As you may know, over the last few months our team here at AWHC has been working hard to support key state legislation in Nevada called SB90. This bipartisan bill would designate the wild mustang as Nevada’s official state horse!
The wild mustang has an undeniably significant place in Nevada’s history and culture, and is a major ecotourism resource for the state. The passage of this bill would be a huge step towards recognizing the animal’s importance to the Silver State.
SB90 recently passed in the State Senate, and will soon be heard by the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs before heading to a final vote in the full Assembly. But unfortunately, hunters, trappers, and ranchers who want wild horses eradicated from public lands they call home have come out in full force against this legislation.
That’s why we’ve put up this billboard on US 395 in Nevada — to inspire the public about the true spirit of Nevada and raise awareness and support for this bill!
This bill is by no means controversial. Nevada already has a state bird, flower — even a rock — but no state horse, despite the significance of the wild mustang to the culture and history of the state.
As the home to over half of the nation’s wild horses, these iconic animals are celebrated in literature and art, memorialized in the names of businesses, school mascots, and neighborhoods, and adorn countless statues along Nevada’s roadways.
It’s the first day of May – and you know what that means – the first day of Burro Awareness Month!
AWHC started Burro Awareness Month over a decade ago to highlight the beauty of one of our favorite equine species, the curious wild burros of the American Southwest, and to educate the public about the unique struggles they face.
Originating in Africa, burros were first introduced to the Southwest by the Spaniards in the 1500s. They would go on to serve as reliable pack animals for explorers and pioneers on their treks throughout the West in the centuries thereafter, surviving even when the harsh conditions claimed the lives of their human partners. Today, most of America’s wild burros reside in Arizona, where they’ve been present since 1679!
Over the next few weeks, we’re going to focus on all things pertaining to our beloved burros. And today, we’d like to kick things off with an amazing update about our latest burro rescues, Poppy and Cosmo!
Last week, we told you about the heartwarming story of these two precious little animals. With just hours left before potentially being sold off to kill buyers at the Eugene Livestock Auction, AWHC Investigations Manager Amelia Perrin managed to beat out other bidders and save Poppy and Cosmo before it was too late.
Now, thanks to your support, our furry new friends have arrived safely at 3 Sisters Equine Refuge where they can finally decompress, get vet and farrier care, and play freely to their heart’s content. See for yourself!
We’ve got a lot to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews, including the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) recently released 2023 roundup schedule, an inside look at a BLM adoption event in New Hampshire, and an open call to all burro lovers!
It’s officially here. After a several month delay, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) finally released its 2023 roundup schedule for wild horse and burros last week. While the target number is a marked departure from the initial planned number of 20,000, when all is said and done, more than 5,800 wild horses and burros will be added to the already overburdened holding corrals. In addition to the release of this schedule, the BLM is asserting that there is a slight increase in the on-range population, but we have questions. Check out our latest on this development below.
Last weekend, AWHC program specialist, Mary Koncel, traveled to Vermont to attend and document a BLM wild horse and burro adoption event at the Cheshire Fairgrounds in Swanzey, New Hampshire. This was the first of several adoption/sales events that will be held in the Northeastern States District of the BLM. Click the link below to read more.
Wild burros have the same rich history and are just as culturally significant as wild horses, but they receive far less attention. In 2012, AWHC started Burro Awareness Month to promote awareness and appreciation for these amazing and unique residents of the American Southwest. Do you have photos of wild burros that you would like to share? A story about an experience you had on the range? Please submit your content to grace@americanwildhorsecampaign.org to be featured during the month of May on AWHC’s social media!
In honor of National Help a Horse Day, we set a goal of raising $30K by midnight tonight to power our fight to defend our nation’s wild herds in 2023. Right now, we’re at $21,548 — within striking distance of our goal — can you help us get across the finish line by pitching in ASAP?
Happy National Help a Horse Day!
