We have important updates to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews! Read on to learn about a new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conservation rule, get a look inside a BLM adoption event, and take action to protect burros and their domestic donkey counterparts!
This month, the BLM finalized a new rule that aims to integrate conservation into its current public lands management. This final rule affirms that conservation efforts are on equal footing with other multi-uses across the 245 million acres of public lands the BLM manages. Read more to learn about what this means for wild horses.
This month, one of American Wild Horse Conservation’s humane roundup observers attended a BLM adoption event in Poteau, Oklahoma. This was a huge adoption event with about 140 horses and burros available for adoption. Read her observations and see her photos from the day.
These two Bureau of Land Management (BLM) burros have lived happily and freely with our friends at Montgomery Creek Ranch (MCR) for over two years now, and we are proud to have been able to support the initial rescue, which brought them there.
In 2021, AWHC’s investigations team came across four burros at a notorious slaughter auction in Oklahoma. The first thing that caught their eye was that all four of these burros were horrifically abused – some were even used as hot branding practice. It was a heartbreaking sight, as they had visible open wounds all over their little bodies. (Content warning)
We quickly paid the funds needed for their bail, initial vet care costs, and their transport to MCR. There, the burros were able to recover both physically and emotionally, and two of them were adopted soon after. The two others, Jesse James and Butch Cassidy, still live there today and are waiting to go to their forever home! Click here to watch an update on these two burro “outlaws” from MCR earlier this year!
It’s hard to say just how important holidays like National Help a Horse Day are to the American Wild Horse Conservation team. To celebrate a national holiday specifically dedicated to protecting the animals we hold so close to our hearts means so much to all of us who spend day in and day out fighting to protect the lives and freedom of our wild herds.
And we’re celebrating this Help a Horse Day weekend extra because we’ve got some amazing news to share!After a two-year-long battle, the National Parks Service (NPS) has abandoned its plan to eradicate the historic wild horses from the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP)!
TRNP Wild Horses by Wild at Heart Images Sandy Sisti
This is a major victory. The Teddy Roosevelt horses have roamed the badlands for centuries, and many believe they are descendants of Sitting Bull’s horses and related to the rare Nokota breed. They are a significant part of the historical and natural heritage of the park, but the NPS’ plan could have reduced the population of this iconic wild horse herd to zero.
AWHC fought for two years alongside a coalition of wild-horse organizations, advocates, and elected officials to stop this proposal from being implemented. We launched billboards to raise awareness about the danger facing the Teddy Roosevelt wild herd and mobilized our grassroots community to send over 20,000 letters to the NPS demanding that it abandon this disastrous plan. And it worked! The NPS could not withstand the pressure of our collective voice.
This is what we are capable of when we stand together for our wild herds. But the truth is, many other wild horse and burro herds out there are still in danger. Over 20,000 animals are still going to be removed this fiscal year. They will be funneled into overburdened holding facilities and may even end up victims of the Adoption Incentive Program’s (AIP) slaughter pipeline.
Our Rescue Fund is often the difference between life and death for some of these innocent animals. That’s why it’s critical that we recharge our Rescue Fund so that we stand ready to answer the call when a horse or burro needs to be rescued.
Thanks to AWHC’s rescue fund, our team can spring into action at a moment’s notice to help rescue wild horses and burros in danger of being shipped to slaughter. Our Rescue Fund also ensures we can support local on-the-ground rescues that save mustangs and burros from entering the slaughter pipeline.
A few months ago, AWHC got word from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) that four wild mares from California’s Devils Garden Wild Horse Territory needed homes. These mares were considered special needs and have conditions that are not lethal but make them eligible for euthanasia under Forest Service regulations.
Our team acted swiftly and reached out to our local partners to coordinate the rescue. Our friends at Montgomery Creek Ranch (MCR) were able to take two, and we were happy to support this rescue. But to everyone’s surprise, the two mares were pregnant.
So what was originally a rescue mission for two mustangs turned out to be a rescue of four! The first of the babies arrived recently, a perfectly healthy bay filly with a white star!
Our friends at Equine Voices agreed to take the other two mares. AWHC supported this rescue with a grant to offset their initial care. One of the mares, Gigi, just had her little baby earlier this month named Eclipse!
