Come give a voice to America’s wild horses and burros!
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is holding a meeting Thursday and Friday March 10-11 in Phoenix, Arizona, to discuss its proposed new wild horse and burro management strategy. This is the first meeting in nearly a year and
an opportunity for the American public to stand in front of the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board and the BLM to voice your opinions on the management policies of the agency, the complicity of their carefully selected Advisory Board, and solutions available to right the many management wrongs. Or, just simply come to support others making comments.
We will be attending this meeting, and I urge you to join us. We cannot allow the BLM to continue rounding up the last of these great symbols of the West. The roundups themselves have devolved into shoddy, careless actions in which wild horse families are destroyed, burros are hot-shotted and knocked to the ground by helicopters, and old, weak animals are harassed into collapse. We need to present a united front and ask for the following (pick your favorite topics):
- Halt all roundups, at least temporarily
- Raise the number of wild horses and burros (AML’s) allowed to live on their legally designated ranges
- Allocate the majority of forage in herd management areas to wild horses and burros (“principal” users as stated in the WHB Act)
- Improve existing water sources
- Remove fencing to allow for truly free roaming behavior
- Allow for genetically viable populations
- Abandon the artificial skewing of sex ratios, return to a natural 50-50
- Protect mountain lions that have limited wild horse populations growth naturally
- Return healthy wild horses in holding into zeroed out herd areas
- Sincerely explore public-private partnerships
The public comment period of the meeting will be held on Friday, March 11, from 9 AM to 12 PM. People who wish to speak need to arrive by 8:30 AM to register, and per BLM “must provide a written statement of the comments, which may be brought to the meeting.” The BLM’s notice of this meeting can be found here.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, the BLM is accepting electronic comments through their website here. You can find a sample form on the Cloud Foundation website.
The meeting itself will be held at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel at 340 N. 3rd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004. (We are looking into reserving less expensive hotels in the area as the Sheraton is pricy—what a surprise! Our tax dollars at work!)
Show up for the mustangs and burros! See you there.
thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com 
February 17, 2011 at 9:03 pm |
Where is everyone?? I am coming from Pagosa Springs on Wed. I have 500 miles to drive… on a route I know and love.
If anyone wants to come to my place and drive down that would be fine… I have asked Linda in Farmington to come along if she can… I can take one comfortably or three where 2 would be on tiny pickup seats in the extra cab.
I URGE advocates to go to Phoenix and meet with others and talk and plan out our campaign and to Celebrate the wild horses and burros…. as well as memorialize the fallen wild ones in a candlelight vigil. mar
February 18, 2011 at 12:31 am |
I just saw this message and am seriously considering flying in from NY to join the cause. I’ve been following the mustangs’ tragic story for over a year now, but I need to do more. As a teacher at an elementary school, I am empowering the students to become advocates for the wild horses and burros. Family and friends have been asked to send letters to the BLM, the White House, and theirCongressman to call for a stop to the round-ups; and they’re doing it for the horses!! We all ahve a voice. Look what the proud Egyptians just accomplished. Let’s really pull together, put added pressure on Washinton and stop the round-ups. Always…for the horses.
February 18, 2011 at 5:54 am |
Jane, WELCOME! You probably already know the story of Wild Horse Annie (Velma Johnson). It was all of the letters from children sent to Congress that got the Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act passed–without even one dissenting vote.
February 19, 2011 at 4:53 pm |
Dear BLM Bob,
You are going the wrong Way!
The only things of nature in need of management is ourselves.
If you or mankind allows nature the freedom to manage itself, ourself, you’ll find freedom is all our nature really need.
That is what the revolutions are all about Bob,
Be it the horses, nature, or men.
To freedom,
=
MJA
February 20, 2011 at 7:50 am |
Just a thought out loud here. I’m thinking of driving…not sure if I can it make it or not. But has anyone thought of making a reservation at a motel with a kitchenette available? That way advocates could get together, have their favorite meal or share and we don’t have to pay outrageous prices to go out to eat.
I’m also looking a room share or two. If can have more people we can then split the price of the room up more ways.
February 23, 2011 at 6:04 pm |
Margaret, Darcy posted this on R.T. Fitch’s blog:
Darcy
Feb 21, 2011 @ 14:00:52
I have a list of hotels in Phoenix, where some of us are sharing rooms. I will be at the La Quinta on Black Canyon & Thomas road, the rooms are double beds for $65 a night. If anyone wants the list of hotels, please let me know.
February 24, 2011 at 6:48 am |
All – If you really care about saving America’s wild horses & burros, there are two things you can do right now to help them:1) Deliver lobby packets to your Senators and Congress members who are in their home state offices this week, 2/22/11-2/25/11, & meet with their staff in person. A link has been set up for you to download 14 documents that can be printed out & put into a pocket folder for your meetings/delivery. These same materials were distributed to key Congress committees in Washington DC last week by a National WH&B Advocate Team. The following message must be pounded home by constituents: Defund the Roundups & Removals of America’s Wild Horses & Burros through the Appropriations Process for FY11 & FY12. The lobby packet substantiates this request. Go to http://tinyurl.com/4evvefn for the packet documents.Congress members will only take action on behalf of America’s WH&B if they hear from large numbers of their constituents. If petitions can be signed by registered voters with their printed names, addresses & signatures supporting this effort and delivered with the packets, all the better. Just show the roundup video (link at the bottom of Document 1) to get supporters to sign on to the cause.Follow up phone calls, emails & faxes with the same message need to be made after this week to your reps who will be back in DC through 3/18/11. Enlist other supporters in your state to do the same.2) Please attend the National WH&B Advisory Board Meeting to be held in Phoenix, AZ, on Thursday & Friday, 3/10/11-3/11/11, and join in the large demonstration and rally that is being planned during this event on Friday 3/11/11 from 12pm until 4pm. All national WH&B advocacy organizations are standing together in a call for Action for all who care about animal rights to be at this demonstration. The time is now if you have ever wanted to make a difference for America’s wild horses and burros. Please come and support this effort and please rally your friends to do the same. Demand that the unnecessary and cruel roundups, removals & warehousing of America’s herds & the waste of taxpayer dollars be stopped now!
February 26, 2011 at 4:17 pm |
If you want to help free the mustangs,
Boycott Beef!
BLM is beef.
Thanks,
=
February 27, 2011 at 6:38 am |
Michael, from the latest reports, beef consumption in this country has declined, but it is being exported to other countries.
March 1, 2011 at 8:53 am |
Boycotts work,
Try it its free and you’ll help set the mustangs free.
=
March 2, 2011 at 9:31 pm |
Michael, what it’s going to take in this country is a National Boycott–it’s coming
March 11, 2011 at 12:17 pm |
what its going to take to save our wild horses, burros and buffalo is a total change in washington – glad to see more republicans won but they need to be taught the plight of our wild horses and others – also watched part one of meeting yesterday in ariz – could not believe they want to sterlize so many mares and what age would they start – also saw some good ideas – like padding on the fences and cameras – blm shd set up a webcam on their website for roundups – and a helicopter camera – why havent they thot of that before now – but if republicans want to save the budget – then no more funding at all for horse roundups – and now maybe madeleine pickens finally will get to take some of the 40,000 horses that are being kept in holding pens – so maybe things are changing for the better – i sure hope so but please write those new republicans in congress and give them a earful – send videos