HAPPY HOLIDAYS ! From the Friends of Wild Horses!
Dear Friends of our wild horses;
Monday, December 7th. The day of the BLM National Advisory Board in Reno was bitterly cold with temperatures below zero. Snows blanketed the frozen landscape for as far as I could see. No planes were flying in or out of town. Inside our heated, comfortable, but windowless Casino meeting room, the BLM presented Secretary Salazar’s plan to take our mustangs from their native West to ‘greener pastures’ in the East.
The Board, which is stacked against the horses, largely nodded in approval at plans to decrease herds, reach the magic (but pathetically low) “appropriate management level” (AML) numbers, skew the sex ratios, and give every adult mare lucky enough to return back out on the range infertility drugs. Genetic viability never passed their lips, not that I heard anyway. The words preservation and protection were not spoken, not when I was in the room at least. (On left: mares in foal at the Palomino Valley holding facility in December 2009, photo Kathy McCovey; photo at right Living Images by Carol Walker).
As over 20 advocates for the mustangs sat and listened attentively, no mention was made of the six wild horses found dead on Saturday in the Sierras northwest of Reno, five with obvious gun shot wounds in their scavenged bodies. Nor was any mention made that an unscheduled roundup of over 200 horses was going on in the Buckhorn herd management area near where the dead horses were found—a roundup that was scheduled to take place in August of 2010. We only learned about this clandestine operation the day the last horses were being run into traps, despite BLM Chief Don Glenn’s statement at the meeting that the public is welcome to watch the “gathers”—difficult when changes to the schedule are not announced. Imagine the horror of this roundup—being driven by a helicopter in the bitter cold, losing your family and, in the case of one mare, losing your life. Then being hauled out of the only home you have ever known to the Palomino Valley holding facility where there is no cover, not even a tarp on the fences to hide behind and escape the biting wind. The cruelty of winter roundups must end. An immediate moratorium must be placed on all roundups until the mess BLM has made of the Wild Horse and Burro Program is sorted out! (Updated roundup schedule here).
A decision in the case (In Defense of Animals and Craig Downer v. Salazar et al.) brought against the massive Calico roundup, scheduled to start on December 28th, will be made before Christmas. We hope that the DC District court judge will halt the BLM’s plans to wipe out the last stronghold of American mustangs. Just last week we got great news for the West Douglas herd here in Colorado, at least for now. BLM moved to voluntarily dismiss their appeal. The Agency is trying to zero out this small western slope herd. Our thanks go to Valerie Stanley for her expertise in presenting our case on behalf of the horses.
The Cloud Foundation’s trip to Chicago last week was a great experience and a wonderful opportunity to expose people to Cloud and the beauty of wild horses. Valerie Kennedy and Susan Sutherland had a full speaking agenda for me that included 700 school kids, a church talk, bookstore signing, an evening meeting, plus two daytime events, which included an enthusiastic and knowledgeable crowd at the Danada Equestrian Center. Many thanks to Valerie and Susan for arranging these grand events. And thanks also to Makendra Silverman who kept me organized, on time, and focused! My friend, Janet Ginsburg, of Chicago was in attendance at the bookstore and gave me the best and funniest impromptu introduction I’ve ever had. Also, Albert Nader, the CEO of Questar, the distributor of the Cloud documentaries, was present and it was wonderful putting a face to an unmistakable voice.
As I look back on 2009, I realize how easily lost and how illusory freedom is. Not just for the mustangs, but for us too. We live in a democracy. It is about time that BLM learned this basic lesson. We, the people, are speaking out in ever greater numbers and we will be heard. Never give up my friends, never stop calling and writing to halt the roundups. Never stop fighting for each and every wild horse family still blessed with their freedom. There is a building ground swell of support for our American mustangs and I believe that 2010 will be a year of monumental change.
I look forward to seeing you in the New Year. Here is a little holiday message from Trace, and Sax (Cloud’s little half brother) and me.
Happy Holidays and Happy Trails!
Ginger
Photos: above right, Sax arrives in Colorado in October and one of his first rides in November- he's a very affectionate horse and was removed in the tragic September roundup.