Celebrating the 53rd Anniversary of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Today is the 53rd anniversary of the passage of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act!
Before delving into the remarkable story of “Wild Horse Annie,” the pioneer wild horse advocate, and her relentless efforts to pass this crucial law protecting these beloved equines, we have an important ask of you. We’re approaching our End-of-Year deadline to raise $200,000 for 2025, and we’re SO close to unlocking a 2X matching donation from one of our most generous donors. Can you chip in a donation of any amount today so we can secure this matching opportunity and make headway towards our EOY goal?
| HELP US REACH OUR GOAL! |
But that’s not all: We’re also pleased to announce that we’ve received ANOTHER $100,000 matching opportunity for all donations made towards our End-of-Year Goal! That means your holiday gift could go twice as far to help us protect these cherished animals.
But there’s a catch. This matching gift will only be unlocked if we raise $30,000 to show that we’ve got the support to reach our ambitious goal. We need your help to ensure that we don’t miss this important opportunity. Can you chip in an early gift towards our End-of-Year goal and help us double our impact for wild horses and burros in 2025?
| DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT! |
Velma B. Johnston, who later came to be known as Wild Horse Annie, was a tireless advocate for wild horses and burros, and her legacy lives on through AWHC’s work and through the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971.
Wild Horse Annie saw the ruthless and indiscriminate manner in which wild horses were being rounded up from public lands during the 1950s in Nevada. At that time, America’s wild horse population was in rapid decline, and many of these incredible animals were captured by “mustangers” for slaughter.
Not being one to sit on the sidelines, Wild Horse Annie took matters into her own hands. She organized a massive grassroots movement to bring attention to this issue. She brought Americans from across the country together to push for groundbreaking legislation. In fact, she mobilized so many people that wild horse protection was the second most popular issue that constituents wrote to Congress about in 1971.
Because of the work of Wild Horse Annie, Congress unanimously passed the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. This is the most important legislation for wild horses in the United States, and we continue to see its impact today.
Today, 53 years later, the Act has been significantly weakened thanks to the lobbying efforts of special interest groups. That’s where AWHC comes in. Our mission is to fulfill the promise made 53 years ago—but we can’t do it alone. With over 10,000 wild horses and burros targeted for roundups next year, and over 66,000 in federal holding, our work has never been more important.
| HELP CONTINUE HER LEGACY |
Thank you,
Team AWHC