Posts Tagged ‘Cloud’
Breaking News: BLM Decision to Remove Young Pryor Mustangs Issued
April 6, 2012Major 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.
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Media Contact:
Lauryn Wachs
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
Winter in the Pryors
February 2, 2012Dear Friends of Cloud and his herd, and all our wild horses;
Cloud Foundation board members, Ann Evans (Denver) and Anni Williams (S. CA) and I traveled north for a quick, two-day trip to the Pryor Mountains. Despite less snow so far this winter, this is still the toughest season to spot horses. The most valuable pieces of equipment we carried with us were our spotting scopes. The most valuable trait in using them is patience.
Anni and Ginger scope for horses
Action Alert: Your Help Needed to Protect the Pryor Mustangs
December 21, 2011BLM Sets Sights on Cloud’s Herd Once Again
Dear Cloud and Pryor Wild Horse Defenders;
The BLM is proposing another significant removal of wild horses on the Pryor Mountains. I know. Just when you thought it was safe… they’re back!
BLM’s recently released Environmental Assessment (EA) seeks to remove via bait trapping and potentially water trapping,30 young Pryor mustangs, ages 1-3 years. Bait and/or water trapping could begin as early as mid-January. Comments are due by January 6, 2012. We urge you to comment and to support the NO Action Alternative, the only alternative that keeps a viable population of horses on the mountain.
Cloud's yearling daughter, Breeze, is just one of the horses that could be removed in 2012
Park Service Puts Up Pryor Signage
December 1, 2011Park Service Puts Up Pryor Signage
Dear Supporters of the Pryor Wild Horse Herd;
I want to share the following letter we received this week from the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (BCNRA) regarding signage which they have erected along the paved Park Highway. It alerts motorists that there are animals on the road. We appreciate your emails and letters encouraging this action by the BCNRA in response to the hit and run deaths of the band stallion, Admiral, and his yearling son, Climbs High (Kapitan is his BLM name) along the park highway last summer.
Climbs High, May 2011
As you may recall, the driver of a truck, Adam Finn of Germantown TN, was intoxicated when he ran them down at 2 am on July 24th. His case is being heard in the Lander, WY U.S. District Court and, as yet, no decision has been reached. Mr. Finn drove away from the accident, but his truck broke down about a mile from the crime scene. Authorities found him still drunk in his truck the next morning.
We appreciate the signage which the BCNRA put up this fall to alert drivers that animals may be on the road. It is common to see not only wild horses, but bighorn sheep and deer as well as smaller animals along the highway, hence the generic nature of the signs.
Photo Courtesy: Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Thanks for speaking up. Your voices made a difference!
Happy Trails!
Ginger
Winter Ready Mustangs & A Longshot
November 23, 2011An Update on Cloud and the Pryor Herd – Happy Thanksgiving!
Dear Friends of Cloud, his family and herd;
Our trip to the mountaintop late last month was a difficult one. At least six inches of snow had fallen several days before we began our drive up scenic Crooked Creek Road, just reopened after summer-long repairs. Our late start found us in the dark as Lauryn and I passed the Big Ice Cave. Within minutes, we were in snow following the tracks of at least one other vehicle which gave us hope of reaching the horse range. Then the tracks ahead stopped and turned around, and so did we. There was no getting through the wet drifts so we backtracked. Halfway down Crooked Creek, our headlights lit up a little red fox as it dashed across the road. It’s only the second fox I’ve seen on the mountain in 17 years.
We both agreed if we were to find Cloud and the rest of the mountaintop horses, it would not be on the “easy” road.
Bighorn ram & ewe
The next morning we made a trip out to the Dryhead to see if we could find Climbs High’s mother and the band. No luck. But we did see 15 Bighorn sheep including 7 that were foraging on mountain mahogany near the Devil’s Canyon Overlook. A young half-curl ram joined the ewes and lambs, clearly interested in one female in particular. Back on the main road we rounded a curve and came face-to-face with the young grullo band stallion, Fiero, and his little family as they strolled down the roadside. (more…)
Furthering the Movement
October 5, 2011An Update After the International Equine Conference
While Ginger and I were only able to attend the last day of the 1st Annual International Equine Conference, it was the wild horse and burro day. The weather outside might have been grim in Alexandria, VA, but the mood inside seemed hopeful.
And that was when the new head of BLM’s Wild horse and Burro Program stood up to give her introduction. The mood shifted, and you could cut the tension with a knife. Everyone was anxious to hear how Joan Guilfoyle, only at her new post for 5 weeks, would address a group of equine (both domestic and wild) advocates. She was joined by long-standing BLMers Dean Bolstad and Ed Roberson. (more…)
thecloudfoundation.wordpress.com 
A Snowy Visit to the Pryors
March 15, 2012Sunday, March 3, was a warm, sunny day in the Pryors. The mountain was blanketed from top to bottom with a fresh coat of wet snow. This is great for future forage production, although it made accessing the range a challenge—but that’s part of the adventure!
A very snowy Sykes Ridge
We drove just a few miles up Tillett Ridge “Road” (more like a rocky obstacle course), when we spotted the new band stallion, Grijala, and his little family foraging on a hillside. Just a few miles past them we found Jackson and his expanded family. The hefty, coyote dun stallion had somehow acquired part of Cloud’s band! While it is great that Cloud’s daughters, Dancer and coming 3 year-old, Jasmine, are with the Jackson band, we were surprised to see that Cloud’s young mare, Ingrid and her cute little dun foal, Lynx, were also with him. (more…)
Tags:bighorn canyon national recreation area, Cloud, mustangs, pryor mountains, wild horses
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