Join our Day of Action and stand up for wild burros this World Donkey Day! >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
|
BLM
Checking in
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
My team let me know that it has been a while since we heard from you, so we wanted to check in. Recently, a lot has been going on in the fight to conserve the freedom and habitat of America’s wild horses and burros. And we want to make sure you are in the loop.
On Capitol Hill, several critical bills are being considered that will advance humane reforms to the federal management of our nation’s wild herds. One of these bills is the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 2023-2024 (H.R. 3656), which seeks to prohibit costly and inhumane helicopter roundups of wild horses and burros. American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is working hard to pass this key legislation. We recently led a Day of Action, leading to over 20,000 letters sent to Congress urging support for the bill.
AWHC is also advocating for provisions to be added to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations bills that would require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to enact several key reforms to its Wild Horse and Burro Program, such as:
- Allocate no less than 10% of the agency’s budget for the implementation of humane fertility control programs in at least five additional Herd Management Areas (HMAs). If the BLM fails to do this 120 days after the passage of this bill, it will incur a$100,000 fine per dayuntil it implements acceptable fertility control programs.
• Ensure no funds are used for permanent mare surgical sterilization.
• Study humane alternatives to the use of helicopters.
• End the BLM’s cash incentive component of the disastrous Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), which has funneled hundreds of wild horses and burros into the slaughter pipeline.
•And more!
| FUEL OUR GR WORK |
In the field, we’ve embarked on an exciting new initiative called the Land Conservancy Project. This innovative program aims to preserve and enhance key habitats for America’s wild horses and burros to support self-sustaining wild horse populations in ecological balance with the land and other wildlife. To this end, AWHC recently acquired 3,300+ acres of prime habitat in Nevada’s beautiful Carson Valley to serve as a pilot program for the project.
We’re also expanding our fieldwork, conducting humane, reversible fertility control programs on local wild horse herds. For the past four years, we’ve implemented the world’s largest humane management program for wild horses on Nevada’s Virginia Range. Now, we’ve recently been approved for a federal grant to support the implementation of a fertility control program on Utah’s Cedar Mountain herd!
| FUEL OUR FIELD WORK |
In the courtrooom, we’re taking the BLM head-on to protect wild horses and burros. We have two major ongoing federal lawsuits against the BLM. In Wyoming, we’ve been involved in critical litigation for more than a decade to prevent the eradication of wild horses from the Wyoming Checkerboard in favor of commercial livestock grazing. We are also suing the BLM over the alleged illegal implementation of the disastrous AIP.
| FUEL OUR LEGAL WORK |
Thank you,
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Conservation
This week’s eNews: an inside look at a BLM adoption event
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
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!
BLM’s New Conservation Rule and Wild Horses
Photo by Tandin Chapman
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.
| READ MORE |
Inside BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Event: Poteau Oklahoma
Photo by Nenah Demunster
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.
| READ THE REPORT |
Photo by Steve Paige
Did you know May is Burro Awareness Month? AWHC started Burro Awareness Month to promote awareness and appreciation for these unique residents of the American Southwest. With May just days away, what better way to get a head start on the month than by taking action to protect both burros and domestic donkeys? Please take a moment to urge your representatives to cosign the Ejiao Act. This bill would ban the importation of products made with ejiao, a gelatin made from boiling the hides of donkeys.
| TAKE ACTION NOW! |
Thanks for reading. And thank you for continuing to stand up for our cherished wild horses and burros!
— Team AWHC
Jesse James and Butch Cassidy
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
|
Celebrate National Help a Horse Day all Weekend Long!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Yesterday was National Help a Horse Day!
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.
| DONATE |
Thank you!
Team AWHC
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
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 “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.” |
| SIGN OUR THANK YOU CARD |
|
| SIGN OUR THANK YOU CARD |
| 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.” |
| SIGN OUR THANK YOU CARD |
We cannot thank our volunteers enough — from those who help us on Capitol Hill, to the dedicated individuals on our investigations team, to these incredible field volunteers you’ve read about today — we couldn’t do this work without them. So please, take a moment to sign our thank you card to our volunteers for their dedicated service.
| SIGN OUR THANK YOU CARD |
— Team AWHC
PS – If you want to find out how you can join our growing team, click here.
