June 19th, 2008 8:54 am CT

I sincerely apologize for my lack of postings.  "Busy" does not begin to describe the happenings around here.  Since we last spoke (or I wrote, you read) I have made 3 trips to California.  I have broken down 4 different times in 2 different trucks.  I exploded one motor.  I transported 31 donkeys from CA to TX.  I have completed the first quarter of the TX Facility.  I have adopted 2 donkeys in TX.  And I spent three weeks in CA doing my part of the field trips and watching my 8th grader graduate and my 7th grader win musician of the year.

The burro capture program has been postponed until fall, because it is just too hot down there.  We have taken more than a dozen burros from the areas around the park.  Some are from Mexico and some had been used to smuggle drugs into the U.S.

I want to personally thank the donors that stepped forward and helped to pay for the new motor for the Texas truck.  Amy was a perpetual stress case because I kept breaking down, usually in Deming, NM.  Now I have a new engine and I am ready to keep on trucking.  I also want to thank everybody at the service department of Jack Key Ford in Deming.  They baled me out of a tough situation that included having donkeys in the trailer and truck with a blown engine.  They not only got me running again, they even towed the trailer to town.  Now that's service!

Amy and the boys are back in Texas with me for a couple of weeks.  While they are here, Amy and I are going to be dropping off 6 donkeys in Florida to our new Satellite Adoption Center in Clermont.  We are also going to Virginia for a top secret meeting.  Its not really top secret but I will hold back the details until I know more.

Money is tight.  I think our donors are feeling the crunch right now with fuel costs being so high.  I tried to explain economics to the donkeys, but I had no more luck than my professors did trying to teach them to me.  Although one donkey did comment that the idea that the government was borrowing money to distribute small amounts to the population, in hopes that they would buy crap that they really don't need, in order to artificially stimulate an already over engorged perpetual growth consumer based economy...was kinda stupid.  But what does he know?  he's only a donkey

I will try to post more often.  It would be a lot easier if donations would pick up.  Then I wouldn't have to work so hard finding money.  I came up with an idea for a new line of shirts I would like your input.  click here to see it

April 14, 2008  6:40 CT

Things are really picking up around here.  Amy and the boys were here for a week and then I went to CA for a week.  Dr. John and Kevin were in town and we trimmed hundreds of hooves.

I will be back and worth to CA so much over the next couple of weeks I am thinking about setting my watch to Mountain Time so I will never be more than an hour early or late!

I have abut 10 burros here at Miles and am picking up 3 more from Big Bend and 3 from Odessa.  As we ramp up or adoption program, I will be needing more adoptables.  I will be transporting 30 donkeys from CA over the next few weeks.

March 21, 2008  1:23 am CT

Not much to report on.  It rained for a couple of days and the mud prevented any advancements on the ranch.  I was able to get some gates hung today.

I also began to work with the burros that I picked up in Odessa last weekend.  The gelding are coming along nicely. but the jennets kicked hell out me.  I am going to go back around feeding time and try them all again. 

I was going to go to the river this weekend and do some trapping along the highway.  Unfortunately the truck I just purchased needed some work done on the 4-wheel drive so I am stuck driving a little purple ranger until I get mine back.

Amy and the boys will be here in Texas next week.  Looking forward to seeing them.

March 14, 2008  9:19 pm CT

I spent the last couple of days along the river.  The burros have moved up to the cooler elevations.  I did see a few along the river and mapped the areas where they are crossing.  I have asked permission to set traps along the highway.

I did pick up an old white donkey that was caught in the National Park just East of the State Park.  He has a bad hip and is kind of grumpy.  I named him Old Roy.  I figured if it wasn't for me taking him, that is what he would have ended up as.  He has grown very fond of of the senior feed I am giving him.  I think tomorrow I will start him on apples.

I got the water pipes installed at the ranch and now have running water to all of the pens.  I am going to Odessa tomorrow to pick up the extra burros that Jan has at her house.

I am learning proper pronunciation while I am here.
In California, Burro is pronounced Brrr-O
In West Texas, Burro is pronounced Boo-Ro
Along the border, Burro is pronounced Bu-Do

I am getting pretty good at doing my own laundry and cooking my own meals.  Now I remember why I got married!

March 11, 2008   7:46 pm CT

Sorry for the lack of posting.  I had to travel to Kansas for my father's 70th birthday.  Amy flew into the Kansas City airport and we stayed in Leavenworth, KS for a few days before returning to Texas.  Had a great time seeing all of my relations, even the ones who were not speaking to each other!  Amy and I are always the oddity in the Mid-West.  Everyone is greatly disturbed by our vegetarian ways.

