Interior Department
Sales to save wild horses sent them to slaughter instead
From 2008 to 2012, the Interior Department sold 1,794 wild horses for $10 apiece through a program intended to find homes for the animals and prevent overgrazing of federal rangeland. Colorado rancher Tom Davis was required by law to promise that he would not sell the horses for slaughter, says the Washington Post.
Broader program to preserve Southwestern willow flycatcher
The Agriculture and Interior departments unveiled an eco-system-wide program to enhance habitat for threatened and endangered species in the U.S. Southwest.
U.S. directs $150 million in forest, drought aid to California
The Agriculture Department announced $150 million to revitalize forests in Northern California and for drought relief for farmers and rural communities.
Twice as many wild horses as the range can support
"There are now twice as many wild horses in the West as federal land managers say the land can sustain," says a New York Times story about the government's problems in managing the herd.