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.

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.

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

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

A Snowy Visit to the Pryors

Sunday, 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 Photos from Our March Visit to the Pryors

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Cedar & Onaqui Mountain Roundup – Feb. 2012

These photos are from the Onaqui/Cedar Mountain roundup in mid-February 2012 southwest of Salt Lake. Some photos are of the release of mares and stallions as well. All released mares were treated with PZP. All photos were taken by Lisa Friday.

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Action Alert: Help Idaho’s Wild Horses!

Comments Needed for the Challis Herd

Dear Wild Horse & Burro Defenders;

Idaho has very few wild horses left, and they need your help. Some of you are probably even thinking: Idaho has wild horses? Yes, but not very many. According to BLM’s own data, there are fewer than 500 wild horses left in the entire state. The Challis Herd Management Area (HMA) is Idaho’s largest remaining wild horse population, and BLM wants to reduce the herd down to only 185 horses on over 160,000 acres.

BLM is currently soliciting the public’s comments for a scoping period regarding a helicopter roundup that would occur this fall. Discussion topics include “reducing population growth by fertility control vaccines, modifying sex ratios, and gelding [emphasis added].”

A wild horse from the Challis herd (Photo by Andrea Maki)