ALERT: A new Fort McDermitt roundup proposed

Fallon auction

Dear Friends of Wild Horses & Burros,

I want to give you a heads up that another brutal Fort McDermitt roundup is being planned for late summer or early fall 2015 in Nevada. Due to our successful 2013 lawsuit, the United States Forest Service is seeking public comment due March 23, 2015, in accordance with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), on the proposal to remove unauthorized tribal horses. Please send in your comments.

Here is their announcement: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/htnf/news-events/?cid=STELPRD3830223 Here is the the public scoping notice for detailed information: http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=44432 The link to make your comments online is here: https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public//CommentInput?Project=44432 Remember comments are due by March 23rd.

How will the Nevada brand inspectors identify unbranded federally protected wild horses who have migrated off the neighboring Little Owyhee herd management area? This is of great concern to the public at large.

Despite many wild horses being rescued in the mad scramble of 2013 too many truckloads went to slaughter. Horse advocates won’t tolerate the kill-buyer parking lot rip-offs any more. Those Facebook ransom pages won’t be supported this time around either. It’s time for the community to come together with advance planning.

We’d like to work with the tribe to ensure the Fort McDermitt horses don’t end up getting slaughtered for human consumption abroad. It would be a tragedy for these nice horses to end up eaten in foreign countries when they can make nice riding ponies and therapy horses. Those who wouldn’t be a good match for working with people could be distributed to Eco-sanctuaries. People around the world want to experience the Old West and native wild horses hold that allure.

The Forest Service is ignoring the ecological benefits of free-roaming horses on public land. Wild horses reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and help reverse desertification. Despite new methods of holistic land management, the feds continue to scapegoat wild horses for range and riparian damage caused mostly by cows and sheep.

We stopped the ongoing brutal roundups at Fort McDermitt from Sept 2013 until now based on the feds’ NEPA violation. Protect Mustangs and Citizens Against Equine Slaughter sued over the agreement that called for years of cruel roundups. At least now we have advance notice of the proposed roundup. Please contact us via email if you want to help. Our email is Contact@ProtectMustangs.org

Though the USFS didn’t participate in the Fort McDermitt roundup, the USFS-McDermitt agreement was left on the table. Our lawsuit was about their failure to conduct NEPA. Protect Mustangs and Citizens Against Equine Slaughter got the illegal agreement scrubbed out on Sept. 3, 2013, after the roundup cases filed by other groups had been lost/dismissed in mid-August. To ensure transparency of future roundups we requested the United States Forest Service conduct NEPA and give notice if they should roundup Fort McDermitt wild horses again. Now they are doing it.

We did not sue the Fallon Auction Yard. That issue is discussed in the pro-slaughter biased article in RANGE magazine here: http://www.rangemagazine.com/features/spring-14/range-sp14-horse_hoarders.pdf

In accordance with our settlement agreement, Protect Mustangs received notification of another Fort McDermitt roundup and we are sharing the news with you so you can take action.

Here are some links to source information:

2013: Two different Fort McDermitt lawsuits for two different issues: http://protectmustangs.org/?p=5242

September 30,2013 Horsetalk, New Zealand Roundup agreement canned following legal challenge http://horsetalk.co.nz/2013/09/30/roundup-agreement-canned-following-legal-challenge/#axzz2gPxqlhX1

September 28, 2013 CBS San Francisco Wild Horse Advocates’ Legal Victory Halts Roundups in NorCal Forest http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/09/28/wild-horse-advocates-legal-victory-halts-roundups-in-norcal-forest/#.UkhzyrcAdyU.twitter

Press Release: Legal win creates public transparency and halts 2-year roundup contract (September 26, 2013): http://protectmustangs.org/?p=5185

Protect Mustangs & Citizens Against Equine Slaughter Win Transparency for Public for Forest Service Roundups with Tribes (September 17, 2013)
Termination of roundup agreement (September 3, 2013): http://protectmustangs.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/PM-Protect-Mustangs-CAES-McDermitt-Participating-Agreement-Termination-September-3-2013.pdf

August 24, 2013 Horseback Magazine Dances with Wolves author Michael Blake joins lawsuit to stop ongoing wild horse roundups: http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/24124

Breaking News: Michael Blake joins lawsuit to stop ongoing wild horse roundups (August 24, 2013): http://protectmustangs.org/?p=5060

Citizens Against Equine Slaughter and Protect Mustangs file preliminary injunction (August 24, 2013): PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION AND MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT
Horses saved and horses lost at Native American horse auction (August 17, 2013): http://protectmustangs.org/?p=5023

Information about Fallon Livestock Auction (August 17, 2013): http://protectmustangs.org/?p=4999