Today, and every day, our team is fighting to secure the freedom and safety of wild horses and burros across the West. On Monday, we told you about one avenue of our work — rescues — but today, we want to highlight how we’re helping horses through our legal and legislative efforts.
Already this year, we’ve made great strides for our wild herds both on the Hill and in state capitols throughout the country:
In North Dakota, we supported a resolution that passed in the state legislature urging the National Park Service to keep the state’s only wild horse herd in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. (SCR 4014).
In Nevada, we rallied public support and testified for legislation that just passed in the state Senate that would make the wild mustang Nevada’s official state horse. (SB90).
In Colorado, we supported legislation that just passed the state Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee that would increase resources to support the work of existing volunteer groups to maintain sustainable wild horse populations through a robust fertility control and stewardship program, minimizing the need for future roundups. (SB23-275).
And on Capitol Hill, we’ve won the support of nearly 100 members of Congress who are calling for the diversion of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) funds away from costly roundups and toward humane management and other important measures in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill.
But that’s not all. We’re stepping up for wild horses in the courtroom as well:
Right now, we’re gearing up to take the BLM to court over its proposed plan to zero-out two iconic wild horse herds in Wyoming and eliminate grand swaths of their habitat, a case with the potential to set a precedent for herds throughout the West.
We’re also pushing forward in our ongoing legal battle against the BLM’s disastrous Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), which is sending thousands of wild horses and burros into the slaughter pipeline. In our case, we allege that the agency implemented the AIP without any of the analysis and public comment required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Last week, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) unveiled its schedule to continue the unscientific and inhumane helicopter roundups of our nation’s iconic, federally protected wild horse and burro herds.
The BLM announced that it’s planning to round up more than 7,000 wild horses and burros from our public lands beginning in July – permanently removing 5,857.
There are already over 60,000 wild horses and burros languishing in overburdened BLM holding centers as a result of the agency’s aggressive 2022 removal schedule. If the BLM follows through with its recently released plan, thousands more of these innocent animals will be subjected to brutal helicopter roundups and crammed into crowded facilities where they are in danger of deadly disease outbreaks and where many could be funneled into the slaughter pipeline via the BLM’s disastrous Adoption Incentive Program (AIP).
In December, Congress included an important bipartisan provision in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 appropriations bill requiring the BLM to utilize up to $11 million for reversible fertility control to sustainably manage wild horses and burros – marking the second year we’ve managed to secure this critical pro-horse and burro language into the omnibus package, and the third year our work has led to Congress recognizing the importance of the expansion of humane fertility control programs.
Despite this, the BLM plans to implement fertility control on just 1,575 wild horses and burros.This is nowhere near enough. The BLM must meaningfully shift course away from inhumane roundups and towards on-range conservation through the use of proven fertility control as a far more safe and cost-effective way of managing the West’s populations.
Admittedly, every day is Earth Day for our team at the American Wild Horse Campaign, BUT that doesn’t mean we won’t take the opportunity to celebrate a little extra on this day
Today, we invite you to join us in focusing on the protection of our beautiful planet and all of the amazing creatures who inhabit it — and we can think of no better way than doubling down on our commitment to our cherished wild horses and burros.
Here are 3 ways you can take action for our herds today:
Over 60,000 mustangs and burros are stuck in government holding facilities.Recent welfare assessments at some of these facilities show widespread and concerning violations including facility maintenance, vaccine protocols, and inadequate access to food and water. Even more concerning, as more mustangs and burros are funneled into this overburdened system, disease outbreaks are becoming all the more common. Take action now to protect these captive animals!
Every single day, our team sees firsthand the threats that wild horses and burros face — the dangerous Adoption Incentive Program, crowded and unsafe holding pens, and inhumane government management practices driven by private interests – not conservation experts.
We need you to take immediate action for Colorado’s wild horses!