Larry and Rachael stayed in Miles, TX over the weekend.  They went to see the Alamo.  Larry is not much of a history buff but Rachael said that she really enjoyed it.

Came up with a cool design for the Texas Shirts.

Should have the shirts available soon.  I do not know what they costs yet.  For $100 members they are free.  That may seem like a hint, and IT IS!
go to www.texasburros.org and become a flippin' member!  please?

I am heading back down to the Rio Grande in a few days....will let you now the progress.

My wife set me up a myspace.com page...I take no responsibility!  Search under mark@peacefulvalley.info and ask to to be my friend

March 04, 2008 7:04 pm CT

Sometimes life feels like an old Hee-Haw episode...
For those who didn't watch Hee-Haw there was a segment where the entire cast would sing the bad luck song and share a bad luck story.  If I were on Hee-Haw, my song would go something like this:

If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all, doom, despair and agony on me...
"I was travellin' from California to Texas and blew a tire on my flat bed trailer and didn't have a spare!

If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all, doom, despair and agony on me...
I was pickin' up burros along the Rio Grande and blew another tire on my horse trailer!  I had a spare but I realized that all the tires were bad and had to replace them all!

If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all, doom, despair and agony on me...
I was waitin' for Rachael to show up at the Miles Ranch so we can finish the fencing when a strange truck pulled up with Rachael in it!  The drive line in the truck that was supposed to stay in Texas blew up in a million pieces!

On Hee-Haw this was very funny, in Miles, TX ...not so much.

Since our arrival, Rachael and I have accomplished a lot.  If it wasn't for all of the set-backs, weather and mechanical, we would be done with the new ranch.  I only have her here for a couple of more days, hopefully we can get it all done.  Rachael has been a huge help.  Please don't tell her I said that.. one ego per company is all that is required!

We are going to Odessa tomorrow.  We have the "Primero los siete burros" of this project.  Since the project has grown we are no longer calling it the Big Bend Ranch Project.  The new name is the Rio Grande Project.  We are working with, and receiving calls from, the Federal government as well as local ranchers.  It is nice to be needed.  I was discussing the project with a very nice waitress in El Patio in Presidio.  I was using my best Spanish and told her of the project.  She informed me that she was well aware of the shootings, our involvement,  and was happy that we were getting the burros.  Then she smiled and said "Muchas gracias El Burruero."  I was flattered.

My biggest concern is over the money.  I had thousand of people encourage me to get involved and stop the burros shootings.  Unfortunately most of those same people have failed to support the cause.  I have asked a few of them as to why and the response I have received mentioned the current recession.  On the way back from the Rio Grande, I mentioned the recession to the burros in the trailer.  They just smiled at me and asked. "When do we eat?"

March 02, 2008 6:56 am CT

Finding it difficult to keep on on the blog.  Long days and hard work...The Life of a Burroman!

We set the trap up on Thursday.  It intersects 2 different trail systems that the burros seem to be using every few days.  It is a self-catching trap and the Park staff will notify us when we have some burros caught.  After Rachael leaves, I will probably spend more time along the river and ramp up the capture.

The Miles' Ranch is coming along.  We already have half of the pipe corral panels set and, weather permitting, should have the rest set today.  On Monday we will start digging holes for the perimeter fence.  In honor of Jan's Dad, who grew up on the ranch, we are naming the Miles' Facility  The George Blumentritt Memorial Ranch.

The TX Project has already grown!  Instead of just working with the State of Texas on the Big Bend Ranch, we are also working with the US Dept. of Ag and will be taking in the burros that they capture along the border.  We have already picked up seven and there will be more to come.  Jan in Odessa was kind enough to let us keep the burros at her place until we finish setting up the Miles ranch.

Amy flies in this Friday so that we can attend my father's 70th birthday party in Kansas.  I am looking forward to seeing her.

Larry told a really stupid joke the other day, he laughed so hard in telling it that he rolled off his chair.  See what you think...

A Priest, a Preacher and a Buddhist Monk walked into a bar, the bartender looks up and said, "What? Is this some kind of joke?"
Told you, pretty dumb...

We will need names for the first seven burros. Email me with any suggestions.

February 25, 2008

Sorry for the delay in posting.  The trip was long and hard and we blew a tire on the flat bed trailer.  We finally got the Internet setup at the Miles' House so we are off to the races!

So for those who did not read the capture plan at www.texasburros.org , here is the condensed version.

