A Win! ~ Twin Peaks Roundup on hold ~ Keep the pressure on

Twin Peaks wild horses counting on your help (Photo of “Magic” © G. Gregg)

Happy Thanksgiving!

California-based Protect Mustangs has been working hard to stop the Twin Peaks roundup once we brought you the news of the Rush Fire last summer. We are grateful several wonderful advocates such as Craig Downer, Grandma Gregg, Jesica Johnston, Barbara Clarke, Monika Courtney, R.T Fitch, Debbie Coffey and many others have joined the fight to protect the Twin Peaks wild horses on the range.

We oppose rounding up and removing native wild horses from the Twin Peaks HMA especially now that they can play a key role in restoring the land. It’s time the BLM use good science and cut down on invasive techniques that cause global warming. Wild horses and burros can heal and reseed the range after the wildfire so let them do it.”

Keep contacting your elected officials across the country to educate them about how the Twin Peaks wild horses can heal the land after the fire. Let them know these federally protected wild horses deserve to remain on their range. Tell them removals are cruel and costly–warehousing them for decades is not sustainable. Request the Twin Peaks roundup be cancelled. Thank you for helping California’s wild horses and burros.

Please make a donation to help Protect Mustangs continue our work for the wild horses. Thank you.

Below is the email we received today from Ken Collum at the BLM.

All my best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving,

Anne

Anne Novak

Executive Director of Protect Mustangs

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: Twin Peaks Response
From: “Collum, Kenneth R”
Date: Tue, November 20, 2012
To: Anne Novak protectmustangs

There will be no imminent roundup operation in the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area (HMA).  The situation will be re-evaluated this January.

HMA population information obtained from September’s aerial inventory will be available soon.

Ken Collum

Field Manager

Eagle Lake Field Office

2950 Riverside Dr.

Susanville, CA.  96130

Ph:    530 252 5374

Cell:  530 260 0158

 

 

Is the wild horse family trapped by fencing in the wildfire?

Today Grandma Gregg wrote to us with the following news:

Twin Peaks HMA Rush Fire on Rye Patch Road August 18, 2012 (Photo by BLM)

She said her daughter contacted Jeff Fontana, BLM public affairs officer, to tell the BLM the location where the wild horse family, known as Magic’s Band, lives. She expressed her concern they would be trapped in the fire due to the extensive livestock fencing and cross fencing throughout the area.

Here is Magic and his family living in harmony before the fire.

Magic’s family in the Twin Peaks HMA, near Susanville, California. (Photo © Grandma Gregg, all rights reserved.)

 

Magic’s family in the Twin Peaks HMA, near Susanville, California. (Photo © Grandma Gregg, all rights reserved.)

Magic – grey stallion – son and look-alike of the great herd stallion BraveHeart, who was captured with his family in the 2010 roundup.

Hope – Magic’s mare and true love as you can see in the pic

Harley – Hope’s 2 or 3 year old colt

Curley and Shiney, two bay bachelor stallions and great buddies (not pictured)

The BLM official assured Grandma’s family that the horses would be able to get out through the gates because the ranchers and firemen had been instructed to leave them open.

Grandma’s family is very concerned that the wild horse family will not see the open gates in the smoke and concerned they could get stuck in the unsafe cattle guards.  Many people are concerned Magic’s family would have been trapped by fencing while the fire rushed through the area.

She shared photos with us showing exactly where Magic and his family (eight horses total) lived before the fire went through the area this week.

Grandma took these photos last year standing in the same place at the top of the fenced “pasture” but looking in different directions.  She noticed fences everywhere in every direction–a trap.

View #1
There is no fencing in this photograph – this would be looking the direction (south) that the fire would have come up toward them – fences are behind and right and left – good pic that shows where the fire would have come from -wildfires normally burn fast UP hills so the fire would have back them right up to the fences.

View #1 of Magic’s family’s place in the Twin Peaks HMA, near Susanville, California. (Photo © Grandma Gregg, all rights reserved.)

View #2

View #2 of fencing at Magic’s family’s place in the Twin Peaks HMA, near Susanville, California. (Photo © Grandma Gregg, all rights reserved.)

View #3

Here is observation peak – per the fire maps this is ALL burned now.

View #3 of fencing at Magic’s family’s place in the Twin Peaks HMA, near Susanville, California. (Photo © Grandma Gregg, all rights reserved.)

View #4

View #4 of fencing at Magic’s family’s place in the Twin Peaks HMA, near Susanville, California. (Photo © Grandma Gregg, all rights reserved.)

View #5

View #5 of fencing at Magic’s family’s place in the Twin Peaks HMA, near Susanville, California. (Photo © Grandma Gregg, all rights reserved.)

As of Saturday night Grandma has not heard back from Fontana about the welfare of Magic’s band.

© Protect Mustangs