Right now, the Colorado Senate’s committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources is considering a forward-thinking bipartisan bill, Senate bill SB23-275. This piece of legislation has the potential to reduce the need for roundups and removals of Colorado’s wild horses by allocating $1.5M in state funding and resources to expand existing fertility control and on-range stewardship efforts.
With federal funds currently being directed towards managing an over-capacity crisis in wild horse and burro holding facilities and an inadequate investment in on-range conservation tools, this is Colorado’s best available option to keep more wild horses on the range and help to reduce the traumatic reactive cycle of large-scale helicopter roundups in future years. SB23-275 could put Colorado at the forefront of humane wild horse management in the West.
Meredith, SB23-275 will be heard tomorrow by the Senate’s committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources and your Senator is on the committee. Will you please take the following actions right now?
1. Call your Senator Janice Marchman at (303) 866-4835. You can say, “Hi, My name is [NAME] and I am calling from [TOWN/CITY] to ask that Senator [NAME] please vote to SUPPORT SB23-275, the Wild Horse Project. Thank you.”
Thanks in large part to your advocacy on behalf of America’s cherished wild herds, your member of Congress just took huge steps to ensure wild horses and burros are protected in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations bill.
First, we want to say thank you. Your continued action gives wild horses and burros a voice so that we can ensure their freedom and livelihood is always protected. Thanks to your work, Representative Joe Neguse just signed on to an important letter urging members of the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee to pass legislation in the FY24 Appropriations bill that would:
Implement a substantial humane reversible immunocontraceptive fertility control vaccine program to manage wild horse and burro populations in the wild, including $11 million for these reversible fertility control vaccines.
Prioritize partnerships with non-profit organizations, including working with military veterans and wild horse organizations.
Evaluate relocating wild horses and burros to other Herd Management Areas (HMAs) to keep these animals on the range and out of off-range holding facilities.
Consider humane alternatives to the use of helicopters.
Maintain the ban that is intended to protect wild horses and burros from slaughter.
Defund the cash incentive in the BLM’s “Adoption Incentive Program” and replace it with veterinary vouchers to help the BLM achieve its goal of increasing adoption rates, while also ensuring more humane outcomes for these animals.
The only wild horse herd left in North Dakota is in serious danger. The Theodore Roosevelt National Park is home to a historic herd of wild horses that are believed to be descendants of Sitting Bull’s horses and are related to the rare Nokota breed – but the National Park Service (NPS) is considering plans that could potentially eliminate the herd in its entirety.
These horses are integral to the scenery, native wildlife, and wilderness qualities of the park – the landscape that inspired President Theodore Roosevelt himself. The park is currently home to about 180 wild horses, but one of the plans NPS is considering seeks to significantly reduce the population of the herd to an unsustainable 35-60 horses. Even worse, another plan being considered seeks to expedite the reduction of the population to zero!
This is unacceptable. We know the horses already have the support of North Dakota officials, including the Governor and the state legislature, as well as the support of local media and residents. And thankfully, our billboards are even starting to bring national attention to this important issue:
The wild horses who call Montana’s Pryor Mountain homedesperately need our help.
The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range is home to a herd of about 200 mustangs, and they’re the only herd of federally protected wild horses left in all of Montana.Now, the BLM is asking the public for input on a proposal that would reduce the size of this herd by more than half, destroy beloved family bands, and would threaten the genetic health of the entire herd.
The BLM is proposing a series of roundups that would reduce this strong herd of 200 down to just 90 horses, well below the genetic viability standard of 150 animals needed to maintain diversity. The consequences would be dire. In addition to breaking up the herd’s important familial structure, the horses’ unique Spanish colonial genetics would be lost forever.
If this proposed action gets implemented, it would be a disaster for the Pryor Mountain wild horses. Not only is this herd already managed by a fertility control program, but it’s located on one of only four designated wild horse and burro ranges in the country — land that is managed principally for wild horses and burros.
