Tag Archives: Rock Springs

Protect Mustangs™ will help find homes for all the 3-Strike wild horses & burros

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Secretary Ryan Zinke
United States Department of Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240

Dear Secretary Zinke,

We are focusing on proactive solutions to ensure all America’s wild horses and burros will be safe. Right now we are working with many people, organizations and tribes who want the 3-Strikes wild horses and burros. Where have they all gone?

The Bureau of Land Management’s own Wild Horse & Burros Advisory Board’s recommendation to kill all the wild horses and burros in holding is outrageous and cruel.

The public is against killing. My #NoKILL Mustangs petition with more than 221,000 signatures is a reflection of public opinion. (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/907/592/301/demand-nokill-45000-wild-horses-burros-in-holding)

Our Change.org petition with close to 105,000 signatures to stop the roundups and slaughter (https://www.change.org/p/defund-and-stop-the-wild-horse-burro-roundups) speaks for the public as well.

Americans will not allow our national treasures to be killed. It’s time for solutions.

Kindly send me a list, without delay, of all the 3-Striker’s IDs and whereabouts so we can move forward to get the wild mustangs and burros into private care thus reducing the expense to feed and board them through the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse & Burro Program.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Anne Novak

Anne Novak
Executive Director
Protect Mustangs

Protect Mustangs is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of native and wild horses. www.ProtectMustangs.org



Stop the Cruel Experiments on Adobe Queen and Others!

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Screenshot of EXPERIMENTS on wild mares

Abuse and harassment

$11.5 million tax dollars are being given away to experiment on America’s last wild horses and burros based on a lie. The truth is free roaming wild horses are under-populated and there never has been an accurate headcount–only lies to get tax dollars.

You can see Adobe Queen (https://www.facebook.com/ProtectMustangs/videos/1395669043825444/?pnref=story) is being harassed by forcing a tracking collar on her. Collars might cause death when the collars get tight.

The 1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act forbids harassing wild horses but the feds are doing it anyway. The Bureau of Land Management wants to track ‘Adobe Queen’ down to uncover the Adobe Town herd’s hiding places in the Wyoming desert so they can kill them or round them up and later sell them to slaughterhouse buyers as discussed on June 22, 2016 in the House Committee on Wild Horses and Burros.

Take action by sharing the Change.org petition (https://www.change.org/p/u-s-senate-investigate-the-wild-horse-burro-count-in-captivity-and-freedom/u/19841144) by email to everyone you know so we can STOP the cruelty!

Sign up for the Thunderclap: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/54922-expose-mustangs-2-slaughter to get this petition out there!

For more information go to www.ProtectMustangs.org and type the word “experiments” in the search bar.

For the Wild Ones,
Anne Novak

Executive Director
www.ProtectMustangs.org
Contact@ProtectMustangs.org

Protect Mustangs is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of native and wild horses. www.ProtectMustangs.org



Bring emergency shelter and shade to captive wild horses and burros!

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Dead Shadow © Jim Hart Protect Mustangs

Urgent! Captive wild horses and burros need shelter now as extreme summer weather hits! STOP baking them in the sun! It’s killing them. Sign and share the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/bring-emergency-shelter-and-shade-to-captive-wild-horses-and-burros

The freezing winter weather has come and gone. Captive icons of American freedom, wild horses & burros, were denied shelter from the freezing winds, snow, icy rain, with only the muck (manure & urine) to lie down in-despite public outrage..

Now the mustangs and burros will face another summer of blistering high desert sun in triple-digit heat waves—no shelter! Our living treasures will continue to suffer. . . The feds are at the epicenter of this scandalous roundup and removal attack against America’s wild horses & burros. This cruelty in captivity must stop now!

