6 I The Lovell Chronicle I December 11,2014
BY PATrl CARPENTER
Wild horse advocates
across the country are not
pleased with Gov. Matt
Mead this week after his
announcement that the
State of Wyoming has filed
a lawsuit against the U.S
Bureau of Land Manage-
ment (BLM) over wild hors-
es in the state.
In a joint press release
peppered with heated re-
sponses issued just days af-
ter Gov. Mead's announce-
ment, numerous wild horse
advocacy groups and oth-
er interested parties criti-
cized the move as "lacking
merit and a waste of state
resources."
In a press release is-
sued earlier in the week,
Mead expressed his con-
cern that "Excess wild hors-
es in Wyoming can harm
the habitats used by other
wildlife species, including
sage-grouse, antelope, deer
and elk" and that "Over-
grazing caused by overpop-
ulation threatens all ani-
mals including horses."
"Gov. Mead's legal ma-
neuver is a blatant attempt
to scapegoat the small num-
ber of wild horses that re-
main in Wyoming for envi-
ronmental damage caused
by massive livestock graz-
ing and commercial devel-
opment of the public range-
lands," said Suzanne Roy,
Director of the American
Wild Horse Preservation
Campaign, based in North
Carolina. "It's an attempt
to secure more government
subsidies for commercial
interests that dominate
the public lands at the ex-
pense of wildlife, including
America's iconic and feder-
ally-protected wild horses."
Mead justified the law-
suit by noting that "The
Wild Free-Roaming Horses
e
The Lovell Area Cham-
ber of Commerce general
membership meeting will
be held Monday, Dec. 15, at
noon at the Brandin' Iron
restaurant.
The luncheon will fea-
ture Steve Keil, president
and Burros Act requires the
BLM to manage wild horses
below previously set appro-
priate levels and to remove
excess horses when popu-
lations exceed those levels.
Herds will continue to ex-
ponentially grow beyond
what the BLM determined
is ecologically appropriate
for each herd management
area (HMA). These herds
have population growth
rates that range from as
low as 25 percent to as high
as 58 percent each year.
Horses often stray from
HMAs onto state and pri-
vate land."
Ginger Kathrens, Exc-
utive Director of the Cloud
Foundation, based in Colo-
rado, and a longtime advo-
cate for the Pryor Mountain
Wild Horses, countered the
statistics issued by Mead's
office with her own.
"Statewide, wild horse
numbers are far below the
high appropriate manage-
ment Level of 3,722, so I
am left scratching my head
on why Gov. Mead chose to
sue the BLM," said Kath-
rens. "Our question to Gov.
Mead is, how many head
of livestock graze with-
in the 3.6 million acres in
wild horse herd manage-
ment areas and what is the
cost to the American tax-
payer of subsidizing feder-
al livestock grazing on all
public lands in the state of
Wyoming? Blaming around
2,500 wild horses for range
damage in light of mas-
sive energy development
and grazing by hundreds
of thousands of private-
ly-owned cattle and sheep
simply makes no sense."
"The lawsuit asks the
court to force the BLM to
manage wild horses in Wy-
oming as required by the
Wild Free-Ro lming Horses
of Friends of Bighorn Lake.
He will be talking about the
2015 management of Big-
horn Canyon National Rec-
reation Area and encourag-
ing local residents to speak
up and comment on the Bu-
reau of Reclamation oper-
and Burros Act," Gov. Mead
said in a statement issued
to the press. "It is my be-
lief, and the belief of oth-
er western governors, that
the BLM does not have the
resources to manage wild
horses effectively. By fil-
ing suit it sends a message
that wild horse manage-
ment is a priority and the
BLM must be provided the
funding necessary to man-
age them."
"This lawsuit reveals
a deep-seated hostility to-
ward wild horses -- which
are protected by federal law
and cherished by the Amer-
ican public - and a desire
to eradicate them from the
Wyoming landscape," said
Neda DeMayo, founder and
CEO of Return to Free-
dom, a California-based or-
ganization. "It's devoid of
merit and wasteful of pub-
lic resources. We are com-
mitted to continuing to de-
fend Wyoming's wild horses
in federal court from these
assaults by ranchers and
their political allies who
want to wipe out wild hors-
es from the Western range."
"Governor Mead's plan
for Wyoming will leave
a special interest waste-
land devoid of wild horses,
with drilling pad after drill-
ing pad and public lands
grazed down to the dirt by
livestock," said Carol Walk-
er of Living Images Pho-
tography, who has exten-
sively documented the lives
of wild horses in Wyoming.
