"The People" are watching!
Senator Tom Udall has thus far refused to protect and preserve the historic and beloved Placitas Wild Horses and their habitat on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands contiguous with Placitas, NM. At the same time, he has CHILLED THE SPEECH of almost an entire community in his quest for a highway where these horses roam. Udall has allowed the BLM to arbitrarily DEEM thousands of comments for the horses as "OUT OF SCOPE".
Wildlife Corridor
By the way folks, these "horsie" comments are also in defense of the Rocky Mountain Wild Life Corridor through Placitas. If these horses go down, the Sandia Mountain will have a highway noose all the way around it, and will thereby, be dead. (See Mural pics throughout this article.) The state of NM has been removing all of the bears off of the Sandia Mountains at least in part, in preparation for this highway, and YES, the writer is a Democrat, but I ask you, how can we condone this abuse of power, even by one of our own?
Per Jan Hayes of Bear Watch, the statewide Bear Conservation non-profit, working in New Mexico for 20 years, "In the last 3 years approximately 130 to 140 bears have either been removed, or killed, out of the Sandias."
PROBLEM SOLVED but Senator Udall and BLM Deny
A local Pueblo has come to the rescue of these horses and their habitat. They had previously brought a valid aboriginal claim on these BLM next to Placitas, NM, and they have agreed to covenants to make the land a Wild Horse Sanctuary and also to manage their population with contraception! There is now a legal mechanism in NM to make covenants binding. The Pueblo has agreed to these mechanisms for continued public access of these lands and also plans a museum for tourism.
Senator Udall, however, does not want the Wild Horse Sanctuary; he is in favor of a LAND GRAB by the SADLH Land Grant. The SADLH land grant has stated they will allow a HIGHWAY through this BLM, this though the GAO Report to Congress on Land Grants states that the US does not owe the Land Grants. More importantly, the SADLH Land Grant comprises less than 1% of the Placitas community in which virtually all are strongly opposed to this highway and its sneaky precursor, an unnecessary road to northern Placitas.
To the Pueblo's valid aboriginal claim, Senator Udall stated, "The Pueblos are in dispute", showing us that Udall is at the very center of this "dispute". He is playing games with those who will APPROVE this HIGHWAY and is pitting them against those who do not.
The majority in opposition to this highway have had their speech “chilled as out of scope” and their numbers distilled down from the actual thousands to "several" personally by Senator Udall as well as the New Mexico media.
This is “thuggery” New Mexico style.
BLM Impound Notice
The BLM has recently issued an impound notice for BLM lands and plans to remove the Placitas Wild Horses to two auction houses in New Mexico. One is the Dennis Chavez Southwest Auction House in Los Lunas, NM, which is the subject of a well-known investigation by Animals Angels. The other is an auction house in Belen. The BLM plans their removal to be completed before December 2014 or perhaps before his November election.
Yesterday, however, the BLM has waxed so bold as to remove 11 horses from PRIVATE unfenced lands in a fence out state, and send them to the Dennis Chavez Livestock auction. This is an outrage to the community of largely retired professionals, artists, and environmentalists of Placitas who support them. We are 11 horses closer to a HIGHWAY.
When Udall was asked to tell the BLM to STAND DOWN in an occupy Udall event at his office in Albuquerque, he said, "I don't want to talk to them". When he was finally moved to write an obligatory letter to the BLM, there he cited only "several" Placitans are concerned.
"several" Mr. Udall?
Wow! Senator Udall KNOWS from the thousands of comments, which he personally has allowed the BLM to DEEM "Out of scope", that the number was significantly more than "several". When politely confronted at a fundraiser for his re-election he stated heatedly “I was against that!
The BLM has offered a "LOOK GOOD" quarantine at the auction houses. This is an insult to the public which defies all logic, as disease is spread by flying insects and contaminated soils and water. A quarantine at an auction house would literally be dangerous and counterproductive and reduces the adoptability of these horses known and beloved by many.