Read more here: https://www.change.org/p/bring-emergency-shelter-and-shade-to-captive-wild-horses-and-burros

The petition is working: Wyoming BLM to install some shelters and wind screens

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“The petition is working. The BLM held a workshop in Reno Nevada to address international public outcry for shade and shelter in 2013. The feds’ proposed remedies are not enough but it is a beginning at changing policy. Keep up the pressure and turn up the volume. Share the petition daily. Meet with your elected officials. Show them the petition to bring change to captive wild horses and burros. Politely request they intervene to put an end to the suffering in the pens.” ~Anne Novak, Executive Director of Protect Mustangs

BLM schedules modifications to the Rock Springs wild horse holding facility

Changes will include a new office building to accommodate public tours and facilitate the adoption process; adding storage shelters to protect hay; constructing a roof over the trimming chute area; installing wind screens along the west side of the facility; placing protective shelters in the sick pens; redesigning the preparation area to improve animal and employee safety; and replacing worn or damaged corral panels. These projects will be phased in throughout the year and should not impact the wild horses.

Facility Manager Jake Benson states, “We’re taking a good look at our set-up and reworking things to increase safety and efficiency and at the same time see how we can reduce costs.” He adds, “While these changes are not required, we will evaluate their effectiveness and continue to make adjustments as necessary to provide outstanding care for the horses.”

The facility remains closed to allow wild horses recently removed from the Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek and Great Divide Basin herd management areas to acclimate to their new environment. No public tours will be conducted during the closure; however, the public viewing kiosk is open. The public will be notified when the facility reopens.

More information about the facility is available at www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Wild_Horses/rs-wh-facility.html

Petition for emergency shelter and shade for captive wild horses and burros: http://www.change.org/p/bring-emergency-shelter-and-shade-to-captive-wild-horses-and-burros

Protest against wiping out Wyoming wild horses August 12 in Rock Springs

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ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING – Horse lovers, motorcycle enthusiasts and concerned citizens will rally in protest of the wild horse roundups scheduled for the Wyoming checkerboard. Focusing on the checkerboard, the protest will also address wild horse and burro roundups scheduled in the western states.

The rally starts at 1:00 on Tuesday, August 12th at the BLM field office, 280 U.S. 191, Rock Springs and then travels 3.2 miles to the Rock Springs Grazing Association, 200 2nd Street, for a second rally. The purpose of the rally is to convey that U.S. taxpayers do not support the removal of our wild horses and burros, especially at taxpayer expense. The majority of U.S. citizens do not agree with the use of our taxpayer dollars to subsidize private livestock owners.

“We used to have over 2 million wild horses on our public lands, and now we’re down to about one percent left of what we once had on the range,” state the organizers of the rally. “In the checkerboard, some of the private lands ranchers have grazing permits so their livestock are on our public lands. Perhaps it’s time to re-think this policy of allowing privately-owned livestock on our public lands.”

Facts and figures can be found here:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/vickeryeckhoff/2014/04/25/federal-grazing-program-in-bundy-dispute-rips-off-taxpayers-wild-horses/

And here:

http://www.sagebrushsea.org/pdf/factsheet_Grazing_Fiscal_Costs.pdf

A press conference will be held at the BLM field office releasing the facts on the wild horse and burro and the subsidies the public lands ranchers have been receiving.

ROUNDUP SCHEDULE: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/herd_management/tentative_gather_schedule.html

Donations are needed to help feed and care for rescued wild horses.

Info: www.ProtectMustangs.org

Comments needed on BLM’s proposed Great Divide Basin wild horse roundup in Wyoming

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Release Date: 12/10/13
Contacts: Shelley Gregory
307-315-0612

BLM Seeks Public Comments on Proposed Great Divide Basin Wild Horse Gather
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rock Springs Field Office is launching a 30-day public scoping period prior to preparing an environmental assessment (EA) for a proposed summer 2014 wild horse gather in the Great Divide Basin Herd Management Area (HMA).

The Great Divide Basin HMA is partly located in the checkerboard pattern of mixed public and private land ownership in Sweetwater County and extends from Interstate 80 north to the southeast point of the Wind River Mountains in Fremont County.

The HMA has an appropriate management level (AML) of 415-600 wild horses as identified in the 1997 Green River Resource Management Plan. Population surveys conducted in May found approximately 439 wild horses. Wild horse populations will increase about 15 percent yearly based on previous fertility control; the current population is estimated at 504 and predicted to be 579 in summer 2014.

The BLM proposes to remove approximately 164 wild horses from the HMA. All wild horses on private lands in the checkerboard would be removed in conformance with the 2013 court ordered Consent Decree; some wild horses may be relocated north of the checkerboard. Excess wild horses in the remainder of the HMA would be removed to meet the low AML of 415. The proposed operation would possibly include fertility control.