Temporary Restraining Order Granted (August 16, 2013): http://protectmustangs.org/?p=4990

Judge blocks Nevada auction of unbranded horses in second opinion http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/judge-blocks-nevada-auction-unbranded-horses-second-opinion

Viral article: August 16, 2013 The Associated Press US judge refuses to block NV tribe’s mustang sale http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_23879138/us-judge-refuses-block-nv-tribes-mustang-sale

Press Release: Lawsuit filed to save wild horses from alleged slaughter (August 16, 2013): http://protectmustangs.org/?p=5001

Official request to terminate roundup agreement, request DNA testing, separate unbranded wild horses, etc. (August 15, 2013): http://protectmustangs.org/?p=4969

It’s time to join forces to save the Fort McDermitt free-roaming horses from going to slaughter. Last time we had no advance notice. Today we do. Let’s make the most of it–for the horses!

Many blessings,
Anne

Anne Novak
Executive Director
www.ProtectMustangs.org
Anne@ProtectMustangs.org

 

8 thoughts on “ALERT: A new Fort McDermitt roundup proposed

  1. It seems to me that the Forest Service is ignoring the ecological benefits of free-roaming horses on public land. Wild horses reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and help reverse desertification. Despite new methods of holistic land management, the feds continue to scapegoat wild horses for range and riparian damage caused mostly by other livestock. Better current land management methods not the slaughter of wild horses is the answer BLM seeks.

  2. As we cannot control what happens on the sovereign lands of the Native Americans, we can work with their government. We must work together and devise a rehoming plan for these beautiful horses. We need public imput to contribute to this plan. Everyone in America should get involved in saving our native wild horses. Showcasing them as a tourist attraction is one way way of saving the horses that don’t get adopted. People love to see the horses in their wild and free state. Wild horses are a true living symbol of American freedom.

  3. When are these round up going to stop?? Before we know it they only wild horses we will have is the WY 14 + Spitfire, the miracle foal saved by Protect Mustangs.

    What have these beautiful animals ever done but be helpmates & companions to humankind. They are here on earth for a reason. We could certainly use them on our dry lands in California.

    BLM please listen to us & work with the various wild horse & burro advocacy groups to arrange a environmentally friendly plan for the horses & burros as well as livestock. Slaughter is NOT the answer.

    Thank you for reading my comments.

  4. We have found here in Oregon that the U.S. Forest Service is not only dishonest, but also contributes to the now ever-present and increasing Slaughter-Pipeline. In their version, at Murderer’s Creek, Oregon and under the Direct supervision of BLM, Rob Short and the Bait and Trap sites, questionable conduct at hand, and has been for quite some time now.

    The Overwhelming Scenario Explained again — So we have wild horses caught, sent to captive corrals in Burns, Oregon, but many disappear (BLM inventory sheets declare many instances and read quite well when one knows what they are looking at within this informative material). Just as here, which exemplifies oh so many roundups in the Western States done by both BLM and the Forestry — many involved in the Slaughter Pipeline to both Canada and Mexico. . .

    Here, for example (building increasing confirmation and evidence presently), the private contractors are paid off directly, by KB transporters and welfare ranchers alike — often money exchanged On-Site. Then the Contractors, BLM employees, and Forestry people take their cut — then we move to the long lines of slaughter trucks awaiting entry into the unloading docks in both Canada and Mexico Slaughter plants, and both have been known, recently, to shut-down due to an overwhelming backlog of loaded truck, among them many wild horses sent there illegally — and the actuality of reasoning as to why the backlog — it has become open-season to steal, or make disappear, rounded up wild horses!

    So yes, it is time to simply put a STOP TO WILD HORSE ROUNDUPS — as this is yet one more Roundup made to essentially profit KB’s, Forestry personnel with no ethics and petty criminals, BLM employees with no ethics and petty criminals, welfare ranchers and others involved with no ethics and petty criminals, and ALL DONE AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE as well!

  5. Someone has to stop these atrocities to the wild horses! People need to be held accountable!

  6. How sad that they do not realize the value of these beautiful horses . They are so
    important to our ecosystem.
    I believe they know this and do not care.
    Anything that is govt involved is no
    Longer trustworthy,if in reality it ever was.

  7. Please leave the wild horses alone!! No more round ups!! BLM an Farmers/Ranchers leave the horses alone!! Unless you want to go to slaughter yourself!!! You people kill way too many loving animals!! How would you like to be abused as they are an sent to a slaughter house?? Please for Gods sake don’t kill anymore of Gods beautiful creatures!! You have already tortured an killed way too many already!! You have made our nation into a killing nation!! Are you proud of yourself???? Needs to stop now!!!’

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