HAPPY EARTH DAY!! Here are 3 ways to take action for wild horses and burros today >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Happy Earth Day, friend!
Every day is Earth Day for our team at American Wild Horse Conservation, BUT that doesn’t mean we won’t take the opportunity to celebrate a little extra on this special day
Today, we invite you to join us in focusing on the conservation 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:
1) For the last two fiscal years, Congress has allocated up to $11 million in funding to implement fertility control initiatives in wild herds managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Despite this, the BLM continually fails to implement robust fertility control programs, instead relying on its cruel and costly roundup and stockpile system. Thankfully, Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV), Steve Cohen (D-TN), and David Schweikert (R-AZ) are taking a stand. Please ask your representative to sign on to their letter calling for pro-wild horse language in the FY 2025 Interior appropriations legislation!
| TAKE ACTION |
2) Each year, millions of donkeys are brutally slaughtered for the production of ejiao (eh-gee-yow), medicinal gelatin that is made from boiling the skins of these animals. The donkey skin trade is now decimating global donkey populations as well as harming the global communities that rely on them for survival. That’s why U.S. House Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) has reintroduced the Ejiao Act (H.R. 6021), which would ban the knowing sale or transportation of ejiao made with donkey skin, or products containing ejiao made with donkey skin, in interstate or foreign commerce. Please take a moment to tell your U.S. Representative to cosponsor the Ejiao Act!
| TAKE ACTION |
3) When people hear about what’s happening to wild horses, they care. We need you to help educate your friends and family about the plight of wild horses and burros today! Take a second to download and share the below graphic on your social media pages with the hashtags #KeepWildHorsesWild and #FreeWildBurros to show your support for wild horse and burro conservation this Earth Day!
Thank you for standing with our wild herds. Happy Earth Day!
– Team AWHC
Support pro-wild horse language!
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Recently we asked you to take action and ask your representative to support pro-wild language in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations legislation. Our records indicate that your representative supported wild horses last year, but has not joined this year in calling for reforms to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program.
| Take Action |
Right now, Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV), Steve Cohen (D-TN), and David Schweikert (R-AZ) are circulating a bipartisan sign-on letter to the Appropriations Committee urging it to support pro-wild horse language in Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations legislation.
This language would hold the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) accountable for the implementation of robust, in-the-wild conservation through the use of fertility control, ultimately reducing helicopter roundups. But we need your help. Can you take a moment to urge your representatives to support wild horse and burro conservation in the FY25 appropriations legislation?
This language will require the BLM to:
– Allocate no less than 10% of the agency’s budget for the implementation of humane fertility control programs in at least five additional Herd Management Areas (HMAs)
– If the BLM fails to do this 120 days after the passage of this bill, it will incur a $100,000 fine per day until it implements acceptable fertility control programs.
– Ensure no funds are used for ovariectomy procedures
– Study humane alternatives to the use of helicopters and manned fixed-wing aircraft
– Stop cash incentive payments for adoptions
– Identify HMAs and Herd Areas that could be redesignated for relocating horses as an alternative to off-range holding
– Continue to prohibit the sale or adoption of healthy wild horses and burros that results in their destruction.
Last year your representative supported pro-wild horse language in the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bill but they have not signed on again this year. Will you please take a moment to thank them for their past support and urge them to support this year’s Fiscal Year 2025 language?
Thank you for your advocacy,
Team AWHC
In the wild AND the courtroom
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
As the nation’s leading wild horse and burro conservation organization, some of the most important work we do for our wild herds is in the courtroom, so we wanted to provide you with a legal update.
Wyoming Checkerboard
AWHC and our co-plaintiffs, the Animal Welfare Institute, Western Watersheds Project, author and Casper College instructor Dr. Chad Hanson, and wildlife photographers Carol Walker and Kimerlee Curyl, continue to pursue a more than decade-long battle to save the iconic wild horses of the Wyoming Checkerboard. Specifically, our lawsuit challenges a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decision to “zero out” (eliminate all wild horses from) the Great Divide Basin and Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Areas (HMAs) and eliminate wild horses from 2 million acres of designated habitat within the state. We’re up against not only the BLM, but also the powerful Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA), which views wild horses as competitors for cheap livestock grazing on public lands.