Public participation is a key component of the EA process. The public is encouraged to identify specific issues, concerns, ideas or mitigation to help ensure the best possible analysis. Written substantive comments may be emailed only to DivideBasin_HMA_WY@blm.gov with “Divide Basin Scoping Comments” in the subject line; or mailed or delivered to the BLM Rock Springs Field Office, Attn: Jay D’Ewart, 280 Highway 191 N., Rock Springs WY 82901. Comments will be accepted until Jan. 10, 2014.

Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the individual below during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the below individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

For more information, please visit www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/rsfo/divide_basin.html or contact Wild Horse Specialist Jay D’Ewart at 307-352-0331.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue, much of which was shared with the States where the activities occurred. In addition, public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.
–BLM–Rock Springs Field Office   280 Highway 191 North      Rock Springs, WY 82901

BLM Rock Springs and Rawlings schedule public meetings and extend scoping on wild horse management

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August 27, 2013
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will host public scoping meetings from 4-7 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Rock Springs Field Office, 280 Highway 191 N., Rock Springs, Wyo.; and Sept. 12 at the Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N. Third St., Rawlins, Wyo., to address wild horse and burro management for the Rock Springs and Rawlins Resource Management Plans (RMPs).

The scoping period for the RMP revisions will also be extended to Sept. 27 to allow adequate time for public comment. The scoping meetings will provide an opportunity for the public and interested parties to ask questions one-on-one with BLM specialists, view maps and posters detailing the RMP revision process, and provide written comments.

The BLM is seeking public input in analyzing the environmental impacts of implementing the April 3 consent decree governing wild horse management in the checkerboard pattern of mixed public, private, and state land ownership in southern Wyoming. Under the consent decree, the BLM agrees to remove all wild horses from the Rock Springs Grazing Association’s (RSGA) private lands. RSGA owns or leases more than 48 percent of the private land in four herd management areas (HMAs) in the checkerboard within the boundaries of the Rawlins and Rock Springs field offices. Wild horse management, including HMA boundaries which encompass RSGA lands and appropriate management levels (AMLs), will be reviewed and reanalyzed.

Written comments will be accepted until Sept. 27.

Comments may be emailed to BLM_WY_RockSpringsRMP@blm.gov (please include “Wild Horse Scoping” in the subject line), faxed to (307) 352-0329, or mailed to the Bureau of Land Management, Rock Springs Field Office, Wild Horse Scoping, 280 Highway 191 N., Rock Springs, WY 82901.

Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the individuals listed below during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the below individuals. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

For further information, please contact Jay D’Ewart at (307) 352-0331, or William West at (307) 352-0259.

Note to editor: A link to the planning documents can be found at www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Planning/rmps/RockSprings.html.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue, much of which was shared with the States where the activities occurred. In addition, public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.
–BLM–Rock Springs Field Office   280 Highway 191 N.      Rock Springs, WY 82901

Urgent! Wyoming roundups cause environmental damage

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Permission given to use to raise awareness crediting © Protect Mustangs

Permission given to use to raise awareness crediting © Protect Mustangs

Your comments are urgently needed to help Wyoming’s wild horses today!

You do not need to live in the U.S.A. to comment as we know Wyoming tourism draws people to the state from around the world to see native wild horses.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the roundup and removal of wild horses from the “Checkerboard” region HMAs–Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek (ATSW) in the Red Desert of Wyoming. The EA reads:

“All wild horses on private lands and on the checkerboard lands within the ATSW Complex would be removed in accordance with the 2013 Consent Decree.”

Since wild horses move freely from public land to private land in the “Checkerboard” region, will they chase the native wild horses with helicopters on to private land to remove as many as possible from the entire public-private land region? They have chased them on to public land in the past to trap them.

Does this roundup have a back-room connection to BP America’s Continental Divide – Creston (CD-C) natural gas project that will frack 8,950 new gas wells? The massive CD-C project already has 4,400 existing oil and gas wells.

Watch GASLAND Part II on HBO July 8th to see the answer to that question.

Comments are due to BLM Wyoming by 4:30 p.m. Central Time, June 10, 2013.