It’s National Volunteer Week — a time to celebrate people who give back. That’s why we want to (1) share a few words from our incredible Field Volunteers on Nevada’s Virginia Range who work tirelessly to help us prove to the world that fertility control is a sustainable, effective alternative to ensure the conservation of our wild horses and burros, and (2) ask you to sign a thank you card for their tireless service!
Michele Einarson Michele started out as a documenter on the Virginia Range. She continued to get more involved, and now, as a herd lead, she assists with managing our scientific database!
“I chose to live on the Virginia Range just for the horses. I love watching them and learning about their herd behavior. Volunteering with AWHC is my best way to support the preservation and protection of the wild ones.”
Karen Roemmich We wouldn’t be where we are today without Karen’s tireless work on the Virginia Range. She is a long-term darter and herd lead, helping out immensely with training new volunteers.
“I’ll be the first to admit that I bought property in the Virginia Highlands, near Virginia City, in northern Nevada, after a group of horses, including several beautiful pintos, crossed my path while I was looking at the property. I was enchanted! I knew that I needed to live here where the wild horses roam! It has been a unique and enriching experience, satisfying my enormous passion for the wild horses, by working as a volunteer documenter and darter for the past seven years. It has been an honor and a privilege to be a part of the innovative and successful AWHC Fertility Control Program!”
Margaret Dziolek Through Margaret’s volunteer work with AWHC and other organizations, she has developed invaluable knowledge of the wild herds of the Virginia Range!
“I have seen them birth, I have watched them grieve, I have cried many tears over them. I have watched stallions brutally battle other stallions and return to the band and gently nudge a sleeping foal. I have watched foals bound and leap with the pure joy of living. I have found my peace with them, and through them, I have found my strength, as well.”
In this week’s edition of enews, we have several updates for you. First, there’s a way for you to speak up for our wild herds by urging your representatives to support pro-wild horse language in the 2025 Fiscal Year spending bill. Additionally, we have a concerning update about a Nevada holding facility and a heartwarming story from Nevada’s Virginia Range.
We need your help today to ask the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies to protect wild horses and burros!
Right now, Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV), Steve Cohen (D-TN), and David Schweikert (R-AZ) are circulating a sign-on letter urging the Appropriations Committee to support pro-wild horse language in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations legislation. This language urges the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to invest in humane, in-the-wild conservation initiatives such as fertility control programs. It also urges the agency to study humane alternatives to the use of helicopters, stop cash incentive payments, and more!
AWHC’s investigations team regularly files Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to promote transparency and accountability within government wild horse and burro programs. Recently, we received a shocking FOIA back that revealed 267 wild horses died at a Nevada holding facility in just one year.Read on for an in-depth look at our findings.
AWHC volunteer Deb Sutherland has been documenting the wild horses of Nevada’s Virginia Range for years. As a result, she has watched many of them grow up, and find families of their own. This is the case with four brothers Trident, PJ, Sherwin, and Paulo. Read on for their stories!
Foals’ safety and their ability to live free is no joke. Here at AWHC, we work hard to reform the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mass roundup and stockpile system through boots-on-the-ground conservation initiatives to ensure that wild foals have a chance to grow up wild. But we need your help to make sure these babies and their families don’t end up in captivity.
We run two programs that help protect our wild foals, a Nevada-specific Foal Rescue Fund that helps fund critical vet care for babies in need on the Virginia Range and a roundup observation fund, that brings to light any mistreatment wild mustangs and their babies face during federal capture operations. And we need your help to fund our programs today →
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has proposed a plan to remove nearly 600 wild horses from the HMA, a move that would drastically reduce the population to the lowest Appropriate Management Level (AML) of just 205 horses on nearly 400,000 acres of land. This unscientific population limit was set in 1997 and has remained unchanged ever since.
The current proposal has no plans to humanely manage the White Mountain wild horses with fertility control, setting the stage for yet another mass roundup in a few years. What’s worse, the BLM is basing the removal number on a 2022 census, conducted before the extremely harsh winter of 2023 which caused heavy mortality for wildlife, including wild horses, across Wyoming. Instead, the BLM is claiming that while the winter severely affected other wildlife species, it did not result in significant mortality in the White Mountain herd.
That’s why AWHC is speaking out against this proposal through our public comments. Before the BLM undergoes any roundup, it must complete an updated scientific population estimate to have an accurate population count as well as undergo a full Environmental Assessment to ensure a thriving natural ecological balance. Further, it must consider the use of humane, reversible fertility control in any further management planning.
Yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget as part of the President’s FY25 budget.
The proposed budget calls for a $29 million increase in funding for the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program. This includes $15 million for a permanent sterilization program and 20 new full-time employees to implement it. If enacted, the plan could have far-reaching, extinction-level consequences for the nation’s wild horse and burro population.
The proposal fails to disclose the methods of sterilization that will be utilized. Previous methods proposed by the BLM have included the surgical castration of males and surgical removal of mares’ ovaries (ovariectomy).
American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) strongly objects to a mass permanent sterilization program because it contradicts the BLM’s mandate under federal law to protect America’s wild horses in self-sustaining, free-roaming herds. It also contradicts recent Congressional directives to “implement a robust and humane fertility control strategy of reversible immunocontraceptive vaccines.” In fact, the proposal comes just days after Congress cut the BLM’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget by $5.9 million while preserving $11 million in funding for the implementation of humane reversible, fertility control vaccine programs.
We believe that the BLM should deliver on existing commitments to expand humane fertility control, rather than waste Congress’ time and taxpayer money on a far-fetched scheme to destroy the nation’s wild horse and burro populations by mass sterilization. This plan requires far more transparency and Congressional scrutiny and thankfully, there is a long Congressional review process ahead before the BLM’s proposal could become law.
Please be assured that AWHC will deploy all necessary resources to prevent any mass, permanent sterilization plan from becoming law.
For over a decade, we’ve been in court challenging the BLM over permanent sterilization, a practice that not only undermines genetic viability but also disrupts natural behaviors and the social organization essential for the survival of wild herds. At the same time, we’re on Capitol Hill advocating in Congress for legislation mandating the BLM to adopt humane and sustainable approaches that prioritize reversible fertility control.
And, we’ve been in the field proving that this approach is effective through our Virginia Range fertility control initiative in Nevada. This year, a study based on our Virginia Range data, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Vaccines, affirms the feasibility and effectiveness of fertility control darting in a large wild horse population inhabiting a large habitat area.
Our commitment to ensuring the freedom and welfare of America’s wild herds is unwavering.
In the coming days and weeks, we will keep you posted as this budget request moves through the Congressional process and more information emerges. We are confident that, together, we will ensure Congress and the American public rally to protect America’s iconic wild horses and burros from harm.
As ever, we deeply appreciate your advocacy and support.
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Conservation
We have a lot of information to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews! Please read on for an opportunity to speak out for Wyoming’s White Mountain wild horses, an important update about the president’s budget for Fiscal Year 2024, and a celebration of our National Day of Action.
The White Mountain HMA is home to beautiful paints, bays, sorrels, and roans. These wild horses live on nearly 400,000 acres of public and private lands and yet the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) allows for an Appropriate Management Level (AML) of just 205-300 wild horses. The agency recently released its plans to remove 586 White Mountain horses, bringing the population down to the low AML of 205 horses, leaving just one horse per 1,917 acres! Click here to sign on our petition and speak up for this spectaular herd!
This past weekend, President Joe Biden signed into law a $460 billion package of Fiscal Year (FY) 24 spending bills, narrowly averting a government shutdown. Among the provisions was a significant spending cut for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program budget, emphasizing the need for a shift towards humane, more compassionate and sustainable conservation strategies. Notably, the legislation preserves $11 million in funding specifically designated for the implementation of a robust, and humane fertility control program, as advocated by both House and Senate versions of the bill. Click here to read our press release.
On March 1st, American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) orchestrated a nationwide day of action to mark National Horse Protection Day. The objective was clear: urge Congress to implement reform measures to ensure the conservation of wild horses and burros across the nation. Throughout our advocacy efforts, over 23,000 letters were sent to congressional offices, highlighting the widespread support for change among the public! Click here to read our recent blog post about the day of action.
Today, as we celebrate the monumental strides women have made across all sectors of society, our team at American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is especially proud to shine a spotlight on our lead mares – the incredible women leading the charge for sustainable, humane wild horse and burro conservation.
In the vast expanse of the American West, lead mares play a pivotal role within wild horse bands. These matriarchs don’t just represent physical beauty and strength; they are the emotional backbone of their herds and the keepers of wisdom passed down through the generations. Just as the wild has its lead mares, guiding with wisdom and strength, AWHC is steered by visionary women who embody these very qualities!
