wild horses

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Over 7,500 wild horses from Nevada’s Antelope and Triple B Complexes need your help! Right now, the Bureau of Land Management is accepting public comments on a Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP) for these two complexes and the wild horses who call this area home.

As part of this, the BLM wants to reduce the number of horses to the unscientific Appropriate Management Level (AML) of 899-1,678 animals across the complexes. But at the same time, the BLM allows significant livestock grazing year-round on the public lands in these complexes.

These horses are an important part of Nevada’s desert landscape, especially the Antelope wild horses who possess unique genetic traits. It’s essential to conserve these iconic animals on our public lands. Speak up now for Nevada’s wild horses!

When evaluating this HMAP the BLM Must:

• Reevaluate the land conditions, including the impact of livestock on the range, before any removal decision is made.
• Include new conservation methods that transparently address primary degradation factors, and promote balanced ecosystems and sustainable land use across public rangelands.
• Prioritize fertility control over roundups, aligning with legal directives, science-based strategies, and fiscal responsibility for effective wild horse management.
• Abandon the use of gelding as a population management strategy.
• Prioritize bait trap removals over cruel, costly helicopter roundups if roundups are necessary.
• Undergo updated genetic testing to ensure genetic viability for all herds who call these complexes home.

Submitting public comments is one of our more influential ways to shape policy, ensure government transparency, prevent decisions that favor private industry interests, and show public support for humane conservation for our beloved wild horses and burros. Take action now to speak up for these beloved wild horse herds!

Thank you for your advocacy for our wild ones,

Team AWHC

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Fifty-two years ago, with the passage of the historic Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, Congress made a promise to the wild horses and burros who roam the West: the right to live free on the lands they call home, protected from capture, branding, harassment, and death.

Sadly, five decades later, it is abundantly clear that the federal government has failed to live up to this promise.

Right now, the federal agency tasked with managing wild horses and burros, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), spends millions of your hard-earned tax dollars to brutally round up thousands of mustangs and burros using helicopters. These roundups are inhumane and often cause injuries such as broken legs or necks, and in the worst cases, deaths. Those who survive are pushed into overburdened holding facilities where over 66,000 of these iconic animals are currently languishing in captivity.

We know it doesn’t have to be this way. That’s why American Wild Horse Conservation, the nation’s leading wild horse and burro conservation organization, exists. Our mission is to uphold the promise we made to our wild herds in 1971, and thanks to the support of a growing herd of advocates, we’ve made vital strides toward our goal.

In the field, we’re setting the standard for wild horse and burro conservation. In 2023, we acquired over 3,300 acres of prime habitat in Nevada’s beautiful Carson Valley to launch our Land Conservancy Project. This pilot program is dedicated to preserving critical habitat for mustangs and burros while advancing land conservation initiatives for wild horse areas. This year, we’ve built on these efforts by securing vital water and grazing rights, enhancing water sources, and helping to restore fire-impacted areas. 

This year also marked the five year anniversary of our historic humane fertility control program on Nevada’s Virginia Range. This scientifically proven conservation approach is key to our efforts in keeping wild horses free on the range while responsibly managing herd numbers. That’s why we were proud to see reversible fertility control programs succeeding in other herds this year, such as the locally managed Pine Nut Mountains program in Northern Nevada, as well as Utah’s Cedar Mountains where AWHC administered fertility control to wild mares in a remote population who were previously considered untreatable.

In addition to our work in the field, this year AWHC has been at the forefront of advancing legislation at the federal and state levels to reform wild horse and burro management while also pursuing litigation to enforce protection laws.

Seventy-eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 15 Senators supported our request for appropriations legislation to reform the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program. As a result of this work, the House included dedicated funding for fertility control programs, and both chambers reaffirmed protections against slaughter. On the state level, we’re continuing to build coalitions in key states where wild horses and burros reside, such as in Colorado, where AWHC supported the formation of the Wild Horse Working Group, which aims to develop collaborative solutions for humane wild horse management.

In the courts, we’re continuing to stand up for our wild herds on multiple fronts. In Wyoming, after a 12-year court battle against the BLM, we filed a lawsuit to stop the agency from eliminating 2 million acres of habitat that would result in the eradication of two iconic wild horse herds in the state. We’re now continuing that court case through the appellate process. And in Arizona, we partnered with local allies to protect the horses who roam the Tonto National Forest.

Your support is making a difference for wild horses and burros. We can’t do this vital work without you. Please chip in whatever you can afford today to help us continue our mission to fulfill America’s promise to our precious wild herds.

Thank you,

American Wild Horse Conservation

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

November is here, but unfortunately the sun has not set on the threat to America’s wild horses and burros across the west. Right now, two devastating federal helicopter roundups are underway. The first is unfolding in Nevada’s Triple B Complex and the other on California’s Devil’s Garden Plateau. Hundreds of horses have already lost their freedom, and more are at risk each day. Your urgent support is needed to stand against these operations and protect the freedom of these iconic animals.

Triple B Complex Roundup in Nevada
Over the weekend, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) launched a sweeping roundup in Nevada’s Triple B Complex, targeting 2,255 horses. Chased by helicopters over rugged terrain, these horses will endure high-stress conditions, risking injury, exhaustion, and separation from their families. One horse has already died in the first two days of the roundup. 

Devil’s Garden Roundup in California
On October 28, the USDA Forest Service began its own roundup on the 258,000-acre Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory in California. This operation is driven by an outdated and unscientific population limit, which was set more than 10 years and does not reflect the current ecological conditions of the Territory. American Wild Horse Conservation, alongside the Environmental Protection Information Center, has filed a legal objection over this flawed management plan that endangers the future of this cherished herd. As of October 30, helicopters had already rounded up 49 horses and foals in an ongoing campaign to capture 500 animals, stripping Devil’s Garden of its natural diversity and wild spirit.

Photos of Devil’s Garden Plateau Roundup by Steve Paige

This situation is urgent.

Every horse captured and forced from the range into holding corrals is another life stolen from the wild. We need your help to amplify our voice on Capitol Hill, challenge unscientific policies, and fight for a sustainable future where wild horses can live as nature intended. Please join us in donating now to help end cruel, costly helicopter roundups funded by our taxes.

Together, we can push back against these destructive practices. With your support, we can continue to fight for humane, science-based conservation policies that protect wild herds and preserve their rightful place on public lands.

Our wild horses are counting on us. Let’s make sure we don’t let them down.

With determination and gratitude,

American Wild Horse Conservation