We encourage you to select Alternative C, No Action Alternative, No removal  

Email your comments to Jay D’Ewart, Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, using this email address: AdobeTown_SaltWells_HMA_WY@blm.gov with “ATSW Public Comment” in the subject line.

Focus on the environmental damage because of the proposed Adobe Town Salt Wells Roundup. Oppose the roundup and request Alternative C, No Action Alternative, No removal. You can make it short. The point is to make a comment because they count how many come in. Below are some talking points:

  • Damaged and trampled plants, terrain and destruction of the fragile ecosystem from chasing wild horses with helicopters and the potential for a stampede.
  • Damaged and trampled plants, terrain and destruction of the fragile ecosystem from trucks and trailers as well as equipment trucks driving in and out.
  • Damage to riparian areas from chasing wild horses with helicopters and the potential for a stampede.
  • Damage to riparian areas and the surrounding fragile ecosystem from trucks and trailers as well as equipment trucks driving in and out.
  • Noise pollution from noisy helicopters assaults all wildlife and disturbs sage grouse.
  • Helicopters pollute the environment. They release CO2 that increases global warming and should not be allowed.
  • Fuel emissions from trucks carrying equipment and trailers for the roundup pollute. Trucks release CO2 that increases global warming and should not be allowed.
  • Dust from chasing wild horses, coupled with the stress, causes upper respiratory infections, possible permanent damage or possible death of native wild horses as well A hurting other animals in the ecosystem.
  • Dust from equipment trucks and trucks hauling captured wild horses in trailers causes possible damage to other species in the ecosystem.
  • Wild horses are a return-native species (E. caballus) and should not be removed. They are an essential piece in the native ecosystem, creating diversity and helping to reverse desertification. If native wild horses are removed the ecosystem will become more out of balance as we see happening because many predators species are being removed or killed.
  • Without proving overpopulation, this proposed roundup is in violation of NEPA.
  • Without proving overpopulation, this proposed roundup does not merit the use of risky chemical fertility control (PZP, SpayVac®) or fertility control made from pig ovaries (PZP-22, ZonaStat-H) as most pigs have become GMO animals and the risks are unknown. The “birth-control” was approved by the EPA as a “restricted use pesticide” only.
  • Without proving overpopulation, this roundup should be cancelled. Even the NAS study said the BLM fails to provide accurate data to support their overpopulation claims.
  • Native wild horses are not “pests” and should not be labelled or treated as if they are. They are an essential part of the native ecosystem.

More items will be listed later. Your suggestions below are welcome.

Read Debbie Coffey’s statement on using the fertility control agent known as PZP:

“PZP and other fertility control should not be used on non-viable herds either. Most of the remaining herds of wild horses are non-viable. The NAS and any advocacy groups that are pushing PZP and other fertility control have not carefully studied all of the caveats in Dr. Gus Cothran’s genetic analysis reports along with the remaining population of each herd of wild horses.” ~ Debbie Coffey, Director of Wild Horse Affairs at Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Read Jesica Johnston’s statement about overpopulation:

“The NAS findings clearly state that the BLM has failed to provide accurate estimates of the nation’s population of wild horses and burros. Therefore, the NAS cannot conclude that a state of over-population exists and or provide a recommendation for artificial management considerations such as ‘rigorous fertility controls’ to control populations for which the complex population dynamics are currently unknown.” ~Jesica Johnston, environmental scientist and biologist.

Here is the link to the BLM’s Environmental Assessment online:

http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wy/information/NEPA/rfodocs/adobetown-saltwells.Par.74403.File.dat/ATSWEA.pdf

Here is the BLM press release explaining their side:

Release Date: 05/10/13
Contacts: Serena Baker,
307-212-0197

Adobe Town/Salt Wells Creek Wild Horse Gather EA Available
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rawlins and Rock Springs field offices are launching a 30-day public comment period on an environmental assessment (EA) to gather excess wild horses from the Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek (ATSW) Herd Management Areas (HMAs).The two HMAs are managed collectively as the ATSW Complex due to wild horse movement between the two areas. The Complex is located in the checkerboard pattern of mixed public, private, and state land ownership in Sweetwater and Carbon counties, stretching from Interstate 80 south to the Wyoming/Colorado border. The BLM respects private land owner rights while managing wild horse populations. The ATSW Complex includes approximately 510,308 acres which are privately held. This gather would reduce landowner conflicts where the wild horses stray onto private lands.Population surveys conducted in May 2012 found approximately 1,005 wild horses in the ATSW Complex. However, wild horse populations are expected to increase by approximately 20 percent with the 2012 and 2013 foaling seasons, bringing the population in the ATSW Complex to an estimated 1,447 wild horses by summer.The appropriate management level (AML) for the ATSW Complex is 861-1,165 wild horses. The gather is necessary to maintain the wild horse herds toward the lower range of the established AMLs in compliance with the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, and the 2003 Wyoming Consent Decree. The AML for the ATSW Complex was established through an agreement with private land owners and wild horse advocacy groups. It was confirmed in the 1997 Green River Resource Management Plan (RMP) and through the 2008 Approved Rawlins RMP. The proposed gather is anticipated in 2013.

The proposed action in the EA is also in conformance with the Consent Decree with the Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA) ordered by the U.S. District Court on April 3, 2013, to remove all wild horses from private lands within the checkerboard portion of the ATSW Complex in 2013. According to the Consent Decree, if the numbers are likely to exceed 200 wild horses within the checkerboard portion of the ATSW Complex, the BLM shall prepare to remove the wild horses from the private lands.

The ATSW Complex was last gathered in fall 2010. During that gather, 99 mares released back to the HMAs were administered the PZP fertility control vaccine. Fertility control is an alternative being considered in the EA.

Public comments are most helpful if they cite specific actions or impacts, and offer supporting factual information or data. Written comments should be received by June 10, and may be emailed only to AdobeTown_SaltWells_HMA_WY@blm.gov (please list “ATSW Comment” in the subject line), mailed or hand-delivered during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) to: The BLM Rock Springs Field Office, ATSW Comment, 280 Highway 191 N., Rock Springs, WY 82901.

Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

For more information, please contact BLM Wild Horse Specialist Jay D’Ewart at 307-352-0256.

Note to editor: A link to the EA and map of the proposed project area can be found atwww.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/rfo/atsw-gather.html.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
–BLM–Rock Springs Field Office   280 Highway 191 North      Rock Springs, WY 82901

Breaking News: Protesters want to end native wild horse abuse and use mustangs to fight wildfires

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PM Wildland Fire Risk 2013

Wildfire risk potential version 2013, data origin & source: USDA Forest Service

`

For immediate release:

More than 40 international protests today to stop the roundups and stop horse slaughter

OAKLAND, Ca. (April 27, 2013)–Protect Mustangs™, the Bay Area-based native wild horse conservation group, is holding protests today in Oakland and Rock Springs, Wyoming to save indigenous wild horses from roundups, abuse, slaughter and pass the SAFE Act. The Oakland rally is held outside the Rockridge BART station from 3:30 to 6 p.m. The Rock Springs rally is held at 70 Gateway Blvd at 2 p.m. The group wants all the wild horses in government funded holding to be returned to the range to help reduce wildfires. More than 40 international protests, spearheaded by Nevada’s Patty Bumgarner on Facebook, are being held to save the horses. Protect Mustangs™ requests Congress stop the cruelty, the slaughter and save taxpayer dollars–especially during the Sequester.

“We are united across the country to say no to slaughter, roundups and cruel overectomies in the field,” states Anne Novak, executive director of Protect Mustangs™. “We want our wild horses to be protected. Did you know America’s wild horses are indigenous? Are you aware that CalTrans found ancient horse fossils while digging the fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel?”

The horse, E. caballus, originated in America over a million years ago and returned with the Conquistadors if it ever went extinct in the first place. With history written by the Inquisition, one must read between the lines. It was heresy for Old World animals, such as the horse, to have originated in the heathen Americas.

Novak points out,”Recent DNA testing proves our iconic wild horses are the same species as E. caballus–the original horse.”