Eleanor Phipps Price: Co-Chair, AWHC Board of Directors
Ellie Price is the founding board member of AWHC and a true champion for wild horses and burros. Much like the lead mare, Ellie has steered AWHC through the years with a wealth of knowledge and an unwavering commitment to our cause. As the owner of Dunstan Wines at Durell Vineyard in Sonoma County and a dedicated philanthropist, she brings business expertise and political savvy to our organization. Ellie is the founder of Montgomery Creek Ranch, a 2,000-acre Northern California wild horse sanctuary providing refuge to more than 250 mustangs and burros rescued from the brink of slaughter. Ellie’s passion, vision, and leadership are irreplaceable as AWHC continues to evolve as the nation’s foremost wild horse conservation organization.
Patricia Miller: Co-Chair, AWHC Board of Directors
Next, we’d like to spotlight Patricia Miller, who co-chairs the AWHC Board of Directors with Ellie. Patricia’s journey from a visionary in the corporate world to a champion for nature and animals reflects the multifaceted role of a lead mare. As CEO of M4 Factory, she is an innovative leader in the field of regenerative, sustainable consumer product manufacturing and design. And as the Founder of Irving & Judd, she is defining a Factory-to-Consumer business model with small batch consumer goods, a vertically integrated supply chain, and regenerative design. Her innovative approach to sustainability and her passionate advocacy for all sentient beings are instrumental in helping advance AWHC’s mission and guiding our evolution and growth. Patricia’s leadership is helping us shape the future of wild horse and burro conservation.
Suzanne Roy: AWHC Executive Director
And finally, our fearless leader Suzanne Roy! Suzanne’s tireless dedication to animal protection over three decades mirrors the lead mare’s commitment to her herd. From launching the fight to save America’s Air Force Chimpanzees in the 1990s, an effort that ultimately led to the retirement of these deserving animals to a Florida sanctuary, to advocating for the conservation of America’s iconic wild horses and burros for over a decade, Suzanne has spent most of her career pursuing her passion for animal protection.
Prior to entering the animal welfare field, Suzanne was a political consultant, working on a variety of campaigns including as New Hampshire press secretary for Senator Gary Hart’s 1988 presidential bid. She currently resides in northern California with her family, including a big gray warmblood horse named Cobalt. Her leadership inspires us everyday as we fight for our precious wild herds.
In honor of International Women’s Day, let us take a moment to thank these remarkable women. Just like the lead mares in the wild, they guide AWHC with wisdom, grace, and unbridled strength. We are so grateful to call them a part of our herd.
From the entire AWHC team, thank you to Eleanor, Patricia, Suzanne, and all the women who contribute to our cause to create a brighter future for America’s wild horses and burros!
As our Day of Action comes to a close, I wanted to personally tell you about some big news for AWHC.
You may have noticed something different in the email my team sent you this morning. From this day forward, the American Wild Horse Campaign is now officially American Wild Horse Conservation.
Since our inception, AWHC has engaged in a head-to-head campaign against the federal government and commercial interests to safeguard the majestic wild horses and burros roaming free on our western public lands. But today, AWHC’s mission has expanded beyond the bounds of what can be described as a “campaign.”
AWHC is at the forefront of revolutionizing wild horse and burro protection, both in the U.S. and across the globe. For more than a decade, in addition to demanding change and building a grassroots movement, we have been setting the standard for a new wild horse and burro conservation model.
We have created the first-ever land trust dedicated to wild horse and burro habitat conservation, securing 3,300 acres in Fish Springs, Nevada, as the inaugural project for this new approach.
Habitat improvement on a much more significant scale is our long-term sustainability goal. In the meantime, there are 62,000 wild horses and burros crammed into federal holding facilities who will be joined this year by 20,000 more after a relentless, terrifying helicopter roundup campaign by the federal government.
Fertility control is the in-the-wild conservation solution that addresses the immediate danger to wild horses and burros. That is why we created the world’s leading wild horse fertility control initiative at the Virginia Range in Nevada, proving a new science-based protection model that is humane, cost-effective, and scalable.
We’ve partnered with local organizations to build fertility control programs in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Herd Management Areas in northwestern Nevada and we are expanding to Utah, working collaboratively with on-range partners to prove darting a large, very wild herd is feasible.
This is the critical step in persuading Congress that true in-the-wild conservation is the viable, scalable alternative to helicopter roundups and the only solution that is backed by science and sound fiscal policy.
