Boulder, CO
Saturday, October 16
11 am to 1 pm
Southwest corner of Canyon & Broadway
Contacts: Linda Hanick at vlhanick@gmail.com or Cathy Bryarly at robcathyderek@peoplepc.com, cell 303-746-4729
Bring signs, your kids & friends
Please forward to your other contacts, post on Facebook, etc.
Many thanks.
For the wild ones, Carla B ;–}
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| Dear Our Fabulous Wild Horse Supporters,
We are SO excited to FINALLY announce the best news we have had to share with you in over 2 1/2 years! OUR MUSTANGS ARE GETTING THEIR SANCTUARY AND HAVE THE BLM’S SUPPORT!!! Over the past three days, I have been to meetings in Sacramento and again in Washington, DC. I’ve met with BLM Director, Bob Abbey, Deputy Director, Mike Pool, along with the Wild Horse and Burro team. The BLM has officially agreed to support going forward with the development of the wild horse Eco- sanctuary for the horses in holding! Also in DC, I met with Congressman, Jim Moran, who had already given his blessing, but is submitting legislation to members of Congress on behalf of these wild mustangs. We are so thankful to him and his staff for their efforts on the wild horse and burro issue. All the meetings were fabulous and we could not be happier about the news! This final acceptance by the BLM this week was the hurdle we had yet to get over. We are so thankful for the opportunity to start our Pilot Program with 1,000 horses, and we aim to get all 36,000+ horses in holding soon after. This action by the BLM shows great leadership on the part of Bob Abbey and Mike Pool for taking a stand for our beautiful mustangs and accepting the solution we have offered. Saving America’s Mustangs gives our sincerest thanks for the monumental cooperation on the part of the BLM for an alternative to the holding pens. This is a truly a dream come true and I’m thrilled to share this news with all of you!! Let the rejoicing begin!! Click here to watch the second SAM Cam update on 9/16/10. Very Sincerely, Madeleine Pickens and the (*cheering) Mustangs Follow Madeleine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mpickens
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Independent Review Too Late for Wild Horses and Burros?
Moratorium on roundups must accompany National Academy of Sciences review
Colorado Springs, CO (August 27, 2010)— The Cloud Foundation fully supports the independent review of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) mismanagement of America’s Wild Horses and Burros by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), but only if it is coupled with an immediate moratorium on all wild horse and burro roundups. 54 members of Congress requested both the review and an immediate moratorium in a letter sent to Secretary of Interior Salazar on July 31, 2010. Each herd is an integral part of the ecosystem and without a moratorium there will be few genetically viable herds on Western lands in left to study. The NAS review of the flawed Wild Horse and Burro program is scheduled to begin in 2011 and last two years, but at the current rage BLM will have removed tens of thousands more mustangs from their legally designated ranges in 10 western states by then. In just this fiscal year alone, BLM has removed nearly 12,000 wild horses and burros, most warehoused at taxpayer expense.
“At the fast and furious rate of the removals, the NAS study will have far less value with so few wild horses and burros remaining on their home ranges. They will however, have the opportunity to study BLM’s techniques at managing over 40,000 captured wild horses,” explains Cloud Foundation Director and Emmy award-winning producer, Ginger Kathrens, who has been documenting wild horses and burros in the west for over 16 years. Kathrens is referring to the 40,000 plus mustangs, which will be corralled in short and long term holding by the end of next month. “I expect the NAS report to be enlightening regarding the lack of science in BLM’s decisions aimed at ridding the West of our wild horse and burro heritage. A moratorium right now is essential so that NAS will have a few viable herds left to study.”
The Cloud Foundation and over 200 organizations and celebrities sent a request for independent review in the Moratorium Letter over nine months ago and have never gotten a reply from Interior Secretary Salazar or President Obama. The signees continue to request an immediate moratorium on roundups to be coupled with an independent review of BLM and the return of the over 24 million acres of public land taken away from the wild horses and burros since 1971.
###
Links of interest:
Congress Sends Letter to Secretary Salazar http://bit.ly/54sign
Unified Moratorium on Roundups Letter http://bit.ly/MoratoriumLtr
Judge Denies BLM’s Motion to Dismiss Wild Horse Lawsuit http://bit.ly/BLMdenied
‘Herd-Watch: Public Eyes for Public Horses’ http://bit.ly/9Wvh58
Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act http://bit.ly/a7hOeS
Mestengo. Mustang. Misfit. America’s Disappearing Wild Horses http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/resources/wild.html
Disappointment Valley… A Modern Day Western Trailer- excellent sample of interviews regarding the issues http://bit.ly/awFbwm
Fact Sheet on Wild Herds & The Salazar Plan http://bit.ly/bfdX1y
Short-link to this release online:
Past Cloud Foundation press releases http://bit.ly/TCFpress
Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation makendra@thecloudfoundation.org, 719-633-3842
The Cloud Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a focus on protecting Cloud’s herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana.