Adoption Incentive Program
Our lawsuit against the BLM’s notorious Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) is pending a decision in federal court. Filed by AWHC and Skydog Sanctuary, this legal action challenges the agency’s implementation of the AIP, asserting that the failure to analyze the impacts of the program on federally-protected wild horses and to provide the public the opportunity to comment on plan violated several federal laws. As we predicted, the cash-for-adoption scheme has been a disaster for wild horses and burros, sending truckloads of these innocent animals into the slaughter pipeline. We aim to halt the program through this litigation.
Freedom of Information Act
AWHC’s investigations team works to promote accountability and transparency by using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to obtain government records. that shed light on federal wild horse and burro management. We have filed dozens of FOIA requests with the BLM and U.S. Forest Service, but both agencies habitually violate the requirement for a response within 20-working-days. As a result, we are forced to file legal action. We currently have 19 pending federal lawsuits seeking to compel the release of records relating to the Adoption Incentive Program, livestock grazing information, and the transportation of wild horses and burros between holding facilities.
| SUPPORT OUR LEGAL EFFORTS |
RECENT UPDATES:
This month, federal courts have issued rulings unrelated to AWHC’s cases but with potentially positive impacts for wild horses. In Nevada, the court ruled that the BLM violated federal law by failing to prepare a Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP) for the Pancake Complex before rounding up over 2,000 wild horses. During this roundup, a shocking 31 animals died. Forcing the BLM to prepare HMAPs, which allows the public to weigh in on wild horse management, is a positive step. Unfortunately the judge also ruled that the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act allows the BLM to remove “excess” wild horses whether or not an HMAP is in place. In short, this is an interesting ruling and a good start, but one that is unlikely slow down the BLM’s harmful roundups, at least in the short term.
In a separate case, a federal court in the District of Columbia ruled that the BLM cannot rely on long-term Environmental Assessments to continue to remove horses after the Appropriate Management Levels (AMLs) have been achieved in HMAs. Instead, the agency must prepare new environmental analyses, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), before conducting “maintenance” roundups to reduce the populations back down to AML. This case is related to roundups in Utah’s Muddy Creek and Onaqui HMAs as well as the Pine Nut Mountains HMA and the Eagle Complex in Nevada. This is a narrow win, but a good win, according to AWHC’s attorneys.
Thank you for standing with wild horses and burros.
American Wild Horse Conservation
This July, federal helicopters will once again descend on our wild herds
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Right now, federal helicopters are grounded for wild horse foaling season. This is a critical time when new babies are born and bond with their mothers and the rest of their families.
But starting in July, the federal government is set to resume the inhumane roundup and removal of thousands of wild horses and burros across the West.
Photo by Brian Clopp
This summer, a staggering 11,114 of these iconic animals will be targeted for capture, and 10,646 will be permanently removed. To make matters worse, all of the scheduled roundups this summer will be conducted using helicopters.
These cruel roundups often leave wild horses and burros traumatized. Young foals are separated from their mothers, horses and burros are often run to exhaustion, injuries are commonplace, and sometimes lives are tragically lost.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducts these operations in some of the most remote corners of the West, away from the public eye. That’s why AWHC has assembled and trained a team of photographers and videographers who deploy to these locations and serve as our boots on the ground, ensuring transparency and accountability during roundups.
| FUEL OUR OBSERVATION FUND |
The first roundup after the foaling season will take place at North Lander in Wyoming, where 2,806 wild horses are targeted for capture, and 2,766 will be permanently removed. This will be one of the largest roundups of the fiscal year.
