Letter: BLM has earned level of distrust

Monday, Aug. 30, 1999 | 9:15 a.m.

There is good reason to mistrust the BLM. It was under BLM management that overgrazing of Red Rock Canyon by cattle occurred. Now much of the blame is being placed on the wild horses and burros instead of on poor past management?

There has to my knowledge been only one study done concerning the poor condition of the much-touted riparian areas. For a proposal that has as much impact as removing wild horses and burros, one study -- conducted by the agency that has everything to gain by supporting removal -- is ludicrous.

It is also difficult to trust an agency whose spokesman -- in this case Dave Wolf -- sat in front of a group of people, including candidates for mayor of Las Vegas, and stated in no uncertain terms that if he had his way there would be no more horses or burros in Red Rock Canyon.

No, Mr. Huxman, I do not trust the BLM. The BLM cannot be trusted. We, the public which owns the lands the BLM is supposed to manage, must be constantly vigilant in our oversight of this agency to prevent further abuses and mismanagement. The BLM, as do other government agencies, occasionally forgets it exists at the largess of the citizens of this country, not the other way around.

LINDSAY CAMPBELL

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