Livestock Auction Houses are also renowned for the sale of horses to kill buyers who get paid for taking them to slaughter.
Environmental Issues and Drought
Moreover, rather than “hurting the watershed” by a few paths they make along with hikers, the Placitas horses, by their presence and through their supporters, have also been protecting the area water supply from additional gravel mining and its commensurate hundreds of acre-ft. of water usage per year. This tri-county area has already been mining water for well over two decades. A highway increasing development pressure, and mining is preferable? New Mexico has been in a 117 year drought and somehow this has been blamed on the horses of which there are not many left.
At the same time the BLM and the state of New Mexico have blocked two non-profits from managing the horses with contraceptives since 2010, hoping for a “tragedy” in the roads so they would be zeroed out rather than managed. Thankfully at this time, everything is now green and the horses are being managed by a non-profit despite our government’s best efforts. However, the government is now managing them to extinction.
This planned highway is commonly called the "Loop Road" and would connect Interstate 25 to Interstate 40 via Rt. 14. The planned capacity of this Loop Rd is 20,000 trips/day by the NM Department of Transportation (DOT). The interim road to northern Placitas is the official precursor to this Loop Road, as defined in the Right of Way (ROW) request written by Sandoval County to the BLM.
WATER WATER WATER
The Placitas horses, by their presence alone, have also been protecting the area water supply from additional gravel mining and and its comensurate hundreds of acre-ft. of water usage. This tri-county area has already been mining water for decades.
Senator Udall's office has worked successfully to mislead and placate Placitans regarding the Loop Road. Virtually all participants in the Placitas Area Planning process have strongly opposed this road. Now it's official precursor, a road to northern Placitas through the BLM lands, is again being planned by the SADLH Land Grant, which is also vying for the BLM lands of Placitas where the horses roam.
The Senator's SPIN
Tom Udall, the media, the BLM, and state and local government have all worked overtime to HIDE the tremendous support for the horses and the unifying effect they have on the Placitas community. The amazing Placitas Community Mural/s was made by literally hundreds of Placitans over a recent two year period and is evidence of huge community support! Three different polls show overwhelming support for the horses and range from 89 to 99% support through time.
Senator Udall/Media - SILENT ON THE SOLUTION
Astoundingly, Senator Udall's office has lead the charge in DISMISSING the generous plan by the Pueblo to create a wild horse sanctuary, open to the public, on the small BLM lands adjacent to Placitas. This Pueblo has also offered:
1. An additional 1000 acres of contiguous Pueblo lands to augment the 3000 acres of BLM land and to provide additional public access to the sanctuary without going through Placitas.
2. To manage the horse population by contraception, for perpetuity.
3. A respectful offer of 30 acres of prime real estate near the Crest of Montezuma in the historic village of Placitas for the SADLH land grant which is also vying for these BLM lands as an "open space" without wildlife.
Disenfranchisement Throughout
The Wild Horse Observers Association (WHOA) has made it clear through federal mediation and a press release to the media, formally, and over a year ago, that WHOA would drop their federal court case regarding the horses and their wildlife habitat, if these BLM lands went back to the Pueblo which also has valid aboriginal claims. But Senator Udall is RUSHING to zero out the BLM of horses in order to make the WHOA court case MOOT, again, working to disenfranchise his constituents!
The media has refused to print this longstanding offer by WHOA to drop the lawsuit/s, but please remember, nothing is as it seems, in New Mexico and all NM federal reps are following their leader.
Senator Udall in DENIAL
Impounding the horses would further disenfranchise Placitans by making their/WHOA's federal court case MOOT, as well as disenfranchising Placitans again in the BLM Resource Management planning process...not to mention disenfranchising the Pueblo by flatly ignoring their valid aboriginal claim and generous and elegant solution. (See table Below.)
In the background, Senator Udall's office has a long history of back room parleying on this issue. He was also SILENT when WHOA sponsored a formal mediation process with the Land Grant a full six years ago in good faith.
WHY?