Yesterday marked four years since the start of our fertility control program on Nevada’s Virginia Range. To each and every one of you who donates to help fuel our continued efforts in Nevada and other Western states, volunteers to keep this program operating, or takes action in the emails we send to keep these horses safe — I want to say thank you.
Since we restarted our work on the Virginia Range in 2019, it’s become a landmark program — the largest of its kind for wild horses anywhere in the world. We’re proving there IS a better way that is humane, cost-effective, and doesn’t rely on brutally rounding up and removing thousands of wild horses and burros from their homes. Our experience on the Virginia Range has helped to educate the media and Congress about the alternatives to the costly and cruel mass roundup and stockpile cycle.
And it’s working. The results of our fertility control program have helped us to secure language in the federal spending bill for three years in a row that reallocates Bureau of Land Management (BLM) funding away from helicopter roundups and toward humane alternatives. And now, we have the opportunity to expand our programs to other herds across the West — helping to keep even more innocent wild horses safe and free from a future of captivity.
Friends, this program would not be a success without the dozens of volunteers who brave all kinds of weather and give their time to keep these iconic wild horses wild. And, it would not be possible without the generosity of our supporters, who provide us with the resources necessary to power this work.
I’m so proud of every AWHC staff member, volunteer, and supporter for making a program like this possible!
We’ve got a lot to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews, including an opportunity for you to speak up on behalf of captured wild horses and burros suffering in holding facilities, an article discussing a fascinating new study into the history of horses in North America, and an invitation to a fun-filled day at Montgomery Creek Ranch!
A new study published last week in the journal Science, finds that horses of European descent had been integrated into indigenous cultures across western North America long before the arrival of Europeans in that region. The study found that the horses were present in the American West and Southwest several decades before the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 – when allied Indigenous groups pushed Spanish colonizers out of New Mexico. Read more on the fascinating results below!
On Saturday, April 15, AWHC Board President Ellie Phipps Price, her husband Chris and their team will open the gates of their private sanctuary and adoption center, Montgomery Creek Ranch for a fun-filled day!
Tour the 2,000-acre sanctuary in off-road vehicles to experience the beauty of 200 wild horses roaming free and hear their stories;
Meet and greet with the friendly crew of wild burros from Arizona;
Watch a training session with one of MCR’s young mustangs;
Every year on this day, we celebrate the hard work that goes into protecting wild foals, especially on Nevada’s Virginia Range. Young colts and fillies are particularly vulnerable and sometimes due to circumstances out of their control, the start to their lives can be filled with hardship and even loss. We don’t think any foal deserves to be hungry and alone, and are foal-ly dedicated to protecting them — that’s why here at AWHC, April Foals Day is no joke to us!Can you help fuel this important work on April Foals Day with a donation to our Foal Rescue Fund today?
Foal rescue is hard work — these youngsters need ‘round-the-clock care and can go downhill very fast. But their stories are also some of the most inspirational tales of resilience, perseverance, and the power of community. So today, we’d like to tell you the story of Creedence:
This beautiful little colt was born on Nevada’s Virginia Range just three weeks ago. Several hours after his birth, our partners at Wild Horse Connection (WHC) got word from a concerned resident that Creedence was still unable to stand up or nurse from his mom. So, volunteers from WHC and a rescue team from Least Resistance Training Concepts (LRTC) were immediately dispatched to try to get him up and with his mother so she could feed him the milk he needed.
Unfortunately, he was too weak and cold to stand up on his own.
The WHC team knew time was running out for him, so he was transported straight to Comstock Equine Hospital where blood work and other tests were run. Since Creedence had gone so long without nursing from his mom, he had to have a plasma fusion to survive.
Thankfully, Comstock Equine Hospital was able to provide him with the treatment that he needed, and he has since left the hospital and is now continuing to get loving care with WHC!
We are so proud to partner with local rescue organizations in Nevada like WHC to fuel their work as they care for orphaned or abandoned foals. Your support for our Foal Rescue Fund enables us to financially help these organizations pay for veterinary bills and the supplies they need to make sure no foal is left behind.
