Email us your comments by Friday (August 13); we will hand deliver to BLM on Monday (August 16)   http://www.wildhorsepreservation.org/news/?p=1648

When BLM began the environmental planning process for this roundup, the agency received over 7,000 public comments opposing the Proposed Action. In an effort to avoid being "bombarded" with "frivolous" emails from the citizens who pay their salaries, officials in the BLM's Rock Springs and Rawlins field offices have decided to prohibit email comments. Can you all edit this letter if you want and then put your name and address at the bottom of this letter in the spaces provided and then email to SaveAdobeHorses@gmail.com. Make sure your address is on there or your letter will not count. I live in Wyoming. Thank you!  Pat

Sample letter you can copy and paste and email to SaveAdobeHorses@gmail.com

Dear Rock Springs and Rawlins Field Offices of the Wyoming BLM:

Please accept these comments on the Environmental Assessment Adobe Town-Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Area Complex Wild Horse Gather (EA WY-040-EA-10-109).

I oppose the BLM's proposal to roundup approximately 1,951 wild horses from the Adobe Town and Salt Wells Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in Wyoming and permanently remove 1,577 of them from the range. The Environmental Assessment (EA) for this capture plan is inadequate because it:

- Fails to provide a scientific basis or rationale for the decision to remove such a large number of horses. No evidence of range damage, poor condition of horses or other data is presented to justify the determination that these "excess" horses must be removed.

- Fails to adequately consider the impacts of the Proposed Action on the horses, including those who are permanently removed, those who are rounded up and re-released, and those left behind on the range. The EA contains no discussion of the harmful effects of social disruption and destruction of family bands, or the expected deaths of horses in holding facilities due to capture-related trauma and stress.

- Fails to consider any alternatives to the helicopter stampede of wild horses over rugged terrain for up to ten miles, which has been demonstrated to cause trauma, injury and death.

- Dismisses without foundation, alternatives to the Proposed Action which were submitted by thousands of members of the public. These include increasing Appropriate Management Levels for wild horses; reducing livestock grazing pursuant to BLM's clear legal authority to do so; converting livestock grazing allotments to increase forage for wild horses and allow greater population numbers; and making range improvements, such as water enhancements, to better distribute horses throughout the HMAs and sustain higher population numbers. Explanations provided as to why these alternatives were dismissed from consideration are entirely inadequate.

- Fails to evaluate the social, economic and legal impacts of the warehousing of the majority of captured horses in holding facilities, where they will join the 38,000 wild horses already warehoused at taxpayer expense.

BLM's decision to prohibit email submissions of public comments on the EA, along with its dismissal of alternatives suggested by thousands of citizens, is evidence that public input is irrelevant to BLM plans. BLM is proceeding with the removal of nearly 1,600 federally-protected wild horses while continuing to allocate more resources to privately-owned livestock in these designated wild horse areas, indicating that this agency manages our public lands for the benefit of commercial interests rather than the public.

The BLM's professed commitment to change is not evident in the Adobe Town/Salt Wells capture plan. I join with the 54 members of Congress who have requested that the BLM halt all wild horse roundups. The Adobe Town/Salt Wells Creek roundup should not proceed on the basis of such deficient science and inadequate environmental review.

Sincerely,