congress asked BLM to prepare a management program that would get the horses down to AML on public lands as fast as possible. BLM introduced the "Strategic Plan" (Plan) along with an associated budget, which Congress wholeheartedly supported. In that Plan it was fully expected that BLM, in an effort to balance public lands, would be removing horses much faster than the adoption program could absorb. In the Plan, which Congress had supported, it was also anticipated that sanctuaries would have to be created to hold those excess horses until they could be absorbed into the adoption program. When BLM reaches AML on public lands it is anticipated that only 3,500 horses per year will be removed nationwide. If you will check BLM statistics, they are within a year of reaching AML, especially in Nevada, your home state. Winnemucca District only has one allotment to complete to have total AML. With the gather next week on the Antelope Range in Ely......the Ely District will be at AML for the first time. We are making tremendous positive goals in this program. With an adoption demand of 8 - 10,000 horses annually there will quickly be a lack of horses in the adoption program to fill the demand which is growing annually. The Plan had anticipated this. At that point, demand exceeding supply, horses would be removed from the sanctuaries and placed in the adoption program. Fertility Control: Finally, after 10 years of "experimental" programs, the BLM is confident with the fertility control program and is putting that in every gather plan. At most gathers now, ALL mares are being treated successfully with drugs to slow down the birth rate for up to 5 years. Not only will we be at AML shortly, but we will be slowing down the birth rate drastically over the next five years and beyond as they continue to use this tool. We are there, we are so close. I know you have stated that "it can be said that the wild horse program has been characterized as one of the least effective uses of federal taxpayer dollars." I really don't agree and hope that you don't as well, considering spending on the timber industry, mining, and livestock. All those programs feed special interests and profits go to private industry benefiting from using our public lands. The wild horse program is important to the American public, they do not privately benefit financially, but are willing to foot the bill through their taxes as shown by the public outcry from this legislation. Please read the attached press release as it represents the opinion of over 10 million Americans. As noted in the letter, there are approximately 4.1 million cattle on public lands to 36,000 wild horses. Add wildlife eating available forage and horses are outnumbered approximately 42 to 1 (in Nevada alone). The condition of the rangelands can't be blamed on wild horses alone, the drought and additional foraging animals play a large role in the public lands current condition. Wildlife is a demand of the industry that enjoys the sport of hunting......all of the expense of the livestock program produces approximately 2.6% of the total national meat supply which benefits one private industry financially. The wild horse program benefits all Americans and at not even close to the expense. The range program (without horses) is allocated 466 million dollars annually between the Forest Service and BLM. That includes 8 million dollars just for Animal Damage Control (ADC) which was created just to kill predators prior to livestock turnout. That is 1/4 to 1/5 of the total wild horse program spending dollars, just for ADC. You have proposed programs to enhance the management of the wild horse and burro program. The State of Nevada, your own State, through our Legislature, mandated that your Nevada Wild Horse Commission develop a plan to compliment and enhance BLM's program. Not only to assist BLM in obtaining AML but also to improve the adoption program. All of the goals in the 2001 "Strategic Plan for the Management of Wild Horses and Burros in Nevada", have been instigated and are working. 1) One program was to start an inmate/wild horse gentling program at the Carson City Department of Corrections. That program has been operating very successfully for over 4 years now. A program Nevada can be very proud of. There are quarterly sales held of trained wild horses, both BLM and Nevada Estray from the Comstock Range. Last summer the high selling mustang sold for $4,200 ! That was a prison trained Nevada horse, trained for 3 months. Quite an accomplishment. Even during the winter we have been averaging $2,000 at each adoption for prison trained mustangs. People have been coming from as far away as Arizona, Oregon, and Southern California to adopt those horses coming out of that program. 2) Another suggestion in the "Nevada Plan" was to create a "National Wild Horse and Burro Foundation" similar to the American Quarter Horse Association or Arabian Horse Association. The State of Nevada Wild Horse Commission and the Nevada BLM jointly partnered with funds to create the Foundation, a private non-profit organization to assist BLM in the promotion and adoption of mustangs. Also to create a National Foundation to assist in raising private funds to assist in marketing and promotions. The Chairman of this Foundation is Frank Cassas, respected Reno Attorney, past Chairman of the Wild Horse Commission and past president of the Reno Rodeo Association. I, whom you know, am also on the Board. Also, a newly added Board member was the Executive Director of the American Paint Horse Association, and the other member was the National Marketing Director for the Quarter Horse Association. Both have recently retired and have agreed to sit on this Board and help market and promote the adoption program. This Foundation has been working hand in hand with both Nevada and National BLM offices to improve this program. They recently met with such outstanding private organizations as Purina, Breyer, Stateline Tack, Wrangler, and others to help "rebrand" the mustang and this program. All of these National organizations were very excited to get involved. Breyer alone has just put 30,000 flyers in their "mustang" model series that just came out for Christmas being carried in all Wal-Mart stores across the Nation. Wrangler Jeans is looking into creating a "Mustang Jean" which will have tremendous marketing associated and they will be tagging the jeans with mustang information, adoption contact, and promotion of the program. All this is to promote adoptions and solicit donations to help enhance the program. Just one step of many which will have a tremendous impact and promote public awareness of the program. I wonder if Wrangler Jeans will still want to get involved with this program now that it equates to slaughter. Much of this has never been done before. WHOA and your Nevada Wild Horse Commission has been working very hard for many years and for 14 years on a National Wild Horse and Burro Expo and Show which has helped promote the program. All of this has been done with privately solicited funding. Its all a matter of how hard individuals want to work at this. And believe me, we have all put in many years to help make this program exemplary. Please review the website for the Expo which has people traveling from as far away as Montana and Texas to Reno to compete. www.wildhorseandburroexpo.com You can also see the many local casino's and organizations that have sponsored this event and wild horses. The list continues to grow. You and I have not met in the past two years but I'm sure you realize we continue to work very hard at this. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you again on this program, either in Reno or Carson City, whichever is more convenient for you. First of all, the animosity that was built up in the early years of this program by the livestock industry, has by and large gone by the wayside as groups supported management and reaching AML. This law will bring back those in the "blame game". This will backlash on those supporters of this bill, the livestock industry, and BLM. The public will blame the old enemies of the horse, they don't realize that it is only a small handful of people that snuck this into the bill. On one point you're asking the BLM and the public to promote the adoption program which signifies a value, a living symbol of the American west, but on the other hand the negativity of the slaughter proposal says that you really don't value them at all. Again, I thank you for all of your years of working very hard to support this program. Please don't give up on it now, we are so close, we have finally come around the corner and the end is within sight. To suggest slaughter would be wrong, it would create needless lawsuits that would challenge BLM and their data to even be able to remove horses, slow down gathers, and increase numbers on public lands. That is exactly opposite of what is needed. All that energy would be wasted in fighting versus supporting the program that is getting there. I know you are frustrated but I hope you actually see this letter and realize there are many positive programs occurring right now and that we need your continued support to come to a successful end. On a personal note, my instincts, my party registration, allowed there to be some trust level. I, personally sent financial support to both your last two campaigns as well as the Presidential run of Senator Kerry. I can tell you that my faith in how I am politically registered and whether I will continue to financially support candidates in the future will largely depend on the outcome for the horses. Senator Reid, you alone have the ability to turn this around and be what I convinced other groups you were.......a fair person. This is an incredible program very much supported by the American public. I look forward to meeting with you in the near future. Sincerely, Dawn Y. Lappin |
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