107 S. 7th St. – Colorado Springs, CO 80905 – 719-633-3842
Makendra Silverman
Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org
Tel: 719-351-8187
Anne Novak
Tel: 415-531-8454
Media Advisory
Judge Grants Temporary Restraining Order So Wild Horse Suit Can Be Heard
BLM Directory Abbey’s attempt to resume roundup prior to hearing blocked
Reno NV (July 15, 2010)—The Cloud Foundation learned that United States District Judge Larry R. Hicks yesterday granted an immediate injunction preventing continuation of the Tuscarora Wild Horse Roundup in NE Nevada by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) until further order of the court. The Cloud Foundation Herd-Watch Program Coordinator Laura Leigh filed a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to halt the already fatal Tuscarora Roundup in Elko County Nevada on July 12. One dozen wild horses, including three foals, have died as a result of the BLM’s July 10 roundup of 228 animals staged on private land with public oversight prohibited. Originally BLM Director Bob Abbey suspended the roundup until July 18 but the court learned late yesterday that Abbey had authorized roundup crews to resume the removal operation eight hours before the scheduled hearing. Based on this change in BLM’s position, Judge Hicks granted Leigh the TRO.
The hearing for Laura Leigh v. Ken Salazar (3:10-cv-00417-LRH-VPC) will be held Thursday, July 15 at the US District Court, 400 S. Virginia Street in Reno, beginning at 2:30 p.m.
###
Links of interest:
Court Order Granting Injunction http://bit.ly/doc10LeighvSalazar
‘Herd-Watch: Public Eyes for Public Horses’ http://bit.ly/9Wvh58
Grass Roots Horse http://www.grassrootshorse.com/
Restraining order sought – AP article http://bit.ly/TROsought
Tuscarora Mustangs fenced out of water http://bit.ly/Livestockfences
Roundup Schedule- updated July 12, 2010 http://bit.ly/roundupschedule
Disappointment Valley… A Modern Day Western Trailer- excellent sample of interviews regarding the issues http://bit.ly/awFbwm
Fact Sheet on Wild Herds & The Salazar Plan http://bit.ly/bfdX1y
Wild Horse and Burro Act http://bit.ly/a7hOeS
Link to this press release online http://bit.ly/LvSinjunction
Past Cloud Foundation press releases http://bit.ly/TCFpress
Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation ~ Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org
The Cloud Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a focus on protecting Cloud’s herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana.
107 S. 7th St. – Colorado Springs, CO 80905 – 719-633-3842
Anne Novak
Tel: 415-531-8454
Makendra Silverman
Tel: 719-351-8187
For Immediate Release:
Mustangs Fenced Out of Water- NV Roundup Death Toll Rises to 12
Independent Investigation requested to uncover cause of mustang deaths and inability to access water
Elko, NV (July 15, 2010)—Mustangs of the Tuscarora/Owyhee Complex in NE Nevada are now the focus of a BLM “emergency” as the agency claims that they don’t have enough water. The issue is not one of lack of water but prevention of access to water as the Tuscarora mustangs must navigate a maze of livestock fences and closed gates. Miles of fencing prevent their free-roaming behavior and ability to access water sites they’ve used for decades if not centuries. 12 Tuscarora wild horses have died after BLM contractors used a helicopter to roundup 228 of them in less than 150 minutes on July 10. Prior to the roundup BLM told advocates that they were confident this was a reasonable window to remove horses in and maintain their good condition despite the presence of very young foals and the heat. However when the first day proved to be fatal and the roundup placed on hold, BLM began referring to the horses’ situation as an emergency. BLM now states that “an escalating drought” necessitates an emergency “gather.” However this is a typical weather pattern for the area in the hottest month of the year and the Cloud Foundation points to the fencing off of water sources and division between herd management areas in the complex as the root cause of their “emergency.”
“Why didn’t BLM know the water situation before going in and running 228 horses, at least 5% of them to subsequent death? The public deserves answers, not excuses,” explains Cloud Foundation Director Ginger Kathrens who has 16 years experience with wild horses across the ten western states. “The idea that wild horses are not capable of finding their way ten miles to a river to drink is absolute myth—mustangs regularly travel distances farther than that if allowed their free-roaming behavior. Distance or standard drought levels are not the issue, the real question is what is preventing these mustangs from using traditional perennial water sources.”
BLM has ‘pasturized’ the Tuscarora horses into cattle allotments to facilitate the grazing of 4,000 head of cattle in an area they say can support only 400 horses. The public has no way of knowing which gates are open and which are closed, and nor do the horses. For individual gain, BLM allows private interest to prevent the wild horses from accessing the water – rivers, creeks, reservoirs and water holes- that are present in this herd complex. Carving up herd management areas with fences is typical and prevents wild horse movement within their ranges set forth by the Free-Roaming Wild Horses and Burros Act of 1971.
