Colorado Wildfires – What does it mean for our wild horses?

A lot of folks have been asking us about all the wildfires that are happening in the state of Colorado. There are a lot of them occurring.

One question on a lot of peoples’ minds: what does this mean for the wild horses?

Right now, none of the fires burning in the state are threatening any of the wild horse herds in Colorado.

One dun Colorado band stallion

Photographer Carol Walker seeks partners for ‘Galloping to Freedom’ project

Just Launched! Kickstarter campaign invites supporters to be part of the wild horse solution

America’s wild horse herds are in peril of extinction, but award-winning equine photographer Carol Walker is ready with viable solutions in her new book, Galloping to Freedom: Saving America’s Wild Horses. Through a campaign at web-based fund-raising platform Kickstarter, Walker invites wild horse supporters to be “part of the solution” by helping her print and distribute this important guide to ensuring the future of our legacy animals.

Take Action Now: Stop BLM’s Jackson Mountain helicopter roundup during peak foaling season

You can email and fax Gene Seidlitz, BLM Winnemucca District Manager, and politely ask him to not conduct the proposed helicopter roundup at Jackson Mountain–during peak foaling season. You can ask for them to truck out water and feed as needed. His email is GSeidlit@blm.gov  The Fax # is 775-623-1503.

Please take action now!

A Public Call to Action for the removal & possible slaughter sale of Arizona wild horses

Cross-posted from The Conquistador Program

Press Release:  For immediate release

PUBLIC CALLED TO ACTION TO PREVENT THE REMOVAL & POSSIBLE SALE TO SLAUGHTER OF ARIZONA WILD HORSES WHOSE HISTORY TRACES TO 17^TH CENTURY MISSIONARY

Documents obtained under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) indicate that the US Forest Service may remove horses from the Tonto national Forest without period for public comment or environmental impact study

 (Phoenix, AZ May 31, 2012).  The Conquistador Equine Rescue and Advocacy Program (CERAP), a 501c3 equine rescue and advocacy charity, has received material under the Freedom of Information Act indicating that the United States Forest Service (USFS) may be considering the imminent removal of unbranded, free-roaming wild horses living along the Salt River on the Tonto National Forest (TNF) near metropolitan Phoenix in Arizona.

Federal Court Forces Interior Department to Consider Scientific Evidence Regarding Wild Horse Management

Judge Rejects Gov’t Attempt to Ignore Expert Declarations on Negative Impacts of Plan to Castrate Wild Nevada Stallions 

Washington, DC – May 10, 2012 – The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has rejected an attempt by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to withhold and ignore critical scientific evidence in its decision-making process for the implementation of a precedent-setting plan to castrate wild stallions. At issue were expert declarations submitted to the BLM from leading experts in wild horse behavior and biology outlining the devastating impacts of castration on the health and natural behaviors of wild free-roaming stallions and wild horse herds. 

The ruling is part of litigation filed in December 2011 by the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign (AWHPC),Western Watersheds Project and The Cloud Foundation challenging the BLM’s  illegal plan to castrate hundreds of wild stallions in eastern Nevada’s Pancake Complex, as well as to eliminate wild horses from the Jake’s Wash Herd Management Area, which lies within the Complex. The ruling on this case will have widespread implication for thousands of the remaining wild horses living free and wild on public lands. 

TCF Board Member to give talk at Boulder Library 4/26

Craig Downer, noted wildlife and wild horse biologist and ecologist, will give a talk and show photos of wild horses from all over the West and will highlight various portions of his book, The Wild Horse Conspiracy.

This event will be held at the main Boulder Library, 1001 Arapahoe, Thurs., April 26, 7-9 PM.

There will also be time for a Q & A after the talk.

Photo Gallery: Oklahoma, April 2012

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Breaking News: BLM Decision to Remove Young Pryor Mustangs Issued

Major Removal Threatens Cloud’s Pryor Herd 

BLM expands removal plan for young Pryor Mustangs

BILLINGS, Mont. (April 5, 2012)—Yesterday, BLM issued their Decision Record to permanently remove up to 40 young Pryor mustangs from their home in the mountains of southern Montana. The bait-trapping operation would begin no earlier than June 4th and could continue until September 30th.

“Surprisingly, the removal decision exceeds the level they outlined in their preliminary Environmental Assessment,” states Ginger Kathrens, Executive Director of The Cloud Foundation. “Regardless of the nearly 10,000 comments sent to BLM requesting they proceed with caution, BLM has significantly increased the number of young horses to be removed. So much for listening to the wishes of the American Public.”

BLM’s Preliminary Environmental Assessment issued in December, 2011, called for the removal of 30 Pryor Horses in the 1-3 year-old category. This final Environmental Assessment ups the removal number to as many 40 young animals–two thirds of the young population.