It’s vital that our roundup observers are present at this operation and the many more that will follow so that we can tell the stories of our beloved wild horses and burros and fuel change. Take, for example, this inspiring excerpt from a report by our observer at the 2022 South Steens roundup:
|
“The bay mare was determined to save the life of her foal and she charged under the chopper as the pair raced back up the outside of the trap wings with the chopper hot on their heels. They raced into the wings and we thought that they were done. But the desperate mare raced on towards the ridgeline, her foal like a shadow at her side. As the chopper came close to them they finally seemed as if it wasn’t bothering them anymore, they had freedom in their sights and finally the chopper relented, giving up on the pair, and they disappeared over the ridge.” |
These stories of strength, resilience, and pure horsepower are what motivate us to continue to fight for real change through innovative in-the-wild conservation initiatives. Additionally, they give us the evidence we need to educate the public and Congress on the cruel realities of wild horse and burro roundups. So, will you chip in today to support our Observation Fund and help us continue telling the stories of our beloved wild herds?
| CHIP IN TODAY |
Thank you,
American Wild Horse Conservation
This week’s eNews: An update on ways YOU can directly support wild horses
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
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.
Take Action Now to Support Pro-Wild Horse Language in the FY25 Spending Bill
Photo by Tandin Chapman
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!
| TAKE ACTION |
A Look Inside BLM Holding Facilities: FOIA Reveals 11% of Population Dies in One Year
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.
| READ THE BLOG |
Meet Trident, PJ, Sherwin, and Paulo: The Four Brothers of The Virginia Range
Photo by Deb Sutherland
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!
| MEET THE BROTHERS |
Thanks for reading. And thank you for continuing to stand up for our cherished wild horses and burros!
— Team AWHC
BLM Alert: These numbers are a failure
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
On March 25, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its 2024 wild horse and burro population census numbers, estimating that 73,520 wild horses and burros remain free in the wild compared to the estimated 82,883 last year.
Using these numbers, the BLM is doubling down on its mass roundup plans, targeting 20,000 wild horses and burros for capture and removal from the wild this year. The agency’s ultimate goal is to drive the population down to fewer than 27,000 animals – the number that existed in 1971 when Congress protected them unanimously because they were “fast disappearing.”
Over the past three years, the BLM has spent $401 million rounding up 50,000 wild horses and burros, with the captive population now exceeding 64,000 and set to rise to over 80,000 this year –meaning that, for the first time in history, the number of wild horses in confinement will exceed the number that remain free on the range!
This waste of taxpayer funds and animal lives serves one purpose: to prioritize commercial livestock grazing on public lands over conservation of our federally protected wild horses and burros.
We believe in a better way. At American Wild Horse Conservation, we’re fighting to reform the BLM’s inhumane practices and offer humane and sustainable conservation solutions.
We’re acquiring habitat through our Land Trust, fostering public-private partnerships, and demonstrating the efficacy of humane fertility control as an alternative to costly and traumatic roundups. Recent peer-reviewed science affirms the success of our Virginia Range fertility control program in Nevada and its feasibility in managing a large wild horse population in an expansive habitat area.
We’re also working with Congress to enact stronger legislation that compels the BLM to prioritize fertility control and prevents the agency from ignoring Congressional directives as it has done in past years.
And we’re raising awareness to counter the influence of the powerful livestock lobbying groups that relentlessly demand more roundups. By harnessing the power of the people, we can ensure that the voices of the 80% of Americans who want to protect our iconic wild horses and burros are heard.
Join us in safeguarding the future of our magnificent wild herds. Our commitment to their freedom is unwavering. Will you stand with us?
3 actions you can take RIGHT NOW to help wild horses and burros >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
America’s wild herds are facing unprecedented challenges.
Over 20,000 wild horses and burros are slated to be rounded up from their homes by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Fiscal Year 2024. Many will join the over 60,000 who are already languishing in overburdened holding facilities.
This inhumane system is at its breaking point. That’s why American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is taking action to address the crisis affecting our wild herds and proactively ensure that wild horses and burros are treated humanely, both in holding and in the wild. But we cannot do it alone, Meredith!
Here are three actions you can take NOW to help support the safety and freedom of our cherished wild horses and burros in 2024.
