Any questions?

A number of people have written to us wanting to know why a large organization like Protect the Harvest would get involved with an issue like Fish Creek. People do understand that organization is about as “anti animal welfare” as any organization can get. The organization came out in support of Sea World after Blackfish hit the scene. But people are still confused as to why they would back a situation like the one at Fish Creek.

Dave Duquette, protege of the late queen of horse slaughter Sue Wallis, now works for Protect the Harvest. He and Wallis had multiple organizations that changed names rapidly for several years and the latest incarnation was United Horseman, that still exists. This organization ran an event called “The Summit of the Horse.” It was a pro horse slaughter event and multiple individuals that support that effort met under that “roof.”

Many of the faces involved in contentious grazing issues on public land are also present under that roof. The connection to the “Grass March,” that last year took a petition to Congress that is anti regulation and anti wild horse, you can begin to “connect a few dots.”

Cattle camped out at water as wild horses and other wildlife move in and out during drought at Fish Creek, in trespass

If you follow our work you can understand why Fish Creek (where we are engaged in addressing a data based plan to manage wild horses in fair multiple use practices) and the “Grass March” (where we made an effort to educate the public to the agenda) make us a target for this “machine.” The issues tie into issues that go well beyond Fish Creek.

What Wild Horse Education is about is transparent and equal access in process, accountability across the board to the law that governs management and humane, fair and equitable practices for management of wild horses and burros. These organizations like to make claim that anyone that advocates for animal welfare is an “extremist animal rights crazy person that wants to take your right to eat a burger away.” The portrayal of our work that we have seen in the multiple screen grabs is far from accurate. WHE is not “flip flop wearing, patchouli smelling, city dwellers” trying to take your right to own a “purebred” dog away.

Remember in 2016 what this movement is after. WHE has won multiple court rulings against conduct. The ONLY organization to do so.

Some of WHE’s actions that would make what we are doing a target:

Working to repeal the Burn’s Amendment (that allows wild horses to be sold to slaughter)

Vocal opponent to “horse tripping,” and provided documentation to support bills to ban the practice. Horse tripping is an event supported by “United Horsemen.”

Exposed more than 1,700 wild horses going to one killbuyer alone (Tom Davis) with journalist Dave Philipps of ProPublica. We are pushing for accountability to the law in a 3 year investigation that has still not become public or resulted in consequence (although Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar did resign after threatening Philipps with a “punch in the face”).

Won multiple court decisions against conduct at roundups requiring BLM to create a humane handling policy. Of note is that contracts were to be signed in the fall of 2014 with a handling policy included and they have still not been signed by roundup contractors.

We won court rulings on transparent actions in a case being cited by civil rights attorneys in multiple actions to defend the First Amendment.

Documented Kevin Borba, the rancher in Duquette’s videos and member of the Grass March, in trespass as he grazed livestock illegally on public land and called him a “trespass rancher” after he received an official citation from the government.

Most recently WHE Intervened in two cases where those associated with this activity at Fish Creek are involved. First, the action brought against wild horses to remove and even destroy them by the Nevada Association of Counties (NACO) and the Farm Bureau that was defeated in federal court (county now on Appeal to the Ninth Circuit). Second, WHE  Intervened in the case against Fish Creek, the court upheld the decision to release wild horses defeating the motion brought by the county and removing Borba from the docket (this suit is still active trying to force a removal at Fish Creek).

WHE is also constantly “on the ground and in the trenches” documenting multiple areas of public land practices, wild horse and burro HMAs and issues involving horses going to slaughter.

If you are under any impression that the actions occurring now have no root in the past, you are mistaken.

Sarge, now in “protective custody”

This is also not simply about the stallion named “Sarge.” Unfortunately we identified a stallion and posted a video in response to earlier propaganda with Sarge in the video. In our work we very rarely name a horse, let alone use a single horse as a “spokesperson” for an effort. We have always feared that to do so would create a target. Another unfortunate reality is that the public seems to respond to the “naming” and follow those stories. We hope that you care enough about Sarge to take the time to understand the literal minefield he lived in. You can click here for an update on Sarge. http://wildhorseeducation.org/2015/08/06/sarge-and-a-limited-update-on-fish-creek/

BLM is engaged in an investigation into multiple facets of what has transpired in these few months at Fish Creek. There will be a statement from BLM. We assure you that in this instance we do not expect there to be a three year wait to hear something on any “investigation.”

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Note: A number of our supporters are upset over an article that focuses on us on the Protect the Harvest website. The article is filled with the kind of inaccuracies you would expect and we urge you to recognize how these efforts are created, and why we have so often defeated them. Just hang tight…. the ride gets bumpy sometimes.

Main website: http://WildHorseEducation.org

Picture from USFS website. The greater sage grouse, the most powerful bird in the West. Sage grouse listing is on the horizon and has started a literal “war” over resource. Keep your eyes on the horizon. Recognizing over reaching agendas is important. “An Educated Advocacy Is More Important Than EVER!”