http://www.desertdispatch.com/2006/113681888286083.html
  Monday, January 9, 2006

Letters to the Editor Ranching a problem in the West, not wildlife

  Regarding your editorial on wildlife and the west ("Problems arise
when Eastern urbanites dictate Western land issues"), we are not
over-populated with wild horses. We are overpopulated with cows! Why
does the press keep repeating this Bureau of Land Management
overpopulation wild horse lie?

  And speaking of not understanding wolves, there would never be a wild
animal population problem on our public lands if the BLM would just
quit killing off all the predators as well! (as requested by the cattle
ranchers)

  This is not a land "misunderstanding" by animal rights people or city
people or eastern politicians. This is a lie being told by the BLM and
the federal government.

  Check out the numbers for yourself. Ask the BLM, they don't deny it.
There is one wild horse for every 150 cows on our public-owned lands,
and less as the wild horse round-ups continue. The numbers are a joke!
Some western states have only a few dozen wild horses left -- some now
have none!

  This is the American people's land and the wild animals' land, not the
rich cattle ranchers land, who lease it for such low prices that it is
a joke.

  Not everyone who lives in rural areas is a cattle rancher. Some of us
just love the peace and quiet and wild animals. But you would never
know that from the slant of your editorial.

  The truth is cattle are not good for our economy, our health or our
lands. We need to start managing our world like intelligent human
beings and end such practices as welfare ranching and leave our wild
lands and wild horses alone.

  Or has the American dream really turned into nothing but Wal-Marts and
housing developments and sea to shining sea -- cattle lots?

Nylene W. Schoellhorn

Silver Springs, Nev.