AWHC is more than a campaign. AWHC is American Wild Horse Conservation.
As American Wild Horse Conservation, we embody the breadth and depth of our commitment to America’s wild herds. We are not just advocating; we are implementing, studying, and leading the way for humane management. That’s why our first official act under our new name is leading this nationwide Day of Action to support critical legislation that will strengthen protections for wild horses and burros.
I am profoundly grateful to all the supporters who have brought us to this pivotal point. Working together, we will realize our shared commitment to safeguard America’s promise to wild horses and burros by ensuring their freedom and protection on our western public lands.
Thank you,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Conservation
For the past four years, our team has implemented the world’s largest wild horse humane fertility control program on Nevada’s Virginia Range. This groundbreaking initiative has proven that there IS a better way to humanely manage our nation’s wild horses.
Today, we want to share a heartwarming story from the Virginia Range that illustrates the impact of your support for the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC). Meet Baldy – a beautiful pinto mare whose freedom and safety have been safeguarded thanks to AWHC’s pioneering PZP fertility control program.
With her colorful coat and spirited nature, Baldy embodies the untamed beauty of America’s iconic wild horses. Since she had her last foal in 2020, Baldy has been thriving – in part, thanks to our fertility control efforts. She is a proud mother of three, contributing to the genetic diversity of her herd, and she shares a close bond with her four-year-old daughter, Laney, who remains with her in the same family band!
Her story is possible thanks to your support for our innovative fertility control program. This program is more than just a humane way to manage wild horse populations; it’s a lifeline for horses like Baldy. Across the West, federally protected horses are facing increased roundups this year as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) nearly tripled the number of wild horses and burros scheduled to be rounded up in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.
We are proud to lead the way in wild horse conservation through hands-on, humane programs like this. But we cannot do it without you.Your donation today can make an immediate difference for our wild herds.
Over the past few days, we’ve told you about one very important aspect of our work here at the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) – documenting the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) inhumane helicopter roundups of our cherished wild horses and burros.
In the last three years alone, over 39,000 horses and burros across the West were captured and removed from the wild by the federal government. Now, over 20,000 of these innocent animals are slated for capture in Fiscal Year 2024.
Oftentimes, our representatives are the ONLY ones onsite to document any violations taking place. That means it’s critical that we have boots on the ground at as many of these roundups as possible.
The thing is this is grueling work. The days can be incredibly long, with start times as early as 4 AM and roundups going on from morning until dusk, sometimes amidst extreme heat or cold depending on the location of the operation. Watching these beautiful and innocent wild animals lose their freedom and families, day in and day out, is also emotionally draining for our observers.
On top of all that, it’s expensive to get them to these remote areas. AWHC provides them with the funds they need to keep them equipped and in the field with four wheel drive vehicles and places to stay after such exhausting days. That means your support is what makes this critical work possible.
Thanks to increasing public awareness in recent years, a growing number of Americans are speaking out about what’s happening to wild horses. But sometimes, wild burros can be left out of the conversation.
Don’t let the name fool you – our team here at the American Wild Horse Campaign is dedicated to fighting every day to protect our nation’s wild burros.
According to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Fiscal Year 2024 roundup schedule, the agency is planning to remove over 2,640 burros from their homes this year. The largest of these roundups is happening right now in Arizona’s Black Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA), which is home to nearly 2,000 of these beloved animals. AWHC has deployed one of our humane observers to bear witness to this roundup and to document any animal welfare violations that may occur.
Unlike wild horses, who generally panic and stay together during roundups and follow their herd to the trap site, wild burros are stoic animals who often stand their ground in the face of the helicopters or scatter in an attempt to avoid capture. As a result, roundups can be even more traumatic for burros.
Photo by Darlene Smith
For example, in the first month and a half after Nevada’s Blue Wing Complex roundup last year, 31 burros died from a blood disease that can be brought on by extreme stress.
This is the fate that potentially awaits many of the burros the BLM plans to capture this year, including the Black Mountain burros. That’s why AWHC is working to end helicopter roundups and instead shift the government’s focus to implementing in-the-wild management to conserve our beloved burro populations – and the evidence our observers collect during these operations is vital to this mission.
As you’re reading this, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is continuing to round up wild horses in Nevada’s East Pershing Complex. Since the roundup began in late December, over a thousand of these incredible animals have been subjected to dangerous helicopter chases and inhumane treatment by BLM contractors in the largest scheduled roundup of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.
