Press Release from The Cloud Foundation
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
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Every letter I write requests a moratorium on round ups, accurate census counts on wild herds and environmental assessments to factually explore the impact that horses have on an area in comparison to the impact of other wildlife, livestock and other business interests. An independent review of the BLM is a MUST!!
This administration, from the top down, has turned a deaf ear to the concerns of the people regarding this issue. I’ll remember that in the voting booth — even if I’m forced to vote for Mickey Mouse as our next president — and I’ll continue to write every week to our decision makers with hope that they’ll hear me.
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Well, every day we are going postal by taking letters and comments on programs to the post office like the good responsable citizens we are…
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Love the play on words, Sandra! Yes, I go postal by mailing letters via USPS!! 🙂
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I have a friend who asks me if I’m going to go postal. I tell him yes and no. If he means am I going to do something physical the answer is an EMPHATIC NO! But will I keep an eye on who is pro-active to the plight of the horses come voting day the answer is an EMPHATIC YES!
I have never quite figured out why we are being so ignored by Washington. Maybe because Obama is so emeshed with other problems that he sees the horses far down on the list of priorities. But animal abuse is very telling. One who abuses may well abuse those in his own life as well as others.
Perhaps that is something we need to address in our letters. Kids who abuse animals end up in bad places as adults. This is fact not fiction. Maybe we could have some join together here to do some fact finding. And then present their findings here.
I know many of us have hidden email addys. Perhaps someone has a suggestion on how we can meet and work on this. But everyone needs to be on the up and up. Perhaps we could even have a teleconference so we can scope each other out a bit.
i still think the BLM messed up there numbers again. Whether through flawed science or other means they messed up. And this way more than sad. There are serious nefarious things happening. How to stop it is the 64 thousand dollar question for the day.
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Thank you Cloud Foundation. I agree with everything stated but would add another point: NO MORE CASTRATION FOR roundup equines until the National Academy finishes the study. The moratorium would save money right off the mark, but if DOI, USDA continue on their reckless path (which they will) because of contracts already signed (which they have)….then no more zapping mares with PZP and no more castrations or sales. Everything on hold…period.
But yes, MORATORIUM NOW!!!!!!!
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Denise–RIGHT ON!
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DOUBLE RIGHT ON!
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The first thing I thought when I read that the National Academy of Sciences may do this is; what is the point without a Moratorium? The way damage is being done from the roundups how can you study a decline through such violence? It is bad enough what this year and the last 10 have done. How can a study of removals help but show how few wild ones there really are? What ever is done the reckless removals must end. It will take years to recover and those horses and burros still with lands are now our precious future. The horses and burros in long term holding will be most in need of a review and improved conditions for their ruined lives. Moratorium NOW! mar
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Stop the shameful, violent roundups and look the horses in the eyes and see the truth. mar
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Bob Abbey has publicly stated “no how no way” on stopping the roundups..I say this demands the Presidents intervention as this is HIS political appointee. Up to this point the BLM has ignored every report produced by any government agency on their program, and non have been favorable..I am not holding out hope for this one..however, documentation is piling up..and eventualy congress may ask for a special prosecutor to be appointed to look into an agency that is ignoring the views of congress scienc and the will of the people..everyone of these studys is a nail in their coffin.(not to be taken as a death threat..LOL)
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I think we should all take a momment today to give a shout out to Willis and his CORPS-and a big hug..as they seem to be needing needing some lov!
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http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/2573/comment-page-1#comment-877
That helps me think toward what I am starting to understand.
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Oh, Sandra! How can you be so cruul to pore ole Willie?
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The DOI Gulf disaster–BLM/Wild Horse and Burro program–wounldn’t that be called and ALBATROSS?
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Go to SFTHH August 10,2010 “Wild Horses Lose Again;Twin Peaks Stampede to Proceed” paragraph 6 — 54 Congressmen have sent a letter—print the letter and all the signatures. Send it to Pres. Obama on Sept. 7th–perhaps a few thousand reminders will jog his memory. Add your own polite comments– clog the White House mail room. I will send a copy of it to the NYT this weekend.
If BLM can’t humanely manage the horses–just simple basics–, how can they scientifically determine which horses to release?? Oh that one’s pretty–let her go? Do not allow them near me and my animals.
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I did that, but will do it again. Maybe the post office will wonder about the unflux of special mail. I want SOMEBODY to notice.
We need that moratorium. Why can’t the BLM and the DOI be forced to reply to the congressmen at least.
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They like to keep the pretty ones. It’s good for their marketing propaganda machine.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culvert
thanks…pls. crosspost this video far and near…to stop the blm; aw
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In 2 years??!!! It will be an could be an easy review to write “they are all gone–good job”
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No kidding, Morgan! You nailed it.
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Ann, remind us all again–on or before September 7. There is so much going on that we need to stay on track.
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ps i think Congress is returning Sept.12th; if this is what you mean
summary; the blm is in a hurried “frenzy: roundup up as many innocent Mustangs and Burros before Congress returns Sept. 12;
we must document; save; copy all blm mustang abuse to officials; esp. US Congress; have the congressional duty to stop roundups!
i doubt any single person can stop such a corrupt bureaucracy!
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Anna, There are people that can stop them: (1) the President, (2) the courts, (3) the committee chairmen of those committees that have direct responsibilities for wild equines in the House and Senate.
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ps hey Sandra; good of you to go to the “stinking water corrals; thx
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Please go on every story that allows comments and reiterate that 54 representatives are the reason for the “study”. This IS NOT DOI/BLM’s idea!!!! I have found stories that forget t mention that fact and try to make those agencies out as caring for the horses and the citizens money that they so poorly manage. I want the record set straight. Bunch of PR spreading maggots. No offense to maggots at least they clean up messes instead of creating them.
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We need people in offices of govt that are actually OF THE PEOPLE of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA not more politicians! This GOVT is supposed to be OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE and FOR THE PEOPLE! It has become for the special interests of the POLITICIANS. And we need the ability to VOTE on everything that WE have to live with Law wise, No GOVT person should be able to do anything that was not VOTED on by the actual People of this Nation. Not by some senate or congressman or judge. But by the actual PEOPLE of this Nation. This whole system is so flawed! And watching the BLM run over these horses and the People of this Nation like a runaway train is sickening!
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