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“The ugly fact about the Bureau of Land Management is they lie, as well as mis-inform the public, and too our Senators and Congressmen, telling them situations about a over-population of Wild Horses on Federal Lands, that are and remain a biological-impossibility. This situation, alone, becomes very costly to the taxpayer, and in the $ millions of dollars.”  — John Cox, The Cascades

It struck me as odd, one day, when I discovered the Bureau of Land Management (i.e. BLM from here onward) know nothing about managing our Natural Resources and in particular does not know how to manage a sound Ecological Habitat toward health.  Then to the Wild Horses, and I discovered they “know” even less.

Yes, their misinformation and lies to the public in the matters of Wild Horses nothing more than a supreme ignorance (i.e. academic and noteworthy in this discussion), or a mind-set of being nothing more than livestock that does not make money; so, in their mind of minds, the wild horses are of no use, which is also an attritional value of ignorance at its worst.  Difficult when a government agency becomes a big part of our throw-away society, which again, attrition creates a lot of damage when conducted ignorantly.  But when there is ignorance involved, those who behave with this mental-disorder, have no idea they are being so obvious – similar to hate, and many have no idea they are the hateful ones nor will never admit such.  None the less, we move on with our discussion of breeding in the wilds.

Basics of Breeding in the Wilds

Clearly, and a situation the BLM use, typically, erroneously, is the fact of exponential population growth.  This is, for example, one species, such as the Wild Horse, will double to two, two to four and so forth yearly – But what is significant here is to know, and acknowledge the true fact of this situation can only occur for a short-time period.  And, the other valuable fact to acknowledge here, is this can only happen in “prefect conditions” or within extremely healthy ecological habitats.  So the BLM basically, unknown to them, point out their recklessness and even incompetence in managing our Public Lands, by their lies that promote (biologically untruthful) over-population of Wild Horses’.  This will become clear as to why, below and reading further.

We can look at the gut bacterium Escherichia coli which can reproduce every 20 minutes.  Within a perfect system this rate of growth, after 36 hours and exponential ratios come into effect, the descendants of a single bacterium would cover the Earth 1 foot deep; and within the next hour they would be completely over our heads . . .

My point here is that Nature takes care of things like this, its own biology of reality so to speak.  Any natural growth is restricted, constrained by the availability of ecological habitat resources and many other practical realities of Nature.  This means we can trust nature to do what it needs to do, biologically as well as fundamentally, and in our case within this conversation, the Wild Horses can become naturally restrained, biologically, within their breeding circumstance and when we consider their natural habitats, and manage them appropriately; thereby, rather than the way they are being managed to destruction currently, with a single-species priority (cattle) type of economic ecology theory that simply show us time and again, this process, this theory, simply does not work.

But, the very serious problem we have today, is the BLM and Department of the Interior, their oversite agency, ignores biology entirely, and approaches the Wild Horse situation, as well as our ecological habitats, within a special interest driven situation.  Then it is combined with a political-motivated confusion-of-reality context, and the cost of simply managing our Federal Lands develops into $-millions of dollars, often into $-billions of dollars, from what is nothing more than a causation, derived from simple ignorance.

Limiting Factors of Growth

So, we can now go to the Natural World of wildlife, and we discover the reality, that “limiting factors” inhibit uncontrolled growth.  By now you have far more knowledge in biology than the common BLM employee, and their way-ward perception of wild horse management; but, as you will see further, their perceptions are very destructive, and cost the taxpayers far more in management-dollars, when compared to the reality of very little management required, and, within a matter of fact context, many of the things they do under the guise of management is simply considered frivolous activity = quite costly.

Getting back now to “limiting factors” is the reality of availability of food and the competition for that food.  What we see on our Public Lands are unhealthy ecological habitats, due to a single-species priority of a non-indigenous nature = Cattle.  There does exist bears cougars, and wolves, which are Apex Predators and real-time priorities within an ecological habitat that upholds a healthy process or living standard.  BLM and others, due to their money-trains, state there exist no predation circumstance in Nevada, for example.  But that is untrue, when we look at the NF&G, and their increased permits to hunt the Apex Predators for population control, and their documentation to support the increase of permits within population removal of the same Apex Predators.

Worse yet, we see a significant over-abundance of cattle, as many technical reports and articles by knowledgeable researchers and ecologists explain very thoroughly.  Then in walks the very lack of knowledge from a BLM employee, and with a smile and totally ignorant, states, “. . . well shoot, heck no there’s no over-abundance of cattle on Public Lands, not that we know of.”  And indeed, that particular person may enjoy his or her status of being ignorant, without even knowing the truth.