So far, over 1,700 of the nearly 3,000 wild horses slated for removal have been captured. Nearly 20 innocent horses have already lost their lives during this operation, including a young foal who was euthanized at the capture site for an injury he suffered while being chased and roped by BLM wranglers.
Blood-spattered tarping at offsite temporary holding
AWHC has boots on the ground at the roundup to ensure people know what’s happening to the East Pershing wild horses. But that’s the thing – had our humane observer not been onsite to bear witness to and document stories like this foal’s, it’s possible the brutality our wild horses face would not be brought to light.
This foal’s tragic story is just one of many coming out from the East Pershing roundup. Days prior, BLM contractors herded a large number of horses into a trap, causing them to panic and attempt to escape – almost breaking through the panels.
Our observer captured footage of this incident. The same day, we captured footage showing a helicopter flying dangerously close to the horses’ heads, as well as unnecessary agitation by BLM contractors post-capture.
Right now, thousands of wild horses in Nevada are being chased by helicopters in the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) ongoing roundup in the East Pershing Complex.
In the two weeks since the roundup began, the death toll has already reached double digits – including a young foal who was euthanized for an injury he suffered while being roped by BLM wranglers.
Tragedies like this are all too common during these inhumane removals. But had it not been for our AWHC humane observer who was on site to bear witness and document this heartbreaking story, it’s possible the full cruelty this foal faced would never have been brought to the public’s attention.
The East Pershing Complex is just the first of many wild horse and burro helicopter roundups this year. The BLM has begun its plan to remove up to 1,000 burros from the Black Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) in Arizona – the largest wild burro roundup of 2024.
These operations are often very traumatic for burros, and this herd has been particularly mistreated in past roundups. In fact, the BLM’s own Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) review of the 2022 Black Mountain roundup showed violations such as hitting wild horses and burros in an abusive manner, and even the use of an electric cattle prod on the captured animals.
“During the process of loading the semi-trailer, one individual on the contractor’s crew appeared to be frustrated and angry. The individual used a shaker paddle in an abusive manner, including aggressively hitting and jabbing the paddle into the sides and sensitive areas of burros, and eventually using the handle end to aggressively poke and prod the burros.” – Excerpt from the BLM’s CAWP review of the 2022 Black Mountain roundup
We’re fighting to end this inhumane treatment of our wild herds, but until we can bring about the lasting change these innocent animals need, we need to ensure accountability and transparency within our federal government and its operations.
As we start the new year, our team is not only reflecting on the impact we made in 2023, but also on how we can continue our momentum in 2024 – and we would like your input.
From expanding support for fertility control programs to other wild horse herds across the West, to the launch of our groundbreaking Land Conservancy Project and acquisition of over 3,300 acres of prime habitat in Nevada, we made tangible progress in advancing the cause of wild horse and burro conservation last year.
These remarkable wins are worth celebrating, but until our beloved wild herds can live out their days wild and free, there is still much to be done. So, our team is busy setting our priorities for 2024 – and, as one of our most dedicated AWHC supporters, we want your valued input.
2023’s successes were made possible because of supporters like you. And we know we can build on these wins in the year ahead — but only if we work together.
My name is Tracy Wilson, and I am AWHC’s Nevada State Director. As part of my job, I oversee one of the most important conservation initiatives that we implement, our PZP fertility control vaccine program on the Virginia Range in Nevada. This world-leading program proves there is an alternative to inhumane helicopter roundups, which keeps wild horses in the wild where they belong.
Far too many wild horses and burros are in danger because the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is continuing an unsustainable, inhumane path, conducting mass roundups and removals, all while overlooking the consequences of this unsuccessful cycle.
On the Virginia Range, our groundbreaking PZP program has seen a 66% reduction in foal births in 2023 compared to 2020. This program ensures that the Virginia Range horses, whose habitat is shrinking due to rapid development in the area, stay wild and free.
This hard-hitting data has helped us demonstrate to the BLM, Congress, and the public that there is a humane way to manage our wild herds. It’s scientifically sound and keeps these innocent animals in the wild, where they belong. No helicopter roundups, and no holding pens.
With the BLM planning even more mass roundups in Fiscal Year 2024, we’re proposing alternative solutions that are proven to work. We know that this is an important cause, and we couldn’t do it without your help.
Photo by Tandin Chapman
Photo by Nenah Demunster
Photo by Steve Paige
