William E. Simpson II’s email to ackson County Commissioners, et. al, discussing that some people want to make wildfires and toxic smoke worse
Q2 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
Dear Jackson County Commissioners, et. al:
At a time when prodigious grass and brush are the accelerants fueling deadly wildfires from the valley floors to the tops of the mountains, devastating our communities and killing our citizens while covering our communities in TOXIC smoke, we have some lame-brained people actually removing large-bodied herbivores (wild horses) from our benefit on the landscape, each of which consumes 35-pounds of grass and brush per day, 365-days a year, for free.
The best science states that we need more large-bodied herbivores on the landscape reducing grass and brush, not less.... it's just insane to remove these lovely native wild horses into captivity and then charge taxpayers millions of dollars annually to warehouse and feed them GRASS!
Two local cattle ranchers with small-time operations who allegedly have some connections to the Green Diamond Resource Company, have asked the BLM office that controls the Pokegama Wild Horse Herd Management Area (HMA) to bait and trap OUR local wild horses!
As some readers may recall, Laura Simpson gave her own life protecting these same wild horses during the Klamathon Wildfire in 2018, wild horses that helped to save the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument via their grazing and fuels reduction there, which reduced the intensity of the fire in the areas where they grazed.
It seems these ranchers (who have cattle free ranging in Siskiyou (CA), Jackson, and Klamath counties, may be trying to firewall themselves from their own questionable actions and greed-driven motive by using a 'front' company in their complaint to the BLM,
It seems that these ranchers lost their fencing integrity along their private property in Siskiyou and Jackson Counties and elsewhere during the Oregon Gulch Fire of 2014, and since then, they allege that some of the local wild horses have wandered into their grazing area and are eating their grass.
The ranchers are required by law to maintain their fencing to 'fence-out' any animals they don't want coming on their private property. This is a fact, otherwise, when their cattle wander onto other nearby lands in Siskiyou, Jackson or Klamath counties on the open range, those property owns could arguably by the same standard (fences not needed) being employed, bait and trap their cattle and remove them to another location.
Under the Open Range Policies of both Siskiyou County, CA and Jackson County Oregon, these ranchers have a duty to maintain their fences to a standard that will turn away livestock; they have not done so.
And when no such fence is present, then property owner(s) have no right to take up stray livestock unless the property is properly fenced. The fence must be good and substantial. I am informed by a family member of the ranchers that their fence has lost its integrity due to wildfire damage sustained during the Oregon Gulch Fire of 2014.
These two ranchers have arguably aligned with Green Diamond Resource Company and with the BLM to get their dirty work done...
Basic Open-Range Law Points: (Lassen, Modoc, Siskiyou, Plumas, Sierra and parts of Shasta County have open grazing laws; these counties are located in the far northern part of California); also Jackson and Klamath County.
Type of Land
Open range applies to privately owned and public land. The Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service administer much of the open range land.
Gathering Stray Livestock
California Government Food and Agriculture Code Sections 17121 to 17128 mandate the property owner has no right to take up stray livestock unless the property is properly fenced. The fence must be good and substantial.
Type of Fence
The property owner must construct a fence at least four feet high, with firmly anchored posts no further than one rod (16.5 feet) apart. The fence must have three tightly stretched barbed wires or something similar and be strong enough to turn livestock.
Some of the same horses you have come to know and love at our Facebook page (Dark Stallions) are now in jeopardy of losing their freedom and families... NEXT WEEK THIS TRAVESTY BEGINS!
WE MUST STOP THIS INSANITY AND GREED!: So that a couple ranchers can make a few more dollars, tens of thousands of YOUR constituents will suffer the horrific effects of wildfire and toxic smoke.
This roundup (aka: 'gather') is wrongheaded and it's underhanded given its devious timing; when people in the affected region are running for their lives due to wildfires and are distracted and unable to timely comment to the appropriate parties.
Jackson County should publicly condemn this action since the best science states (herein below) that the actions by the BLM and these 2-ranchers (and Green Diamond Resource Company) will further adversely affect the health, safety and welfare of your citizens.
Oregon State University forest ecology professor Dr. William J. Ripple's study is quite revealing: 'Collapse of the world’s largest herbivores'