"What the Governor fails to
understand is that these are
not Wyoming's wild horses
nor do these public lands be-
long to Wyoming - the wild
horses and the public land
belong to all of us, the tax-
paying citizens of the Unit-
ed States of America."
"What is happening in
ation plans for lake levels
and management.
Christy Fleming with
the National Park Service
will be discussing the 2016
NPS Centennial events.
She will also conduct an in-
formal discussion on camp-
Wyoming is criminal. It vi-
olates federal laws that pro-
tect our dwindling remain-
ing wild horses and goes
against what many Amer-
icans have spoken for and
supported," said Kimerlee
Curyl, a wild horse photog-
rapher who has also spent
time in Wyoming. "Advo-
cates and scientists alike
have provided cost effective
ideas to help manage the
herds numbers, the range
health and the genetic via-
bility of these animals, yet
no one even tries to imple-
ment anything new."
According to a state-
ment issued in the joint re-
lease by the advocates this
week the advocates stated,
"The governoFs decision to
expend public resources on
a lawsuit against the BLM
is inexplicable in light of the
facts."
Advocates claim that
fewer than 2,500 wild hors-
es remain in the entire state
of Wyoming and grazing on
just 2 percent of the land
grazed by livestock. They
also state in their release
that the wild horses are re-
stricted to 3.2 million acres
of public rangelands in Wy-
oming, while livestock graze
on as many as 18 million
acres and counter the claim
that the wild horse popula-
tion in Wyoming is above
the "appropriate manage-
ment levels" set by the BLM,
claiming the population is
actually below the designat-
ed levels set by the BLM
According to the gover-
nor's office, the lawsuit has
been filed. It is unclear how
the lawsuit could potential-
ly affect the Pryor Moun-
tain Wild Horses, since their
range is located mostly in
Montana with a small part
in Wyoming, just outside of
Lovell.
ground fees in the Bighorn
Canyon.
As a reminder, the pub-
lic is always invited to at-
tend the luncheons. Call the
Chamber Office at 548-7552
or email lovell@tctwest.net
for more information.
Jerry Bellmyer
Bellmyer joins RMHS staff
BY PATti CARPENTER
Jerry Bellmyer joined the staff of Rocky Mountain
High School this fall as a special education resource
teacher and case manager for 13 students.
He said his role is to offer support to both students
and teachers for IP (individual plan) students. Bellmy-
er has extensive experience in this role, having worked
for many years in special education, most recently in
Illinois.
He earned his undergraduate degree from Oklaho-
ma Christian College and his master's degree in spe-
cial education from Illinois State College. In addition
to earning his credentials in the special education field,
Bellmyer also majored in adaptive physical education
for handicapped students.
So far, he said he loves the small community of Cow-
ley, especially the small class sizes compared to his ex-
perience working in a bigger city.
"The small class size really allows teachers to tune
in to .the individual needs of students," he said. "I feel
very fortunate to be here in a school where everyone is
on the same page in terms of procedures in the class-
room and everyone is helpful and extremely friendly."
Bellmyer said he hopes he can help his students
be successful in school and to be prepared for the real
world. He emphasized that the "real world" to him in-
cludes college and meaningful work.
An avid outdoorsman, Bellmyer said moving to Wy-
oming has been like a dream come true with its am-
ple opportunity for hunting, fishing and ATV and horse-
back riding. He said once he gets settled in, he hopes to
enjoy more of those activities in his spare time.
Opening Monday, Dec. 15, 2014
MY PRIVATE GALLERY
Landscapes from the American West
Open Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1-5 pm
295 Carmon Ave., Lovell
Or by private appointment. Call 406-855-0234
Richard Morrison
[I]ITll]UTg
OF TRUSTEE
Meeting of the Board
for December 16, 2014 has
location of this meeting.
held at the Brandin' Iron
Wyoming at 6:30 [
Silver Bits 8 Spurs!
Jeweled Hat
Trim Band
Winter Build Sale
BUILDING CORP. Building relationships in communities throughout
the U.S. for more than 36 Yearsl :.:
BUILDING SPECIALS!
30'x40'x13' • $15,489
42'x72'x15' • $27,669
60'x96'x17' • $52,328
CALL US FOR A FREE CONSULTATIONI
Cody, WY
(307)587-5493
FEATURING: ~ FA.B~A.L
Building pictured is not priced in ad.
Crew travel required over 50 miles. Local
building code modifications extra. Price
subject to change without notice.
ClearyBuilding.com • 800-373-5550
' '.'C. ' " ' " "-.: ~"
2/'~ Up, ¢,OU~ 6ome a,,a