We’ve got two updates for you today — The first one is on our progress fueling up our Rescue Fund, and the second’s on how our eight sweet rescued burros are doing in their new home!
Rescue Fund Rebuild
Yesterday, we set out to raise $20,000 by midnight tonight to fuel our Rescue Fund, because as you may have guessed, funding this burro rescue along with the mustangs you heard about yesterday has significantly depleted it.
Burro Rescue Update
Just a few weeks ago, we shared with you one of our recent burro rescues — a group of eight we saved in the nick of time from the slaughter pipeline. Well, we are happy to report that they have safely arrived at Mustang Camp in New Mexico, where the staff has been giving them top-notch care and helping them acclimate to their new home.
The burros all have been given names – Marco, Nelly, Amelia, Giovanni, Ferdinand, Drake, and Vasco – and are getting to know their new caretakers through daily “Burro Happy Hours,” which involve staff offering all of them “shots” (of alfalfa and pellets) from behind the “bar” (a water trough) . Click here to watch a clip of this burgeoning burro pub scene!
We’ve got a lot to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews, including an opportunity for you to speak up on behalf of our cherished wild herds, an article discussing groundbreaking new research into the origins of our beloved burros, and AWHC’s exciting new partnership!
From defunding the Adoption Incentive Program’s cash incentives to implementing humane in-the-wild fertility control vaccines, there are several ways Congress can enact reforms to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) — and save taxpayers money while doing it. But to enact these policies that protect our cherished wild herds, we need you to speak up. Call on your members of Congress now and request wild horse protections in the FY24 spending bill!
“I guess that we simply forgot the importance of this animal, probably being blown away by the impact of its close cousin, the horse.” A scientist and director of the Center for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse in France hopes his new study will jump-start research on the donkey and restore some of its dignity. Be sure to check out this fascinating read below!
The American Wild Horse Campaign is excited to partner with the Santa Fe-based brand Stablewest, in celebration of their concept Champion the horse™. Champion the horse™ recognizes the relationship between human and horse, and the incredible impact horses have made on our progress as people. Its limited-release capsule promotes the spirit of the wild horse and the freedom intrinsic to the landscape and heritage of the American West. As part of this partnership, 10 percent of each item sold goes towards our work to Keep Wild Horses Wild.
I’ve got some exciting news about a famed band of wild horses that will hopefully bring all mustang lovers relief and happiness!
My name is Alicia Goetz. I am a member of the Board of Directors of the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) and founder of Freedom Reigns, a nearly 4,000-acre sanctuary located in San Juan Bautista, California.
Freedom Reigns is home to more than 500 horses, most of them mustangs, rescued from the slaughter pipeline or cruelty situations. You may recall a few like Amelia, a young pregnant mustang recently saved from a kill pen in the knick of time, or the beloved mother-daughter duo Diamond and DeeDee captured from the Onaqui Herd Management Area (HMA) in Utah.
Well, I’m thrilled to announce that Freedom Reigns will soon be welcoming Blondie — a foundational stallion from the Fish Springs range in Nevada — and all 17 members of his family after they were captured by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at a bait trap operation last month.
When Blondie’s family was trapped and loaded onto trailers, three known generations of beloved wild horses were ripped from the Nevada landscape at once, leaving behind a fractured legacy and a huge hole in the hearts of all that loved them. We are all too aware of the horrific fate that can befall wild horses and burros once they are removed from their home on the range. What would become of them when they enter the BLM’s system? The possibilities were heartbreaking to think about.
The Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates, the local group that stewards the Fish Springs herd, worked tirelessly to find placement for the horses, but came up empty and asked AWHC for ideas. So, when AWHC came to me with the news that there were no other options for keeping this family together, I knew I had to act — and quickly.