1.  We are building out the first section of the ranch.  We brought a huge trailer full of fencing materials and the balance will arrive via truck on Tuesday the 26th. 

2.  We are going to BBR on Wednesday to set up the first trap location.  Please do not ask me where the trap is, I have gotten a lot of requests for this information and it concerns me.  No one but me and a few others will have this information to prevent interference.

3.  We have to build quarantine facilities on the park in order to comply with US Dept. of Ag.

Rachael is with me on this trip and all is well.  We spent the first couple of days setting up the house and getting it livable.  I am already wishing I wasn't always the first one to respond every time there is a burro injustice somewhere in the world.  Here I am living in Texas while I have a perfectly good wife, kids and house in California.

Larry is also with me.  He told me a joke the other day that involved a lion, a gorilla and a safari hat.  I laughed so hard I almost cried.

January 17, 2008 5:11 pm PT

I am home!  Going to take few days and collect my thoughts.  Check back on Monday.

January 16, 2008 7:30 pm MT

Met with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) this morning along the Mexican Border.  They will be overseeing and conducting the initial health inspections of the burros captured during this project.  We exchanged phone numbers and came up with the final piece of this enormous puzzle. 

I headed out around 10:00 am CT and headed West.  This will be the last post of this trip.  I will gather the troops upon my return and finalize this plan. Stay tuned.

By the way, I have spent the last few days in a bunk house on the Big Bend Ranch with a group of hunters.  I heard many opposing views over breakfast and dinner each day.  Some people, who follow this blog,  have suggested that I may have overreacted in my response to the Voo-Doo lady in Colorado.

Since Amy is not here to help me temper my response, I should probably apologize to anyone I might have offended.  But since Amy is not here and I never apologize may I suggest that if at anytime I offend you in my comments, log on to any one of the other millions of places on the Internet and leave me alone.  I am currently busy trying to make the world safe for donkeys.  When I have time, I will concentrate more on the feelings of the easily offended.

January 16, 2008 5:52 am CT

I received a very angry email this morning from a lady in Colorado who said I was "just as bad as those government idiots."  She was angry over last night's post that de-vilified TPWD's Mike Hill and my explanation of what was taking place on the Big Bend Ranch.  She went on to place curses on me in an almost Voo-Doo-istic way. For those in the cheap seats and those who aren't too quick on the up-take, let me spell this out for you (I will type slowly to make it easier to understand):

1.  I do not like or agree with the TPWD's plan for the Big Bend Ranch.  I would much rather see the entire 300,000 acres turned into the world's largest Burro Reserve.  I would be king and I would rule with a gentle and fatherly hand.  We would have an open borders policy so that any Mexican Burro could come and visit their Northern Cousins.  These Mexican burros would not become citizens of my Burro Utopia but would be allowed to legally stay as long as they stayed out of trouble and contributed to the common good.  We would have a reasonable priced health-care system provided by non-profits, not a greed based or government controlled one. We would have an election system that didn't require huge contributions from special interests and therefore the burro politicians would truly represent their constituents and not the people who bought them off.  But no one asked for my opinion.

2.  My job is not to fight with the government.  My job is to save burros.  I have studied far too much history to want to fight the United States government on any issue.

3.  Peaceful Valley is welcomed into these types of programs because we are professional.  Professionals that catch, treat, gentle and adopt out domestic donkeys and wild burros.  We have done it over 1000 times.  There is always more work to do.  If you can do better, by all means start your own rescue and lead by example.

4.  For the record, I hate threatening emails and phone calls.  I makes me angry.  I do not mind hearing opposing opinions.  I think that good, honest debate makes for better decisions in life. But do not put anything in an email that you would not feel comfortable saying to my face. The Burroman has a short fuse.

January 15, 2008 8:43 pm CT

Mike Hill and I got a very early start and did a driving/hiking tour of the southern stretches of the park.  The burros were all at the higher elevations in the middle of the park.  We mapped out several great trap locations that intersect the burro trails leading to the Rio Grande.  We also established a perfect holding facility for the burros that are awaiting a space in the quarantine facility.

Tomorrow I meet with the people who will handle and manage the lab work and quarantine of the burros.  All captured burros will have to be quarantined.  Each group that goes to the facility becomes a unit.  If one member of the unit tests positive for any disease, the whole unit must be held for an additional 60 days until all burros in the unit test negative.  The costs for this mandatory testing will be close to $200 per burro.

After my meeting tomorrow, I will head home.  When I return in a few weeks, I will build the traps, begin the baiting process and begin the Miles Ranch construction.  I have a very limited funds right now.  We all need to dig deep to pull this off.  I will have complete budgets finished by the middle of next week.