Is Senator Udall working to gain and keep rural votes, perhaps controlled by the Land Grants without conveying to the people the true choices at hand? Or, perhaps he is using the SADLH Land Grant to get the Loop Rd and mining on the Placitas BLM lands. Does he believe that ALL Spanish Land Grants hate wild horses? Does he think a Highway is what Albuquerque or New Mexicans need and the locals be damned?
Or, is Senator Udall and the state of New Mexico's Governor Martinez intent on making Native Americians LOOK pro-slaughter or look anti-wild horse for their "Humane Slaughter for Zoo animal protien" and "TRIAGE" Mass composting plans though MOST tribes and Pueblos are against horse slaughter, and the National Academy of Sciences report on the BLM's wild horse and burro program has stated that round-ups cause compensatory reproduction, and the real "solution" is porcine zona pelucida (PZP) immuno contraception?
Interestingly, the SADLH Land Grant publically stated last week: If the SADLH Land Grant obtains these BLM lands (through Recreation Public Parks and Purposes Act) the only horses that will be allowed there, will be "Beasts of Burden! They have also stated that they are looking forward to working with whomever gets the remainder of the BLM land, so they can start (the known precursor to the highway), a road to northern Placitas through the BLM.
Neither the SADLH Land Grant nor Senator Udall have been open about their plans for a highway and/or mining. The SADLH Land Grant itself has had repeated issues with the inspection of public records act with which they are required to comply. The BLM has had an open FOIA for over 5 years which is somewhere in an "administrative appeal".
Importantly, the Placitas Area planning process concluded that "virtually all participants" in the Placitas Area planning process, strongly opposed the Loop Road and Placitan opposition to ever more mines in ther area is well understood.
Moreover the SADLH Land Grant comprises LESS THAN 1% of the Placitas population, but is working to TAKE almost HALF of the BLM lands for an open space WITH a Highway (precursor) and WITHOUT the Placitas Wild Horses!
This is against the will of the overwhelming majority who live on either side of the Sandia Mountain.
IN ANY CASE: The highway question should be in the OPEN, Senator.
For the good of the state, for the good of whomever, the majority of the voices of Placitans who are in favor of the horses, in favor of the wild life corridor and mountain, should not be chilled, deemed out of scope, and stuffed. The public process should be PUBLIC, and these behind the scenes plans for a highway should be open for discussion.
Senator Udall as the senior Senator should be the role model here, not the disenfranchising deal maker.
A HIGHWAY and NO HORSES, NO BEARS?!
Every move Senator Udall has made has been divisive to this community, and if unchecked, may destroy this beautiful rural mountain community and its relationship with the Land Grant. This will have a snowball effect causing damage to the overall Land Grant Movement to obtain federal public lands. Udall's and NM Attorney General Gary King's long term agenda to use Congressional bills to obtain further public lands. Importantly, the GAO report on land grants states that the US owes nothing to the land grants.
The media has only feigned neutrality. They have continually hidden the FACT of overwhelming Placitan support and the unifying effect of the horses, as well as the government's role in blocking wild horse population management by contraception.
The media has also hidden the horses' positive effect on real estate in Placitas (See Real estate brochure below next to the Poll), as well as their role in fire hazard reduction during the droughts and their continuous round ups this year, leaving very few left.
The local newspaper king-pin was even named in the recent police report for having rounded up horses HIMSELF, while NOT reporting on these round-ups, and rather, reporting an over population!
Channel 13, specifically, has hidden the Placitas Mural, "Save Our Wildlife", a truly amazing testimony to the FACT that Placitans want the horses managed, not zeroed. The community is willing to pay for the horses management through the two Placitas non-profits which are totally capable of managing them.
Horse Management
Recently, 75% of Placitans voted at a county sponsored public forum, in favor of an increase in taxes in order to pay for the horses management. Interestingly, this was not reported by NM First which was contracted at $23,500 to run a task force on this issue. Notably, Senator Udall is a board member!
PLEASE TAKE THE POLL BELOW!
SEE PICS BELOW!
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