Esteemed scientists Kirkpatrick, J.F., and P.M. Fazio explained the following in Wild Horses as Native North American Wildlife (Revised January 2010). The Science and Conservation Center, ZooMontana, Billings:

‘The key element in describing an animal as a native species is (1) where it originated; and (2) whether or not it co‐evolved with its habitat. Clearly, E. 6 caballus did both, here in North American. There might be arguments about ‘breeds,’ but there are no scientific grounds for arguments about ‘species.’

The non‐native, feral, and exotic designations given by agencies are not merely reflections of their failure to understand modern science but also a reflection of their desire to preserve old ways of thinking to keep alive the conflict between a species (wild horses), with no economic value anymore (by law), and the economic value of commercial livestock.’

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received $78 million last year to run the Wild Horse and Burro Program. Two-thirds of the expenses went towards caring for the equids in captivity. Despite the federal budget crisis, the program received a $2 million increase in funding for their 2014 fiscal budget–including $6 million for the helicopter contractor.

California’s Senator Feinstein chairs Energy and Water subcommittee as well as rules on Interior issues within the Committee on Appropriations. The Committee gives taxpayer dollars to fiscally irresponsible and cruel wild horse and burro roundups despite public outcry.

Roundups and removals are linked to mining and toxic fracking in the West. It appears native horses are being removed to fast track the extractive industry’s use of public land for private profit yet the public and the environment are hit with the costs.

Native wild horses will soon be zeroed out from Wyoming’s “checkerboard” public-private land–allegedly in preparation for the largest natural gas field in the country. The conservation group has requested a $50 million fund be created to mitigate environmental distress from fracking on the range.

“Tourists love to come to Wyoming to see our wild horses,” states Melissa Maser, outreach coordinator for Protect Mustangs™ in Wyoming and Texas. “We’d like to see native wild horses protected for future generations.”

Advocates are documenting wild horses being removed throughout the West as healthy and with fewer foals. The starving and overpopulation myths from BLM spin doctors are fabricated to sway Congress to fund roundups and removals.

“We’d like to find a win-win for wild horses in the West,” explains Novak. “Native horses will help reduce wildfires that cost insurance companies billions of dollars annually and contribute to global warming. We have requested the BLM put a freeze on roundups and return the 50,000 wild horses stockpiled in holding to public land. This will take the burden off the taxpayer and help to reduce wildfires.”

Protect Mustangs™ is devoted to protecting native wild horses. Their mission is to educate the public about the indigenous wild horse, protect and research American wild horses on the range and help those who have lost their freedom.

# # #

Media Contacts:

Anne Novak, 415.531.8454 Anne@Protect Mustangs.org

Kerry Becklund, 510.502.1913 Kerry@ProtectMustangs.org

Photos, video and interviews available upon request

Links of interest:

Gone viral~ The Associated Press, February 10, 2013: Wild-horse advocates split over interior nominee http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020332496_apnvwildhorses1stldwritethru.html

US property exposed to wildfire valued at $136 billion says report: http://www.artemis.bm/blog/2012/09/17/u-s-property-exposed-to-wildfire-valued-at-136-billion-says-report/

KQED Horse fossil found in Caldecott Tunnel: http://science.kqed.org/quest/2011/05/26/new-fossils-from-the-caldecott-tunnel/

Gone viral~ The Associated Press, March 24, 2013: Budget axe nicks BLM wild-horse adoption center http://www.denverpost.com/colorado/ci_22862206

Horseback Magazine: Sequester prompts call for wild horses and burros to be returned to the wild http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/21568

Horseback Magazine, March 8, 2013: Protect Mustangs calls for fund for Wyoming wild horses http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/20979

Horseback Magazine: Group takes umbridge at use of the word “feral” http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/19392

Ruby pipeline and wild horse roundups? http://www.8newsnow.com/story/12769788/i-team-bp-connected-to-wild-horse-roundups

BLM’s 2014 Budget: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/newsroom/2013/april/04_10_2013.html

Why are the wild horses being removed? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCWWgOugF2U

Wyoming Tourism’s video of wild horses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tRZkBXkbyY

Protect Mustangs™: www.ProtectMustangs.org

Protect Mustangs™ on Facebook

Protect Mustangs™ on Twitter

Protect Mustangs™ on YouTube

Protect Mustangs™ in the News

Information on native wild horses: http://protectmustangs.org/?page_id=562