READER'S EDITORIAL: BLM SHOULD TURN OVER DEED FOR TRANSFER OF SAN DIEGO'S LAST WILD HORSES

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Editor’s note:  We first wrote about Kathleen Hayden’s efforts to restore the Coyote Canyon heritage herd of wild horses locally in January 2013. Read article. But in July 2013, she was served with an eviction notice and forced to  give up the last descendants of San Diego’s wild horses. Despite a 2012  support  letter from Congressman Darrell Issa and a 2014 letter from a genetics expert confirming that the horses are rare and of historic significance as descendants of Spanish Colonial horses,  the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has done nothing to protect or return them--and now is not turning over the deed of transfer, Hayden says  Now she has penned an open letter to  the House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop questioning the legality of the transfer.

Dear Chairman Bishop,

Please investigate the transfer of the BLM Federal CA Coyote Canyon Wild Horse Herd area (20,000 acres)  to CA Anza Borrego Desert State Park.  In response to Ca State Senator Joel Anderson's request for the deed, Parks claim it doesn't exist.

BLM has also refused to provide the deed upon Congress Darrell Issa's request.

Also BLM refused to produce the deed to me per FOIA..

I believe the  conversion of a federal designated Herd area was done without FLPMA, NEPA, ESA and NHPA sec 106 compliance.

The alleged transfer resulted in the extinction of the last Native American Heritage herd in So. CA. ( only 39 head) , an evolution of Spanish occupation, Native American Ranching, and western settlement: the very intent of the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act Sec 106.  My statement is provided by Cambridge Press, Prospective from the field.https://www.google.com/search...

Respectfully submitted

Kathleen Hayden

Coyote Canyon Caballos d’Anza Inc non profit

PO Box 236

Santa Ysabel, CA 92070

The opinions in this letter reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.

 


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