• Background.

  Historically the Virginia Range horses were managed through cooperative arrangements between the state and qualified non-profit groups and cooperating agencies. For decades these cooperative activities kept the herd in balance with range resources and horses that did have to be removed were placed with appropriately skilled private adopters.

• In 2008 Governor Gibbons appointed Tony Lesperance to direct the Nevada Department of Agriculture.
  • Governor Gibbons coerced the State Board of Agriculture to appoint Elko County anti-government crusader Tony Lesperance as Director of Agriculture. This appointment was "sold" as being interim. Later it became clear that Gibbons had engineered a permanent high paying job for his friend.

• Lesperance lied to the Legislature when he testified that the horses were starving and range was devoid of forage.
  • In April, 2008 Lesperance went to the State Legislature looking for hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove the Virginia Range horses "as rapidly as we can." He claimed that "the horses were starving that the range was devoid of forage." Then, as now, a trip to anywhere into the horse range will reveal a healthy herd and a healthy ecosystem.

• Lesperance lied to the Legislature when he testified that only 200 of the 1200 horses on the Virginia Range were wild horses, and that the others were simply strays that wandered away from their owners.
  • That claim was ludicrous. There weren't 1200 domestic horses in the region, let alone 1200 horses that wandered away from their owners. (Please see the above link for the complete quote.)

• Lesperance misled the Legislature when he testified that he didn't have money to feed all the horses.
  • The implication was that the Department fed the horses. The Department never has fed the horses. Feeding, if necessary and approved, was a responsibility of the non-profits. (Please see the above link for the complete quote.)

• Lesperance's Public Information officer, Ed Foster, while on state time and using a state computer attempted to defame horse advocates.
  • Foster was caught posting claims that advocates were chronic drug addicts, among other things.

• Lesperance lied to the Legislature when he testified that the prison horse training program "is a total failure."
  • The prison horse training program is a regular "sellout" with horses selling for as much as $8,500.00, a real money maker for the Department of Corrections. View the video.

• Lesperance lied to the Legislature when he testified that the system of cooperators was corrupt and implied that the non-profits were selling horses for slaughter.
  • This lie was likely intended as misdirection as it was Lesperance who sold horses to the kill buyers. (The complete quote is viewable in the above video link.)

• Lesperance refused to send Virginia Range horses to the prison training program
  • Lesperance directed that no more Virginia Range horses be turned over to the prison training program even after the horse groups agreed to cover the horses' board expenses, providing 100% "profit" to NDoC's prison industries. (The program now trains wild horses exclusively for the BLM and BLM now shares in the proceeds.)

• Lesperance arranged for documents to be falsified and dumped Virginia Range horses out of state.
  • A brand certificate was falsified that allowed the state to dump 33 horses on an unsuspecting Roseberg, Oregon horse rescue. By dumping the horses out of state, the issue became extremely complicated and it was easier for the rescue groups to disburse the horses among whatever groups could take them than pursue a legal case across state lines.

• Lesperance and State Veterinarian Phil LaRussa engaged in an extortion attempt that was recorded on audio tape.
  • LaRussa threatened to kill orphan foals if certain favors were not paid to benefit Lesperance and if the orphan foal project manager would not sign an illegal agreement.

• Lesperance repeatedly illegally sold Virginia Range horses (state property) "out the back door" to groups and individuals.
  • State laws require public notices, public sales and that horses sold be branded. It was a regular practice for Lesperance to deal horses out the back door, most notably to his friend, slaughter buyer Ole Olsen, where not only did a secret sale take place, but two state workers, a state pickup and trailer, and state fuel were used to transport the horses from Carson City to Elko.

• Lesperance refused to renew authorized "diversion" feeding programs to control horse movements (keep them out of developed areas.)
  • The diversion feeding programs were fully funded by the non profit groups and materially reduced incidents of horses encroaching into developed areas and onto busy roads. Since these programs have not been renewed, horse strikes on roadways have increased four fold.

• Lesperance lied when he said horses were being struck "once a week" on state highways.
  • Horse strikes are up since Lesperance stopped diversion feeding to draw the horses back up into the hills, and the recent attraction of horses across US-50 near the Carson City - Lyon County border has increased significantly since Gibbons' Deputy Chief of Staff Lynn Hettrick attracted horses with his bogus, unfenced "pasture", however the total after the increased accidents caused by "The Governors' Men" is still around one per month.

Please review these related documents

• Talking Points: Catherine Cortez Masto and the NV Attorney General's Ofc.

• Media Talking Points

• October 20th Protest Announcement

This document is still under development and additional material may be added.

The protest is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM in front of the Office of the Attorney General, 100 N. Carson St., Carson City, NV.