Thereby, the problem of misinformation, and actually when one dwells into the legal aspect, would be considered fraudulent activity, as it is basically false information given to the public as well as to Senators and Congressmen, to acquire their Federal Taxpayer Supported budgets for the year.  One can even consider the RICO Act, as it is also, when considering the 2 banks involved making billions of dollars in holding grazing permits as collateral for what is termed Welfare Ranching, and we have organized crime – combined with a very corrupt government agency.

I am pointing out the difficulty here, that creates a low-standard of management principles, that generates a far less situation of healthy ecological habitats, above and beyond Nature’s Ways of going about the business of wildlife survival.  Yes, BLM’s methods toward management of our Public Lands remains in direct conflict with Mother Nature, and her methodologies.  Under their type of management, ironically, Wild Horses do not flourish, they cannot do so under such unhealthy circumstances.  So, the BLM counts, just within principle and known science, or lands management principles, proves that BLM Wild Horse Herd Counts are nothing more than biological impossibilities – then we do fly-overs, and confirm the matter of their erroneous horse counts, which are indeed misinformation in total.

Logistical Growth

Once again, we run across Nature’s way of doing things, and getting it done quite well, far and above the human species intervention, which most often develops into a travesty of our Natural Environmental Landscape.  But the same situation exists within populations of wildlife, whereas, founding populations do grow (i.e. wolves for example, or cougar, or coyotes) quickly – but over a short-time period, as they encounter limiting factors, growth levels off.

This is why, scientifically, many of us are against these killing-contest of coyote, as it basically bites the nose off of one’s face to spite themselves.  Coyotes, for example, within their “founding” circumstance multiply exponentially, then after awhile will level off to a habitat-controlled circumstance of population resistance – yes, Mother Nature again, at her finest.  Then a kill-off takes place, of the coyote (as one example of many others), and the “founding” period is started all over again, an out of balance with nature circumstance.

The point at which the wildlife population size is within balance with its resources is referred to as “equilibrium.” This is beneficial, and happens when the number of individuals, or species groups for that matter and within a habitat, can and does support very well the species that lives within that habitat, and the “carrying-capacity” of that species, or all of the species within it.  Noticeable is the fact we are on the road to proper management, and again the Natural Process of things click-into-action, so to speak.

A look further in Carrying Capacity

Here is where the rubber meets the road.  We have found two types of carrying-capacities that can explain this very easily.

1. Organisms, or species, that live within an unstable, or dangerous environment tend to become short-lived. They become within an explanation type of situation, always at the “founding” level of their environment.  Their growth can become exponential until the habitat improves, or they can become a travesty and destroy the habitat, due to over-population – such as the non-indigenous Cattle herds are doing (provable and factual as shown within good science, not motivated by political or money-train special interest situations).  So yes, we have a simple biological and nature-driven resolution, less-costly to boot, and very provable, but totally unknown, ironically, to BLM employees responsible for our Public Lands Management currently;
2. Species within a healthy Ecological Habitat have fewer offspring, as good science shows us quite often – these species reproduce later in life, and in the matters of wild horses, some mares come into season, others do not (assuredly, 100% of mares do not come into season 100% of the time and is fraudulent information at the least – the same with Wild Horses live forever = ridiculous, and very ignorant to state as a fact), which is a biological circumstance directly involved with a healthy or semi-healthy habitat – and there exists more time and resources in raising their young, and where the health of their offspring plays a bigger role in reproductive success, than does the actual number of offspring, which becomes less over time.

As within anything in nature, we do find inconsistencies, but not that often within a healthy ecological habitat.  Taking a closer look at Wild Horses, we can find consistency, and lower birth rates when in a healthy environment, where diversity does exist.  The wild horses then move to the “equilibrium” state, or as mentioned above, . . . into a beneficial circumstance, and happens when the number of individuals, or species groups for that matter and within a habitat, can and does support very well the species (diversity and not a single-species priority situation) that lives within that habitat, and the “carrying-capacity” of that species, or all of the species within it (i.e. diversity again).  Noticeable here, but not on our Federal Lands, is the fact we are on the road to proper management, and again the Natural Process of things click-into-action, so to speak.

CONCLUSION

Much more can be written in the matters of this subject alone.  But, what we are seeing today is a disruption in our ecological Habitats, that eventually, in nature’s time, escalates to the entire Environmental Landscape, and yes, we have some serious problems.

It is a disgusting circumstance that wildlife and animal advocate organizations are taking part in the ignorance of BLM information, and establishing money-trains, I might add very awkwardly, and very ignorantly as well.

Ol Bob, logger, wrangler — had something to say about it, of course, “Well, John, those people would not know a good situation, even if it grabbed them in the ass.”