I would like to say, Mike Hill is a very likable person.  He is taking a lot of flak and receiving many threats as a result of the burro shootings, I feel that this is undeserved.  After my time here at the Park, I feel I have a good idea of the situation.  So here it is:

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is working on a plan that will re-establish this 300,000 acre park as it was.  This includes burning brush to re-grow the native grass, remove exotic species and help to establish viable groups of native species.  The burros do not fit into this plan and they want them gone.  If you, like me, do not want to see this burros shot, than I need you help financially.  I do not need you to try and change the minds of the park officials because they are going to stick to their plans.  TPWD has very limited funds and cannot afford the expense of this capture program.  Therefore the safe removal of the burros, and the expense thereof, is going to fall on us. 

I'm in, my family is in, my staff is in......................................who else will stand with us?

January 14, 2008 8:23 pm CT

Met Mike Hill the Regional Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the area covering the Big Bend Ranch State Park.  Real nice guy and a wealth of knowledge about the park and its history.  We drove some of the back country roads but did not see any burros.  Tomorrow we are going to the boundary of the park that is near the Rio Grande.  Most of the people we spoke with told us that they have seen the burros along the river.

We are staying in the Saucedo Bunk House for the next two days.  I don't have cell signal but they do have Internet access here at the bunkhouse. We hope to wrap up the tour by Wednesday.  I am anxious to get home and see my family.  I will be returning in the next few weeks to begin the capture project as well as construction on the new ranch.

January 13, 2008 7:13 pm CT

Probably be my last post for a few days.  I am off to the Big Bend Ranch Park and will not have Internet Access.

I spent all morning walking the Miles Ranch, I can see it all very plainly in my head now.  For me, I need to walk, imagine and feel how things should be.  This ranch will be much different than the Acton Ranch or the Tehachapi Ranch.  It will be more efficient but less people friendly.  When we designed Tehachapi, we did it with tours and field trips in mind.  For Miles, it has to work with moving and caring for a large number of animals with just one or two people.  I hope to have a complete material list in hand when I return to California.  Construction should begin at the end of February.

I think I needed this time away in order to fully envision the scope of this project.  I really feel that I have a handle on the Miles end of it, now I just have to figure out the capture.  By the end of this week, that should also be in the bag.

I have broken the project into 4 separate parts.  Each part will require the involvement of different people, equipment and finances.  The first phase is the capture itself.  This is where we physically remove the animals from the park and place them in quarantine.  The second phase is the medical phase where we microchip, vaccinate, de-worm and castrate.  Third phase is the gentling process, where we prepare the burros for adoption.  And the final phase is where the burro is placed in an adoptive home.

For me the hardest part of this job is just getting my mind around every aspect, every tiny detail.  I am almost there.  Usually Larry would be helping with details, he is very thorough.

I missed Josh's basketball game, it was the season opener.

January 12, 2008 9:19 pm CT

Today was a relaxed day.  No long driving trips.  I met with a realtor and we looked at several houses in the Miles, San Angelo and Ballinger areas.  We need a house for the staff, our laboratory and our offices.  When I get back, Amy and I will make the decision together.

Jan and Charles drove to San Angelo and we had dinner together.  They are anxious to get this project started.  We have a pretty good plan but everything is still academic until I talk to the Texas State people and we get a handle on the actual capture.

I did get a chance to visit the Miles Ranch property again.  I think I will return in the morning and walk it some more.  It is easier to envision it when I am walking on it.

Apparently I missed a situation at the ranch.  Everyone laughs when I say that the only thing in this world that I am afraid of is Amy.  But she can be tough...

January 11, 2008 7:58 pm  CT

I am a secret agent in a foreign land.  I sit alone, I eat alone and I observe.  I listen to what people are talking about, what they are interested in.  I listen to the way they talk, to the words they use.  I need to make donkey lovers out of all of them.  I also play close attention to the bumpers on their trucks.  Might seem strange, but thousands of deer are killed each year on Texas roads.  The more you drive, the greater your chances of hitting one.  I need a bumper guard to save the many radiators that Ford placed in the front of my '08 truck.  If this offends you, perhaps you would be willing to strap yourself to the front of my truck.  I can't work without my truck

I had a vegetarian moment tonight.  I was at an Italian restaurant and ordered a pasta dish with olive oil, artichoke hearts, roma tomatoes and diced olives.  At an extra charge, they will add chicken or shrimp.  When my meal arrived it came with chicken.  The waiter apologized profusely and told me that no one had ever ordered it without either the chicken or shrimp and the cooks figured that it was a mistake.