1) Sign on to Our Public Comments Calling for the Protection of the White Mountain Wild Horses
Today is the last day to submit public comments regarding the BLM’s proposed plan to remove nearly 600 wild horses from the White Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA), a move that would drastically reduce the population to the low 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.
| TAKE ACTION |
Right now, the BLM has paused its federal wild horse helicopter roundups for the foaling season, but as of July, they will be in full swing again. These roundups traumatize wild horses and burros. Deaths from broken necks and legs are routine, and sometimes horses are literally chased to death (called “capture myopathy”). H.R. 3656 would end this cruel practice once and for all.
| TAKE ACTION |
3) Urge Representative to Cosponsor the Ejiao Act (H.R. 6021)
Each year, millions of donkeys are brutally slaughtered for the production of ejiao, a medicinal gelatin that is made from boiling the skins of these animals. The donkey skin trade is now decimating global donkey populations as well as harming the impoverished global communities that rely on them for survival. That’s why U.S. House Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) has reintroduced the Ejiao Act (H.R. 6021), which would ban the knowing sale or transportation of ejiao made using donkey skin, or products containing ejiao made using donkey skin, in interstate or foreign commerce.
| TAKE ACTION |
Thanks for taking the time to speak up for our wild herds!
– Team AWHC
There’s still time! Speak up for Wyoming’s wild horses >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
The horses who call Wyoming’s White Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) home need your help.
| SPEAK UP FOR WYOMING’S WILD HORSES |
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.
| SPEAK UP FOR WYOMING’S WILD HORSES |
Thank you.
The BLM just unveiled its proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
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
A new chapter for AWHC: American Wild Horse Conservation
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
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.
| TAKE ACTION |
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
FWD: Your generosity gives hope to foals like this
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
It’s Suzanne Roy – Executive Director of the American Wild Horse Campaign. I wanted to make sure you saw our email yesterday.
I’m so proud that AWHC’s Rescue Fund was able to support Creedence’s care. He is just one example of the hundreds of wild horses and burros we’ve been able to help over the years all thanks to your generosity. None of this important work we do would be possible without your support.
On Tuesday, my team let you know that we set a goal to raise $25,000 by midnight tonight to recharge our Rescue Fund and help us continue powering our efforts. Right now, we’re still $10,261 away from reaching our goal.
| HELP US REACH OUR GOAL |
Thank you for stepping up for our wild herds.
Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Campaign
——– Forwarded message ——-
From: Team AWHC <contact@americanwildhorsecampaign.org>
Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2024
Subject: Your support gives hope to foals like this
Yesterday, we told you about the importance of our Rescue Fund. Through this vital program, we’ve helped save hundreds of wild horses and burros from being shipped to slaughter and supported the medical care of dozens of rescued animals in need of care. Including Creedence!
| HELP US CARE FOR FOALS LIKE CREEDENCE |
Creedence was born on Nevada’s Virginia Range in March of last year. But soon after, our partners at Wild Horse Connection (WHC) got word from a concerned resident that Creedence was unable to stand up several hours after he was born. So, volunteers from WHC and a rescue team from Least Resistance Training Concepts (LRTC) were immediately dispatched to try to get him up and back with his mother so she could feed him the milk he desperately needed.
Unfortunately, he was still too weak and cold to stand up on his own, 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.
But thankfully, Comstock Equine Hospital was able to provide him with the treatment that he needed, and he was able to leave the hospital and continue receiving loving care back with WHC!
We are so proud to partner with local rescue organizations in Nevada like WHC to help fuel their work as they care for orphaned or abandoned foals. Your support for our Rescue Fund enables us to help these organizations pay for veterinary bills and the supplies they need to make sure no foal is left behind.
| HELP US REACH OUR GOAL |
We also help fund life-saving foal kits. These foal kits are essential to expanding foal rescue capacity and to treating babies on the range so hopefully, no removal is necessary. The kits include wound care, foal milk replacer, colostrum replacement, and Air for Paws units, which are units small enough to provide oxygen to foals’ tiny muzzles.
| SUPPORT THE RESCUE FUND |
Thank you,
Team AWHC
Your support gives hope to foals like this
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
Yesterday, we told you about the importance of our Rescue Fund. Through this vital program, we’ve helped save hundreds of wild horses and burros from being shipped to slaughter and supported the medical care of dozens of rescued animals in need of care. Including Creedence!
| HELP US CARE FOR FOALS LIKE CREEDENCE |
Creedence was born on Nevada’s Virginia Range in March of last year. But soon after, our partners at Wild Horse Connection (WHC) got word from a concerned resident that Creedence was unable to stand up several hours after he was born. So, volunteers from WHC and a rescue team from Least Resistance Training Concepts (LRTC) were immediately dispatched to try to get him up and back with his mother so she could feed him the milk he desperately needed.
