The horses are being removed because according to the ranchers they are competing with the cattle that are allowed to graze on public lands. To choose one over the other, I choose the horses.

Seeing as I prefer steak to horse-burgers (well, I presume, never having had a horse burger), or cheese from cows milk to horse-cheese, I'm okay with letting the cows win. Let Alpo have a few more cans if it means that cattle farmers have reduced competition for grazing land, I say.

It's an introduced species, you can't just "let nature take its course" 'cause nature's been handed a big wild card. You gotta balance nostalgia with practicality.

I propose we knock down El Capitan and Half Dome because I need a new large fireplace for my ranch in Montana.

Exagerate much? This is, "Should we allow this ferral species to run completely unchecked or should we allow this other species of animal, that's been articifally bred and propogated by humans for human needs the space it needs." Hardly eliminating a geological landmark. The natural course of things has little to do with what's going on here (other than the bigure picture of "if we go against nature, that's part of nature too"). We're so far beyond the "we shouldn't mess with nature" point in this. The whole situation is so totally artificial, so short of mounting meat grinders on the back of pickup trucks and chasing after horses, I have no problem with implementing a program that at least enforces some beneificial balance to the artificial system.

I know I'm being a butthead, but, where do we stop?

It should have stopped before the non-native species was introduced in the first place. But we're just a wee bit late for that. So we have to deal with the situation at hand. There's no need to make more of this than it is. It isn't a matter of irreversible environmental harm. It's a particular situation where someone screwed up a few centuries ago and now we're having to clean up the mess.

Non-native species?
Damn, GD, next you're going to tell me that you have a problem with the cute little Nutria in Louisiana! ;)

Nothin' says adoreable like strip-grazing a habitat, wiping out both plant and animal species :cheers: :p

Ooh, and don't forget the spreading of roundworm! I could just pinch their widdle cheeks.

Thanks for that link! I didn't know, really, either side of the story. I just knew that I didn't like the stinky tree outside of my house. Hehehe...

Seriously. Can you believe people pay for things that smell like that?