This year we are seeing multiple issues that have been brewing over time rise to the surface in a virtual onslaught against our environment, wild horses and our ability to observe, report and engage.

Before the recap, a plea.

Spring is coming and the run to protect our wild ones must increase in speed and efficiency

When you are trying to have a fact based conversation to create a movement of real world changes, on the ground, you have to first attempt to cut through a growing plethora of  noise. That noise has already created an emotional response to an issue that instills visceral reactions. Once a human being responds a type of physical memory is created and it becomes very difficult to get them to go back, before the initial reaction, to weigh facts and then respond in a way that is not as “gratifying” as telling someone off online. After a hard week at work the online fight seems to have replaced the “bar fight” of old, but less dangerous. People can brag about beating up the jerk regardless of how stupid they looked, without having to get stitches or lose teeth.

If you are the one bringing the facts into the conversation you are often simply the person who is now challenging a reality, even if it is a false reality, and you become the enemy everyone “loves to hate.” Those far removed from a situation have an incredible lead time to create the emotional response, the response humans will feel loyalty to. “In many ways the debunking just reinforced the sense of alienation or outrage that people feel about the topic, and ultimately you’ve done more harm than good,” quoted a piece in the NY Times .  This defense mechanism can often be even more emotional than the initial response.

Public land management issues are extremely complex and can not be conveyed in a social media meme. If you see a picture or slogan please dig and learn before you respond. The stakes are high.

WHE this week

We are engaged in a number of projects that address several aspects of our work and will be announcing how you can participate shortly. Some of the projects will be a lot of fun, some will require a bit of work, and we can’t wait to share them and move together to protect our wild ones and wild places.

There is still time to sign up for tomorrow’s webinar “The Threats Have New Meaning.” Info at this link. https://wildhorseeducation.org/2017/02/26/the-threats-have-new-meaning/

A personal letter from our founder about experience during the final decimation of our wild herds at Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (not BLM) are being reflected in a much larger picture today. https://wildhorseeducation.org/2017/03/02/m-a-heart-broken-advocate/

We are trying to answer questions as fast as we can to help you engage, inform others and understand. We are getting a lot of questions about the “numbers game” of public land management and the use of the word “over populated.” We give you some information at this link: https://wildhorseeducation.org/2017/03/03/deadly-traps-dont-get-caught/

We posted a short video clip on social media this week of the release at Reveille. The entire video is presented below. At the time we were engaged in multiple threats to our First Amendment and threats to our ability to participate in other areas of process. We had to work out how we are going to proceed before we took several steps, including sharing this video.

“Releases are always bittersweet. There are better ways to manage our wild ones on the range than relying on helicopter roundups. I have witnessed literally tens of thousands of wild horses captured, most never to return. A release is a time to remind people not only of the challenges ahead but that there are amazing wild horses that survive all we have done… and they need us all to do better.” `LLeigh

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Help keep us in the fight.

click here: https://wildhorseeducation.org/ways-to-support-the-work-of-whe/