Wild Horses: Fighting to Save Wyoming’s Wild Horses is Personal
By Carol Walker, Director of Field Documentation, Wild Horse Freedom Federation
An Adobe Town Band Stallion Leads His Family
The fight to stop the BLM from its plan to eradicate wild horses from private and public land in three herds in the Red Desert of Wyoming is personal for me. On my first trip to Adobe Town in 2004, I fell in love with a gentle, battle-scarred grey stallion and his small, beautiful family. He ran right up to me and I waited, not knowing that this encounter would change my life forever. His filly came up next to her father and it looked as though she grinned at me. I had to keep coming back to see them, learn more about their lives, and photograph them as they as they are best portrayed, wild and free, at home in the dry, dramatic and isolated landscape of the Red Desert. I wrote my first book, Wild Hoofbeats: America’s Vanishing Wild Horses to let people know how magnificent these horses are, and that they deserve to live free.
The Grey Stallion and His Filly
Over the past 10 years I have traveled to Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek, and Great Divide Basin in all seasons of the year, even the depths of winter. One overwhelming thing stands out for me, after having driven thousands of miles on unmarked dirt roads in these Herd Management Areas – these horses are uniquely suited to this harsh and forbidding landscape and they belong there. They belong there more than the invasive and destructive cattle and sheep, and more than the land wrecking oil and gas drilling.
Four Grey Mares Run from the Helicopter in Adobe Town in 2010
I am a plaintiff on a lawsuit to stop the BLM from removing over 800 wild horses from Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek, and Great Divide Basin. The roundups are scheduled to start in two weeks. http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/news_room/2014/july/18rsfo-removal.html
Without any care for Environmental Analysis, land use planning, or NEPA, the BLM announced its plans to proceed with these roundups and gave the public no opportunity to comment on their plans. Of course, the BLM ignores public comments anyway, but we were not even allowed to make our voices heard. The roundup was announced only 1 month before the start date, barely time to get a lawsuit in place, but we did, and the violations of the law and procedure are so glaring that I believe we have a very good chance of winning and stopping the BLM in its tracks.
READ THE REST OF THIS STORY AND FIND OUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP HERE.
Carol Walker’s blog is wildhoofbeats.com
Carol’s website is www.livingimagescjw.com
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Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
The BLM has thumbed their noses at us for far to long….In a world of limited options you must become your own solution..
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I completely understand your personal connection to these wild horses – I feel the same about the wild horse and burro families that I have gotten to know on Twin Peaks. And one of the most important things to understand is that they ARE families. They feel and think and learn from each other and protect each other and communicate with each other and on and on. The BLM does not want Americans to even know that there are wild horses and burros on public land and that those lands are legally authorized for those wild ones … and as you said, the BLM certainly does not want anyone to know that these are REAL animals and not just numbers. Thank you very very much.
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Reblogged this on hocuspocus13 and commented:
jinxx xoxo
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hi carol , it has got to be wonderful that you have such a relationship with these wonderful being , i have looked into eyes of some of the horses you have showcased in your work and i can almost beieve that i’m standing on that hill with you . i am so sorry this is happening to you and those wild horses and i am going to do everything within my power to help with what i can . wish i could be there in body to shoulder to shoulder with you .
these people are somuch the cowards and i hate it . they should be horsewhipped ,it scares me that the horses are going to be shafted again . it just rips me apart . i;m calling and writng and hoping against hope we will finally be heard ,thank-you for everything ya”ll do .
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Great work, and good luck on stopping this.
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Carol, God bless you for what you do for our wild horses. Thank you for giving so much of your time, energy and heart to save what few remain in their natural habitat.
I cannot comprehend how rogue and above all law the BLM and USFS are regarding our wild horses and burros. It infuriates me to no end that they are so unstoppable. The fact that they know they can’t be stopped, dismiss the public like annoying mosquitos, and couldn’t care less that that same public pays their salaries makes me angry, frustrated and helpless. I thank God for you, Carol. You and your legal team will be in my morning prayers every single day.
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Can you please spell out what people can do to help, so that I can share it, email it to others
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When you read to the end of the article, you’ll see that it states “find out what YOU can do here.” Click on the word here and it will take you to Carol’s blog, where Carol has given several suggestions of what you can do.
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