Regional Briefs: Rancho Santa Fe oral history; Rep. Bilbray v. health care bill; Madeleine Pickens takes on the BLM on behalf of mustangs; Robert Vicino wants Del Mar Fairgrounds deal to benfit all...
(Photo: Steve Schuster, RSF Historical Society, interviews longtime Rancho resident Ellie Johns at RSF Library)
Last summer the Rancho Santa Fe Library and Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society decided to double-team local history with an oral history project.
It's proceeding surely, if slowly, with about a half-dozen old school homeys giving their recollections and thoughts about the community . The interviews will be transcribed and stored at the society. A DVD also will be produced presenting the interviews in more dramatic form.
Anyone wishing to share Rancho Santa Fe memories or otherwise participate in the project should contact the library staff.
A sound-bite from the interview with Ellie Johns is available at: http://ia700103.us.archive.org/2/items/ClipFromEllieInterview/EllieClip3.mp3
The librarty hosts a bamboo jewelry craft workshop at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 15. All supplies are furnished to make a bamboo tile bracelet or pendant. For more information on library events visit: http://ranchosantafelibrary.wordpress.com/
In this MegaVote for California's 50th Congressional District: Brian Bilbray, 50th Cong. Dist. Republican voted:
Health Care Repeal Rule - Vote Passed (236-181, 2 Present, 15 Not Voting)
The House approved the rules for debating H.R.2, the bill to repeal the 2010 health care law. The rules provide for seven hours of floor debate. The vote on H.R.2, which was scheduled for Jan. 12, was postponed following Saturdays shootings in Tucson, AZ.
Rep. Brian Bilbray voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Reducing the amount authorized for salaries and expenses - Vote Passed (408-13, 11 Not Voting)
The House voted to reduce operating expenses for lawmakers and committee offices. Budgets for House salaries and office expenses in 2011 and 2012 will be 5 percent less than the 2010 level.
Rep. Brian Bilbray voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Madeleine Pickens to the Bureau of Land Management: Step off those wild mustangs at Antelope Complex
Dear Friends, I have previously submitted a proposal to Bob Abbey to postpone this gather that directly affects the wild horses on the future site of the eco-sanctuary that we are developing in Nevada and allow me to construct my own holding facilities on the private lands, that I have already purchased for the horses; which are adjacent to the Antelope Complex. This would also be a considerable savings to American taxpayers and the government in many ways. Sincerely, Madeleine
TAKE ACTION NOW BY CLICKING HERE
Here is the letter that was sent to Bob Abbey, Director of the BLM:
Mr. Bob Abbey, Director
Bureau of Land Management
1849 C Street NW, Rm. 5665
Washington DC 20240 January 11, 2011
Dear Mr. Abbey,
We the undersigned organizations urge the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to postpone the Antelope Complex gather, which will permanently remove 1,917-2,278 wild horses from the 1.3 million-acre range in northeastern Nevada, beginning in January 2011. It is our understanding that the non-profit Saving America's Mustangs, which recently purchased two ranches within and adjacent to the Antelope Complex, has offered to provide short and long-term holding for all of the wild horses scheduled for removal in the Antelope gather. This offer would save taxpayers money by averting the costs associated with shipping horses thousands of miles to long-term holding facilities in the Midwest. It also provides savings in direct holding costs, both short-term and over the life of the horses, since some could potentially be returned to the range as Saving America’s Mustangs’ plan to build an eco-sanctuary in the area proceeds.
In light of the above, we specifically request that BLM take the following actions:
• Postpone the Antelope gather until Fall to coincide with optimal conditions for a safe capture operation and Saving America’s Mustangs’ ability to receive the horses.
• Place all horses gathered in the Antelope operation in holding facilities constructed on the Mrs. Pickens’ private lands within and adjacent to the Antelope Complex instead of transferring them to long-term holding facilities in the Midwest.
Any concerns about water shortages should be eased by the fact that livestock grazing in the area has been reduced. In fact, there has been no livestock grazing on the allotments associated with Mrs. Pickens’ ranches since June 2010.
BLM’s plan to proceed with a late-January gather in the Antelope Complex makes no fiscal or operational sense. Antelope horses will be captured during treacherous winter conditions and shipped thousands of miles to the Midwest, instead of being gathered at a safer time of year and held on adjacent private lands that will eventually become part of larger wild horse eco-sanctuary.
Everyone from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, to the Government Accountability Office, to the U.S. Congress has pointed to the need for BLM to seek alternatives to costly off-the-range holding of wild horses. Mrs. Pickens proposal offers the BLM the opportunity to initiate such alternatives sooner, rather than later. Implementing this alternative holding model now will not only benefit the Antelope horses, but will also have taxpayers significant funds while boosting the rural economy in the Elko, Nevada area.
Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to a prompt reply.
Sincerely,
Matt Bershadker, Senior VP Anti Cruelty, ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
Stephanie Boyles, Wildlife Scientist, Wildlife and Habitat Protection, The Humane Society of the United States
Jon Marvel, Executive Director, Western Watersheds Project
Ginger Kathrens, Executive Director, The Cloud Foundation
Anand Ramanathan, BVSc, MS, Executive Director, In Defense of Animals
Neda DeMayo, CEO, Return to Freedom
Jill Starr, Founder and President, Lifesavers Wild horse Rescue
Karen Sussman, Director, International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros
Patricia Fazio, Ph.D., Director, Wyoming Wild Horse Coalition
Suzanne Roy, Campaign Director, American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign
ANOTHER OPINION: ROBERT VICINO WANTS THE FAIRGROUNDS DEAL TO BENEFIT EVERYONE
BY ROBERT C. VICINO:
The city of Solana Beach held a press conference on Jan. 4, 2011 atop Solana Circle overlooking the Del Mar Race Track. They announced their concern for the Joint Powers Authority to oversee the future operations of the fairgrounds when, and if, Del Mar or any other agency purchases it from the state of California. Mayor Heebner did a terrific job of presenting the broader scope and need for control of this historic asset.
However, what was not said is there needs to be an assurance that:
• The facility will always be used for the greatest public benefit and access.
• There will always be a transparent and competitive public process to all appointments, bids, contracts, leases and development.
• No sweetheart deals will be made, including the proposed “Horseman lease” of the race track complex.
• All proceeds will remain within the JPA entity without distribution to any city or agency, other than for reimbursement for services.
The key is to make this regional amenity a mutual benefit for all, not for the manipulation of the power hungry few that typically leads to corruption and backroom deals. Somehow, I get the impression that the wolves, or is that the land sharks “are at the gate.” Slow this race for power and control down so we are not relying on a photo finish. Here’s to a JPA, so that the fairgrounds continues to be a public amenity and an asset for all that Bing would be proud of!