Yes, often we neglect the reality of what Nature can do and provide to us.  Somehow there exist those people who feel entitled, above and beyond their obvious ignorance, and claim they know everything.  Well, in this case they do not, and it is time to stand up to them, and all ignorance for that matter, as America is being torn apart due to the ignorance that is so common today, and about everything, it seems, the Wild Horses symbolic of that exact situation.  But one thing for sure, we need to stop sacrificing America’s Wild Horses for ignorance.

Decades ago Aldo Leopold experimented with deer population within one ecological habitat. Within his wolf and deer management experiment, he learned, or should I say he realized within his growth as an Ecologist, his experiment failed. He grew to understand, as we all do over time and when we allow nature to provide us with information above and beyond what even our belief system gives us, that human activities impact our environment entirely. There is a flow, a relationship or patterns that cannot be ignored any longer.

We have many more problems, compounded today, than during Leopold’s times, and it is time we confront them – and the Wild Horse’s on Public Lands situation can be used here as a metaphoric guide, so to speak, of misinformed human-activities – versus — nature and how we ignore nature’s relationships. Some refer to this as nature’s-energy, and which some understand and others, well, simply choose to remain ignorant.

Leopold realized the overly violent removal of wolves created cross-scale spillovers. It challenged him and others, to the point of change. What he thought as constant, was not that at all, but his actions proved more of an inconsistent nature, which promoted via his actions, destruction of an entire habitat.

Learning through our errors is what life is all about. Standing up and admitting our errors, difficult at best, but doable. And as with Leopold, a better circumstance develops – with Leopold we ventured into his realm in, “Thinking Like a Mountain.” The difference between then and now, as it was discussed in other readings I perused, is we now must “Think Like a Planet,” and understand just what relationships we must deal with, in nature, within both wildlife and vegetation, and oceans and rivers alike.

Yes, all is connected, and we must redefine our place as humans, as not of supremacy, but of yet another species that can, and willing I suppose, to work within nature’s relationships – and to realize that it is our supremacy mind-set, our rapidity and violence of our activities that are now spilling over into destroying our natural habitats, our rain forests, and our public lands. Yes, our Wildlife Game Management Paradigms as well as our Range Management and Wildlife Management models are not working any longer. We have stepped into a world where change is required on our planet, or extinction follows.

Ecology and Mother Nature

As Leopold had discovered, or as he realized his mind-set was in need of change, in order to encompass the entirety of our natural environment, perhaps his hard-learned advice was:

“. . . when undertaking or risking major structural changes in larger systems, first, act experimentally, creating limited controls and carefully observing changes to larger, normally slow-moving systems; and,

. . . secondly, do not act irreversibly until you understand the likely consequences of your actions.” — Leopold, Think Like a Mountain

We can see now the structural analogy between the expansion of consciousness that is needed today, that enables us to self-critically reject one metaphor and the values it represented, in favor of a more, all-inclusive situation – that of the Mountain.

Now we step forward and into the term malicious-science, which is science drawn from opinion only, which, we find within the use of Pesticide PZP. We also find disorder, chaos in record keeping, and darting of wild horses a very disorganized methodology derived from bad-science. As the darters go into the field, many find the fact of not knowing whether or not particular mares had been darted, and also find Stallions had been darted with the Pesticide PZP. Incompetence? Absolutely! Irresponsible? Absolutely! There is much, much more negative than positive within the use of this Pesticide on our Public Lands, and corruption also, but on with this discussion.

It seems that the term “getting it right” is not of value when dealing with the government agencies that are paid millions in tax dollars to manage, not kill and lead to extinction, America’s Wild Horses. We look at the Bureau of Land Management as well as the USDA Forestry, and find their Economic Ecology to be misleading, and to be very inaccurate. Their Range Management nothing more than a broken paradigm or irrelevant model. There seems to be no understanding within either agency, in the matters of scaling the circumstance for correct modeling, or management; nor any mind-set at all toward the relationship of the wild horses to many different ecological habitats, nor, toward any type of Biodiversity what so ever – as if these situations did not exist.

We can say ignorance plays a roll in the modeling of wild horse management within these government agencies, but that becomes metaphoric as well, but inaccurate, as there is also hatred and an odd complex of special-interests only mind-sets that Leopold also had within his deer experimentation. Although, Leopold understood his errors, and become an advocate toward making better the relationships, he at first overlooked within nature. He established an ethical point of view, that we all see now, worthy and necessary in his approach, and even our approach today within wildlife and Ecological Habitat design and management principles. Obviously to us all, he left us with an insight, a simile that can apply to many different situations.