BLM reports that they received only 1,000 comments, although it is likely they received 10 times that number. More than 4,000 comments were generated by American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign (AWHPC) alone, but were only counted as one letter because they used “a sample letter or talking points provided from internet sites.” 

Thousands of comments came to BLM, asking that Cloud’s look-alike grandson, Echo (Killian) be allowed to continue to live free on the Pryors. Although Echo could be removed based on age, BLM has acknowledged his rare color and genetics, and has ranked him as a horse to be removed only if they cannot achieve their target removal numbers. 

# # #

Media Contact:

Lauryn Wachs

Lauryn@TheCloudFoundation.org

617-894-6939

Links of Interest:

BLM Q&A on Pryor Bait Trap: http://on.doi.gov/HhwIpi

BLM 2012 Pryor Decision Record: http://on.doi.gov/HhwMpg

Final BLM Environmental Assessment: http://on.doi.gov/HhwLl4

BLM Sets Sights on Another Massive Removal in Cloud’s Herd (Foundation release): http://bit.ly/tFeuWZ

What is Bait Trapping? http://bit.ly/HhurdO

Stop the Fencing in of Cloud’s Herd – Foundation video: http://bit.ly/vO4kvw

Summit of the Live Horse – April 3, 2012

 

Jasper (Flint x Feldspar) of the Pryor Mountains

From Respect4Horses:

Summit of the dead horse turns on haunches and runs.

Oklahoma City, OK (R4H) – While last year the two conferences representing opposing sides of the explosive Horse Slaughter Debate took place in Las Vegas, this year’s Equine battleground was set to play out in Oklahoma City no farther than one city block away from each other.

Although they had been planning it for over a year, spent a lot of resources and had sold many $150-$300 tickets, the United Organizations of the Horse, (the Pro- Horse Slaughter faction) announced today that they postponed their dead horse Summit to January 2013, in order to focus resources on a rescue and rejuvenation program!

“I believe the ground was getting too hot for them in Oklahoma City. 80% of Americans are against Horse Slaughter, and although they believed Oklahoma was an exception, it turns out that it is not,” states Simone Netherlands, the organizer of the Summit of the Live Horse Press Conference.

The Summit of the Live Horse Press Conference is in no way quitting and the live online broadcast will move forward as scheduled:

The Summit of the Live Horse Press Conference

Holiday Inn, Will Rogers Airport

4401 SW 15th St.

Oklahoma City, OK 73108

12 – 1PM CDT

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

“Just because they canceled their conference it doesn’t mean that they will stop strategizing about how to increase the demand for horse meat, how to slaughter our wild horses and how to open new horse slaughter plants in the U.S.,” says R.T. Fitch, writer and also one of the speakers of the Press Conference of the live Horse.

Will horse slaughter be coming to your neighborhood? Do we need horse slaughter in America? Can horse slaughter be made humane? Is horsemeat toxic? Does horse slaughter solve abuse and neglect? Does horse slaughter encourage over breeding? Will our wild horses be slaughtered? Will it stop horse slaughter across our borders?

The Summit of the Live Horse Press Conference, will have a panel of equine experts and professionals who will answer the above questions and offer solutions and alternatives.

Panel members will include:

• Scott Beckstead, Senior Oregon Director for The Humane Society of the United States
• Carolyn Schnurr, Federal Legislative Manager for the ASPCA
• Ginger Kathrens, Filmmaker and Director of the Cloud Foundation
• Dr. Jennifer Madden, DVM
• Simone Netherlands, Horse trainer and Director of Respect4Horses
• R.T. Fitch, Writer and co-founder of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
• Brogan Horton, Founder of Animal Rescue Unit

“We collectively suggest that they take their deceptive name, their deceptive propaganda and their deceptive agenda far away and go pretend that they care about horses and horse people somewhere else,” states Simone Netherlands.

The interactive Summit of the Live Horse Press Conference will be broadcast on Ustream.tv, April 3, 2012. This service will give the press conference global coverage and allow anyone to participate in the question and answer sessions afterwards. Search Ustream.tv/Respect4Horses at 12:00 noon CDT to log into the live broadcast. The link will also be available at http://www.Respect4Horses.com

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Two Girls, One Very Battered Tent, and a Herd of Wild Horses

(A.K.A. How I Spent My St. Patrick’s Day Weekend – A note from Lauryn)

Dear Wild Horse & Burro Friends;

Some of you may remember my first trip to the Sand Wash Basin herd back in June, 2011. We didn’t see very many horses, but we were also clueless where to go. That’s why we got the low-down ahead of time—before St. Patrick’s Day weekend rolled around. With detailed instructions from Sand Wash expert Nancy Roberts, I drove up to Denver to meet fellow wild horse advocate and enthusiast Rachel Reeves. We loaded up Rachel’s dad’s pickup on Friday evening (complete with instructions), and drove the winding roads to Craig, arriving at the little motel just shy of midnight.

Our instructions from Rachel's dad