“BLM has reduced our wild horses to a labyrinth of cattle pastures and has no regard for their needs,” explains Kathrens.
The Cloud Foundation’s Herd-Watch Program Coordinator Laura Leigh filed a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to halt the Tuscarora Roundup on July 12 and United States District Judge Larry R. Hicks yesterday granted the injunction. Until further order of the court BLM is prevented from continuing their removal operation. The hearing for Laura Leigh v. Ken Salazar (3:10-cv-00417-LRH-VPC) will be held Thursday, July 15 at the US District Court, 400 S. Virginia Street in Reno, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Leigh’s legal efforts are being funded by GrassRootsHorse.com, a collection of independent grassroots wild horse advocates.
The Cloud Foundation calls for an immediate independent investigation into the current situation in the Owyhee Complex. Bringing in BLM to analyze how their agency has failed yet more wild horses is not the answer; there needs to be an advocate for the wild horses participating in the current review of the Tuscarora disaster. It is essential that this person understand the needs and nature of wild horses.
“Has the BLM allowed pre-roundup hazing of the horses to position them closer to trap sites and farther away from where they would typically be?” questions author/advocate R.T. Fitch.
###
Links of interest:
‘Herd-Watch: Public Eyes for Public Horses’ http://bit.ly/9Wvh58
Court Order Granting Injunction http://bit.ly/doc10LeighvSalazar
Restraining order sought – AP article http://bit.ly/TROsought
Grass Roots Horse http://www.grassrootshorse.com/
Roundup Schedule- updated July 12, 2010 http://bit.ly/roundupschedule
The Mustang Conspiracy: Sex, Drugs, Corruption, and BP – investigative report http://www.abovetopsecret.com/mustangconspiracy/
Wild Horse and Burro Act http://bit.ly/a7hOeS
Tuscarora/Owyhee Complex Roundup Information from BLM http://bit.ly/Tuscarora
Disappointment Valley… A Modern Day Western Trailer- excellent sample of interviews regarding the issues http://bit.ly/awFbwm
PR Firm Hired for the Destruction of America’s Wild Horse and Burro Herds http://bit.ly/czf3HB
Fact Sheet on Wild Herds & The Salazar Plan http://bit.ly/bfdX1y
Link to this press release online http://bit.ly/Livestockfences
Past Cloud Foundation press releases http://bit.ly/TCFpress
Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation
The Cloud Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a focus on protecting Cloud’s herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana.
107 S. 7th St. – Colorado Springs, CO 80905 – 719-633-3842 www.thecloudfoundation.org
Anne Novak
Tel: 415-531-8454
Makendra Silverman
Tel: 719-351-8187
Mustang Advocate Finds BLM Violates Own Rules, Files Lawsuit
Hundreds of young wild horse foals risk death in imminent Nevada roundup
Reno NV (July 9, 2010)—One woman from Herd-Watch, a program of The Cloud Foundation, studied the newly published Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro handbook and caught BLM in the act of violating their own protocol for the Tuscarora (Owyhee Complex) roundup. The handbook states roundups are prohibited until six weeks after foaling season which ends on June 30th. Therefore the earliest date to start the roundup is August 11th. Laura Leigh, Project Manager of Herd Watch filed a lawsuit today in US District Court in Nevada to stop the roundup.
“I found their error right in the BLM’s management handbook,” explains Leigh adding, “The BLM disregards their own rules when it comes to ‘managing’ wild horse population.”
Based on past experience and the current rush to remove 6,000 wild horses in three months, The Cloud Foundation believes that the BLM’s priorities are based on contractor availability not humane treatment of wild horses—especially foals, some of whom may be only weeks or days old.
The Foundation is requesting that humane observers and members of the public be present during all phases of all the roundups. Since the deadly Calico roundup in NW Nevada, BLM has tightened restrictions, preventing the public and humane observers from viewing the horses adequately. In the case of Tuscarora, the public will not be allowed to view any round up activities for the first two weeks.
Ginger Kathrens, Executive Director of The Cloud Foundation, shares Leigh’s concerns that “more foals may have their feet literally run off because they are too young to be chased by helicopter over sharp, volcanic terrain for miles in the hottest month of the year. At least two foals died a horrible death like this in the Calico roundup. Didn’t BLM learn anything from Calico?”
More than 100 wild horses died and over 40 spontaneous abortions occurred as a result of the Calico roundup.
“Currently, the only way to gain accountability—with an agency apparently left to police itself—is for a member of the public to file suit,” remarks Leigh. Leigh’s efforts are being supported by Grassroots Horse, an organization based in grassroots activism to prevent cruel wild horse roundups.