Unfortunately, he was still too weak and cold to stand up on his own, 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.
But thankfully, Comstock Equine Hospital was able to provide him with the treatment that he needed, and he was able to leave the hospital and continue receiving loving care back with WHC!
We are so proud to partner with local rescue organizations in Nevada like WHC to help fuel their work as they care for orphaned or abandoned foals. Your support for our Rescue Fund enables us to help these organizations pay for veterinary bills and the supplies they need to make sure no foal is left behind.
| HELP US REACH OUR GOAL |
We also help fund life-saving foal kits. These foal kits are essential to expanding foal rescue capacity and to treating babies on the range so hopefully, no removal is necessary. The kits include wound care, foal milk replacer, colostrum replacement, and Air for Paws units, which are units small enough to provide oxygen to foals’ tiny muzzles.
| SUPPORT THE RESCUE FUND |
Thank you,
Team AWHC
Saving wild horses and burros from slaughter
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
While our primary focus at the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) is ensuring the conservation and lifelong freedom of wild horses and burros, we also support direct rescue efforts through our Rescue Fund.
AWHC actively supports local rescue organizations across the West through capacity-building grants and direct rescue efforts, helping to save nearly 200 wild horses and burros who’ve been found in kill pens over the past few years. Many of these equines were in need of rescue thanks to the failure of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Adoption Incentive Program (AIP), which has funneled hundreds, if not thousands of these innocent animals into the slaughter pipeline.
Our team is committed to combating this crisis on several fronts. We’re currently in court suing the BLM over the alleged illegal implementation of this disastrous program, and are working with our partners in Congress to pass legislation that bans both the slaughter of wild horses and burros and the foreign export of these equines for slaughter.
But those fights take time. Our Rescue Fund is often the difference between life and death for wild horses and burros. Many of the direct rescue efforts we’ve supported have saved animals who were just hours from being shipped to slaughter.
| SUPPORT THE RESCUE FUND |
In addition to direct rescue efforts, our rescue fund awards capacity-building grants to local rescue organizations. For example, we recently provided a grant to our Colorado partner, For the Love of Aria, enabling them to purchase a squeeze chute – an indispensable tool for the care of wild horses and burros. This equipment proved essential during a critical surgery for a rescued mustang last month, leading to a successful outcome and a testament to how such grants make a tangible difference in the lives of these animals.
These capacity-building grants do not merely save lives; they ensure that our partners can provide the necessary care to rehabilitate and nurture rescued wild horses and burros back to health. Your support for the AWHC Rescue Fund makes this possible. It enables us to intervene before it’s too late, to build the capabilities of rescue partners, and to ensure that every wild horse and burro we save receives the care they desperately need.
| SUPPORT THE RESCUE FUND |
Thank you,
Team AWHC
The money fueling wild horse and burro roundups
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
there is a LOT of money behind wild horse and burro roundups. AWHC’s analysis of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contracts filed over the past ten years shows that private livestock companies are making millions via their roundup contracts with the BLM.
| HELP US FIGHT BACK → |
According to our findings, as of 2022, livestock operators have received 89% of the BLM contract funds filed under “Wildhorse/Burro Control Services.” Contractors earn at least $800 per horse or burro per helicopter roundup – and from 2006-2022, they’ve made a total of $53.2 million from inhumane helicopter roundup and bait-trapping operations.
But that’s not all: they’ve made an additional $87 million for short-term holding corrals from 2010-2022, and a staggering $333 million for long-term holding pastures from 2004-2022.
And on top of profiting off these federal contracts, the livestock industry continues to lobby Congress to increase the cruel roundup and stockpile of America’s wild horses and burros so more of their livestock can graze at below-market rates — thanks to federal subsidies paid for by your hard-earned tax dollars.
| DONATE → |
Thank you,
Team AWHC