I am currently in San Angelo, TX about 30 miles from the location of the new Texas ranch.  San Angelo is a decent sized town with a college and a military base.  The people are friendly and should be a great source for volunteers and help.  I will be here for a couple of days until I head out the the Big Bend Ranch.

This was the first day I didn't have donkeys with me.  They, at the least, gave me someone to talk to.  Now its just me.  I know Amy couldn't come because of the boys, but I regret not bringing Larry.  He has the most remarkable stories...

Jake was challenged for 1st chair drummer today.  He handily defeated his opponent and retained his position as top drummer.

January 10, 2008 8:20 pm CT

The Oklahoma SAC is up and running!  I dropped off El Paso, 2 Soledads, Beaumont, Carmen and T-bag.  Fred and Vicky MacKenney are great people and are very motivated.  I expect to see great things happening in Oklahoma.

I had a great moment while driving through Texas.  I was on a 2-lane highway and pulled over for fuel.  Next to me was a man fueling his backhoe, a Texan, a real Texan.  He asked a few questions about the donkeys in the trailer and as he was petting them, I launched into my spiel.  I told him about the shooting at Big Bend Ranch and our project to capture them.  After listening politely, he looked at me and said, "Shooting them ain't right, that's not sportsman like at all.  Don't eat them, ain't a trophy, hell that's just bad management."  I smiled and shook his hand.  I think this project just might work after all.

Long driving each day is catching up with me.  Miss my family.  Hope somebody is talking to Larry.

January 09, 2008 9:25 pm CT

El Paso and Soledad were in much better moods during the drive today.  It was probably due to the fact that I stopped at a roadside fruit stand and purchased a dozen apples.  Tonight we are staying in Odessa, TX and they settled into their evening hay without complaint.

I stopped in Van Horn, TX and enjoyed my lunch at Chuey's Mexican Restaurant.  They make a chile rellano that is almost as good as Amy's.  If you ever find yourself in West Texas, it is well worth a visit.

Tonight, I had dinner with Jan and Charles, Peaceful Valley's people in Texas.  We discussed the many facets of the upcoming project and came up with some great plans.  They will be a huge part of the Texas Operation and I am tickled to death to have someone here that I can trust. I really enjoy spending time with them, they are definitely part of the Peaceful Valley family.

Tomorrow I will load four donkeys from Jan's SAC and take them to Oklahoma.   Looks like another 8 hours of driving.  More tomorrow...

January 08, 2008 9:40 pm MT

And so it begins. Every since this project came into being, I have been walking around in a haze trying to get all the details worked out in my head. The capture, the quarantine, the medical testing, building the new ranch, buying a new house, finding adoptive homes and of course the very real problem of paying for it all. It all hung over me like a dark cloud, now that it has started I can finally stop worrying and start working.

Today’s trip was pretty uneventful. We loaded up 2 donkeys out of the A herd, El Paso and one of the Soledads, that are destined for our Satellite Adoption Center in Oklahoma. During this trip I am also stopping by Odessa, TX and picking up four more to join them. The donkeys weren’t too happy with the trip and ignored me during each refueling as I tried to strike up a conversation. I did meet two different people at the gas stations that had read the recent Tehachapi News article on the Texas Project and one other person who had seen us on Animal Planet.

I made it as far as Tucson, AZ. I promised Amy that I would not overdo the driving and try to keep each day to 8 or 9 hours max. I have plenty to keep me busy on the trip including a couple of Spanish learning books on Amy’s IPOD. It keeps me entertained as I learn to speak Spanish as poorly as I speak English.

I already miss my family. That is the real price for this project. I like my family, my home and my animals. It hurts not to be with them. I know this trip has been bothering Amy, she is way too tough and supportive to tell me, but I know. When all of the people that forwarded the original article to me about the burro killings, I bet they never once thought about the very real sacrifice that my family would have to endure to ensure that these burros would be saved. I try not to think about this weekend’s basketball game that I am going to miss. It my son Josh’s first game of the season. I am also missing Jake‘s, my youngest son, drum lesson. He is the first chair drummer and each week someone tries to challenge him for the top spot. I am usually there to give him some pointers and help him prepare. This week we will have to do it over the phone.

Well that is it for now. I am going to try and go to bed so I can get on the road early. I am driving against the time zones so the earlier I start, the more “on time” I will remain. New Mexico and Texas tomorrow.