Wildlife and Habitat Dynamics

In order to recognize a specific sign, an observer or researcher, often has a preconceived image of what a typical sign looks like. Such a typical sign will he defined by certain characteristics which enable us to recognize specific patterns in signs with corresponding characteristics. Without such preconceived images many signs may be overlooked. However, with a preconceived image of a specific animal’s spoor (e.g. used here as the track or scent of an animal, in this discussion wild horses) in mind, an observer will tend to ‘recognize’ spoor in markings made by another animal, or even in random markings.

Their mind will be prejudiced to see what they want to see, and in order to avoid making such errors they must be careful not to reach decisions too soon. Decisions made at a glance can often be erroneous, so when encountering new signs, time should be taken to study them in detail.

To state wild horses are destroying our Public Lands, remains a choice of ignorance, over the more logical spoor, or science methodology of meticulous observation. Evidence is also required, but there is no evidence given by BLM or Forestry personnel in the field – just rhetoric.

While preconceived images may help to recognize signs, the observer must, however, avoid the preconditioned tendency to look for one set of things in the environment to the exclusion of all others. If one goes out with the intention of seeing a particular set of things, the mind is shut off from everything else. Researchers need to vary their vision in order to see new things.

It would be easily seen how special interest data gathering, or malicious research develops, from the above. For example, Rancher’s/Public Lands Managers see nothing more in the habitat than predators that may hurt, or even kill cattle. From then onward the ecology will be in danger of over-production of the raw material, or the graze; because, in the Rancher’s/Public Lands Manager’s mind-set, there is nothing else that really exists – or by some, to hell with anything and everything except cattle. Paramount destruction follows. Sadly, the BLM and Forestry support such endeavors, and at the cost of America’s Wild Horses, who are being take to extinction, and easily seen within the dynamics, or lack of, today’s wild horse management paradigms, and actions that follow.

Shift in Metaphors

There is a transformation taking place, and the two government agencies as well as what is referred to as “Welfare Ranching,” not only remain uncomfortable with the facts of truth, but fight it at every clash when a shift of metaphor transpires. The supposed productive factory metaphor, or what we refer to as the over-consumptive reaping of nature’s raw material (grass and grazing lands) and when nothing left simply move on to another habitat (destruction at its very worst), ignores the fact of seeing land as a “fountain of energy” that when used properly, can accommodate many. So why lie – which merely states corruption involved.

But this “Fountain of Energy” metaphor is both dynamic, and emphasizing energy flow and process, and yet also integrative. Where it does not replace the ecosystem-as-productive-factory metaphorically, it does shed a little light on the nature’s-raw-materials metaphor, and how our lands are being misused, destructively at best.

These terms, in real-time, can and does relocate productivity for a much larger use, within a larger system of food-chains (both Ecologically and eventually to the slower moving Environmental Landscapes) within an “energy-flow” context. Many of us would like to develop further, a much larger ecological system within our Public Lands, where it can fulfill its Multiple-Use paradigm, within a production context, while stabilizing and renewing wilderness areas (diversity of wildlife – top-down trophic cascades, and of course some bottom-up classifications as well) where the wild horses can still run free, as well as wolves and other species alike. Relationships are built on situations, or ideologies, such as this aforementioned, which become a far more superior model of managing our Public Lands. Simple ignorance leads our Public Lands to destruction, and non-fulfilled margins of Multiple-Use Lands – which is the designation of our Public Lands anyway.

Conclusively

We need to progress, from the utilitarian-only management mind-set to a superior modeling practice and process of Ecology-Guided multi-scaled management paradigms, and for government agencies to take responsibility for all impacts of management choices. Yes, it is time to rid our government agencies of employees who have become irresponsible, and agencies fraught with misconduct and corruption.

Yes, learning to think like a mountain, but even expand upon that, and we must start thinking like a planet, and consider all the different levels of natural situations, as well as human-made problems which are devastating our planet currently, that can be resolved through an understanding of our relationship with nature itself.

We need to replace the economic models, that have been corrupted, and never really worked anyway, due to not understanding the relationship we need to have with nature, and the prevalent raw materials available to us. Take what we need, and leave the rest, for growth, for the future. Production and consumption is no longer on the negotiating table, because we now have limited raw materials to use.

We must reorient our thinking, and using the wild horses as our guide, toward enhancing our environmental system in its entirety, by improving the smaller ecological habitats, which will eventually become healthy, and slowly reintegrate within the overall landscape. This reintegrates the processes that many habitats depend upon, and into a more viable, a more complex system that will support the continuance of our human society, and generate quality into the life of not only the human species, but nature itself. . .