“If this roundup were being conducted in a safe manner,” says Leigh’s attorney Gordon Cowan of Reno, Nevada “one would make the assumption that the BLM would want the public to witness its entirety. Barring observers and press raises concerns.”
# # #
Links of interest:
‘Herd-Watch: Public Eyes for Public Horses’ http://bit.ly/9Wvh58
Grass Roots Horse http://www.grassrootshorse.com/
BLM Wild Horse and Burro Management Handbook http://bit.ly/BLMhandbook
BLM Contacts & El Paso Gas’ Ruby Pipeline http://bit.ly/cT6e0a
The Mustang Conspiracy: Sex, Drugs, Corruption, and BP – investigative report http://www.abovetopsecret.com/mustangconspiracy/
Tuscarora/Owyhee Complex Roundup Information from BLM http://bit.ly/Tuscarora
After campaigning for Obama, Sheryl Crow at odds over his administration’s wild-horse plan (Associated Press)
CNN Report, Issues with Jane Valez-Mitchell, March 25th http://bit.ly/dvl7NE
Disappointment Valley… A Modern Day Western Trailer- excellent sample of interviews regarding the issues http://bit.ly/awFbwm
PR Firm Hired for the Destruction of America’s Wild Horse and Burro Herds http://bit.ly/czf3HB
Elyse Gardner’s Humane Observer Blog http://humaneobserver.blogspot.com/
American Herds Blog http://americanherds.blogspot.com/
Roundup Schedule- updated July 2010 http://bit.ly/2010roundup
Fact Sheet on Wild Herds & The Salazar Plan http://bit.ly/bfdX1y
Wild Horse and Burro Act http://bit.ly/a7hOeS
Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation ~ Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org
The Cloud Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a focus on protecting Cloud’s herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana.
107 S. 7th St. – Colorado Springs, CO 80905 – 719-633-3842
Makendra Silverman
Tel: 719-351-8187
Anne Novak
Tel: 415-531-8454
On July 9, the Cloud Foundation’s Herd-Watch Program Director, Laura Leigh, filed suit to stop the Owyhee Complex roundup in Federal District Court in Reno. Yesterday Leigh’s attorney filed a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to stop the Tuscarora/Owyhee Complex Roundup.
“This is what we feared and this is what we wanted to stop,” explains Leigh. “BLM’s agenda absolutely disregards the welfare of these horses—unconscionable and unspeakable. It’s a shame. More horses have paid with their lives due to BLM’s unwillingness to listen to the public and allow us to participate in management decisions and observation of our wild herds.”
Links of interest:
‘Herd-Watch: Public Eyes for Public Horses’ http://bit.ly/9Wvh58
Roundup Schedule- updated July 12, 2010 http://bit.ly/roundupschedule
Proposed Roundup of CA Wild Horses Criticized – Sacramento Bee 7/5/10 http://bit.ly/SacBeeMustang
The Mustang Conspiracy: Sex, Drugs, Corruption, and BP – investigative report http://www.abovetopsecret.com/mustangconspiracy/
Disappointment Valley… A Modern Day Western Trailer- excellent sample of interviews regarding the issues http://bit.ly/awFbwm
American Herds Blog http://americanherds.blogspot.com/
PR Firm Hired for the Destruction of America’s Wild Horse and Burro Herds http://bit.ly/czf3HB
Fact Sheet on Wild Herds & The Salazar Plan http://bit.ly/bfdX1y
Wild Horse and Burro Act http://bit.ly/a7hOeS
107 S. 7th St. – Colorado Springs, CO 80905 – 719-633-3842 www.thecloudfoundation.org
# # #
Links of interest:
Proposed Roundup of Wild Horses Criticized – Sacramento Bee 7/5/10 http://bit.ly/SacBeeMustang
BLM Eagle Lake Field Office Roundup Planning Documents http://bit.ly/EagleLakeBLM
The Mustang Conspiracy: Sex, Drugs, Corruption, and BP – investigative report http://www.abovetopsecret.com/mustangconspiracy/
CNN Report, Issues with Jane Valez-Mitchell, March 25th http://bit.ly/dvl7NE
Disappointment Valley… A Modern Day Western Trailer- excellent sample of interviews regarding the issues http://bit.ly/awFbwm
American Herds Blog http://americanherds.blogspot.com/
‘Herd-Watch: Public Eyes for Public Horses’ http://bit.ly/9Wvh58
Roundup Schedule- updated July 2010 http://bit.ly/2010roundup
PR Firm Hired for the Destruction of America’s Wild Horse and Burro Herds http://bit.ly/czf3HB
Fact Sheet on Wild Herds & The Salazar Plan http://bit.ly/bfdX1y
Wild Horse and Burro Act http://bit.ly/a7hOeS
Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation ~ Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org
The Cloud Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a focus on protecting Cloud’s herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana.
ROTH ~ Blog 