Blondie and his family will soon join 15 other Fish Springs wild horses who were removed from their habitat and found safe haven at our sanctuary – including Shadow, a blue roan, who might be one of the smallest mustangs at our sanctuary but has garnered the largest herd!
While I feel so fortunate to be able to provide a place for these deserving animals, I know that they are just 18 of more than 62,000 wild horses and burros currently confined in government corrals, at risk of injury, becoming victims of disease outbreaks, or worse, ending up in the slaughter pipeline. Advocating for those wild horses and burros – and addressing the systemic issues driving the removal of wild horses from their homes on the range – are the reasons why I joined the AWHC Board of Directors.
Together, we are proving there’s a better way to treat and manage wild horses and burros and I wholeheartedly believe in the work AWHC is doing. I am encouraged by the progress we are making toward better protection and preservation of our beloved wild horses and burros.
Thank you for supporting our work.
Alicia Goetz
Freedom Reigns Equine Sanctuary, Founder
American Wild Horse Campaign, Director
PS – If you would like to follow the arrival of Blondie and his herd and learn more about the horses at Freedom Reigns, please visit our website and follow us on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
We know that when American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) supporters band together and raise their voices, change happens: After all of our hard work last year during the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Appropriations process, Congress passed legislation once again that included important language to divert $11 million in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) funding away from helicopter roundups and instead towards humane management tactics like fertility control vaccines.
We’ve got amazing news about our most recent rescue.
As you may recall, we recently helped rescue seven Bureau of Land Management (BLM) burros just days before they were supposed to be shipped to slaughter. As soon as we found out these poor animals were in grave danger, we quickly paid their bail and worked with our partners at Auction Horses Rescue (AHR) to rescue them from a horrible fate.
When our partners found them, they still had BLM tags around their necks.
But our friends at AHR just got in touch with us to share an exciting update: we actually rescued eight burros, not seven! They alerted us that one more BLM burro was dropped off at the lot – and no burro is getting left behind on our watch. Soon, he will be loaded up on the trailer with the other seven, and they will all be heading to Mustang Camp to be trained and adopted out to their new homes!
In addition to funding the rescue of animals in danger of being shipped to slaughter, your support also enables us to help our partners sustain their rescue programs. With the increased cost of hay, the effects of the ongoing drought, and the general increase in the costs of running a horse rescue, AWHC has stepped up to provide them with grants for hay, fencing, farm maintenance, and other necessities.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Nevada Senate Committee on Natural Resources heard SB90, a bill to recognize the wild mustang as the official state horse. Like the original wild horse and burro movement in the 1960s, the effort was supported by Nevada’s schoolchildren with over 100 kids showing up to attend the hearing! The students eloquently expressed their support for the wild mustangs who call Nevada home and we are so grateful for their passion.
Unfortunately, the opposition also came out in full force. Nevada ranchers who graze their privately-owned cattle and sheep on public lands used their testimony time to blame horses for range degradation. Each rancher who spoke made the hearing about wild horse management and not about the naming of the state horse. The hearing ended with no vote, as committee members discuss next steps.
We need people from all over the country to speak up about the mustang’s historic importance and the tourism resource they are for the state. Smithsonian Magazine even named Nevada the number one place in North America to see wild horses!As a potential visitor to Nevada, your voice matters, but it will only be heard if you act now!
Call each of the five committee members and ask them to support SB90.
All you need to say is: “Hi, my name is [NAME] and as a tourist who visits Nevada for its wild mustangs, I am calling to ask that Senator [NAME] support SB90 to recognize the wild mustang as Nevada’s state horse. Thank you.
State Senator Julie Pazina: (775) 684-1462
State Senator Melanie Scheible: (775) 684-1421
State Senator Edgar Flores: (775) 684-1431
State Senator Pete Goicoechea: (775) 684-1447
State Senator Ira Hansen: (775) 684-1480
Thank you so much for your help. Over the next couple of weeks we will have further actions for you to take. We hope we can count on you!
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