Let 2020 be the year you did something for the horses, not to the horses.
1. The United States does not receive fair market value for livestock grazing on public lands. Raise the fee to $40 per AUM, in line with market rates. Better yet, raise it to $60 per AUM, to bring it in line with the cost of warehousing wild horses (that were removed from those lands at the behest of the ranchers).
2. Your government gave itself the power to manage HMAs principally for domestic livestock. Other areas, where horses were found when the WHB Act became law, have been zeroed out altogether, no longer designated for wild horses. Manage these areas principally for wild horses and burros per the statute. Balance the needs of WHB with those of wildlife, not domestic livestock, per the statute.
3. Consumers do not know where beef is produced. Require labels on the product if it is RANGE FED or PRODUCED ON PUBLIC LANDS and let the market sort out the winners and losers. Cattle raised on private property or at the expense of America’s wild horses and burros. You decide, not the special interests in Washington.
The PZP zealots and big-name advocacy groups have lost their way. They are on the same side of the debate as the public-lands ranchers. Don’t give them a penny.
Western Horse Watchers Association 