At Wild Horse Education (WHE) a requirement for all volunteers is to journal. Journaling not only helps an individual process internal thought, it helps track progress that allows a self-evaluation of your advocacy, effective for the cause or not so much.

Right now many people are feeling overwhelmed. Break it down into one step at a time. Advocacy is a lifelong process with highs and lows but it never ends. This is a journal entry of Marie Milliman (WHE volunteer) as we head into the votes, likely early next week, that may decide the fate of tens of thousands of wild horses…. the “bullet in the head.” (Action item at the bottom of the page)

YOU are the only voice they have

Advocate; Are you an /ˈadvəkət/ or do you /ˈadvəˌkāt/ ?, Marie Milliman

When I want to scream, pull out my hair or puke with frustration at all of the threats to our wild horses, Laura suggested I “write it out”, so here goes….

As I begin to write this, there are 6 WHE articles open, along with three additional research tabs on current wild horse threats. I find myself going down the endless “rabbit holes” (even on the definition of the word, advocate); as “my A D D on steroids” gets outta control — I helplessly dive in.  Do you ever feel this way? Well join the crowd, you have plenty of company. You are not alone.

Until now, I hadn’t really appreciated the subtle but powerful difference between the two connotations of the word advocate. To be an /ˈadvəkət/ (noun); you would be a person that publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy. To /ˈadvəˌkāt/ (verb); you would be a person who is taking action in an effort to create change.

With my one-year anniversary of joining WHE imminent, I’m inspired to write about my relatively short journey of advocating and rabbit-hole diving. Maybe stimulate the/ˈadvəˌkāt/ in all of us, and that we will together, work towards the common goal of saving our wild ones and wild places.   The threats felt urgent when I proudly joined the ranks, they have since become even more critical. A year of increasing turmoil for our wild ones and wild places is a frustrating reality. My journey to approach a justifiable identity, to consider myself an effective /ˈadvəkət/, has been laborious and yes, emotional.

Today I found WHE in my initial Goggle searches on specific wild horse subjects; I couldn’t get away from it. OMG, do I really have to R-E-A-D that entire article to get the information? I just want to learn about, x, y and z, not A through Z. My birth into the Wild Horse World is not all that unique, in fact, it’s nearly cliché.

My story goes like so many others: Adopt a couple of Mustangs (can’t have just one), develop a deep compassion for their circumstances. And, with an intense curiosity, explore how they became captives. From there, enter the deceitful maze of information published on the previous BLM website(most of the crucial information has been removed off the current site), and then develop a will to act on their behalf — “act”… to take action; to do something, (/ˈadvəˌkāt/).

Step one, purchase an insanely expensive plane ticket to Elko, NV (BLM Advisory Board Meeting 9-2016), then dive in with the objective of finding possible solutions to present at the meeting: I created my suggestions in a sleepless week of R-E-A-D-I-N-G and research with the companionship of a cherished mentor, Beth Quigley-Lauxen. I naively thought that by attending I would gain knowledge and contribute to the wild horse’s fight for survival. This experience taught me; the threats are huge and open your eyes wider, because this is U-G-L-Y.

Meanwhile, write some articles, venture down many more rabbit holes on various subjects about wild horse realities and challenges. And now also, beginning to understand what joining a charitable organization is all about and how I can help. (?)

Step two, attend a wild horse gather: Frantically purchase a Canon Rebel, get my butt on a plane to Reno, and then drive 237 miles to Tonopah, NV.  Put my game face on, stare down my fears, and get to work with the objective of gaining improved humane handling processes, what being an advocate is about at a roundup. Who better to learn humane handling objectives and processes from, than Laura Leigh, the woman who fought for, and helped craft drafts that were submitted, and now the now-established CAWP policy included in the “gather” contracts.  Not to mention the rare opportunity to “pick the brain” of a strategist, that is what I define her as, for our Wild Ones.

Release, Reveille 2017

On this leg of my journey, I am blessed with an unexpected, intimate encounter at a release of horses back to the range. A profound relationship in my heart was established with “my girl”, a selectively-released mare who had been treated with P.Z.P.  She is “still out there” and continues to inspire me with two objectives, contribute to her/their survival and lobby for the best “tool in the tool box”. This “meeting” served as an internal metamorphosis, fortifying my resolve to /ˈadvəˌk”āt/ for them.

Every step of this process has changed me – personally; as Laura refers to it, “navigating” my emotions and learning more effective actions, “I know it’s not easy”.

I still feel enormously inadequate and frustrated. Laura will give me a one-sentence response to illuminate what it now takes me 500 words to say — she “gets it”. . . “Each level of this has it’s own place of feeling inadequate and frustrated,” that I need to “get used to it.” Having Laura say, “Sometimes this stuff just takes me to my knees,” is both disturbing and reassuring.

I believe my sense of incompetence is shared by many. Inadequate, frustrated — sound familiar? We human beings derive satisfaction from seeing the results of our efforts. Consequently, simply writing about the plight of our wild ones leaves me feeling ineffective.

I understand the need to maintain focus on the horses and avoid the human tendency to indulge my emotions. Because in the end, how we feel about their plight doesn’t change the end of the story; it’s what we actually do that makes a difference, even my frustration can be used as motivation.

What’s the difference between advocating and being an advocate? The journaling assignment that I have come to embrace is part of the path.

Advocating for a cause is important; people need to be informed about issues that affect the balance of our planet. But, to truly be an advocate, we must act responsibly and with thoughtful consideration of the goal. And in the end, if any of my personal efforts have aided in the survival of one horse, or one HMA, it will have been worth it. But, I want the whole enchilada. “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” ~Helen Keller.  On that note, I’m reminded of the story of the little girl and the starfish. For those of you who aren’t familiar, it goes something like this:

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up and throw it back into the ocean. She’d been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!” The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference to that one!” The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she’d done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined and all the starfish were saved. — Adapted from “The Star Thrower” by Loren C. Eiseley (note: they are officially /ˈadvəˌkāt/ s).

Just like “The Star Thrower”, my/our eye needs to stay on the ball, currently the DOI budget. Please join me and WHE in diligently making calls, sending emails and faxes and “/ˈadvəˌkāt/ing”. The wild’s will thank you with the most basic of acts, surviving. From our super awesome Call to Action Countdown Webinar and Cathy Ceci:

We can’t encourage you enough to MAKE CALLS AND SEND EMAILS TO YOUR REPS. The holiday weekend you can send a free fax (info at the bottom).

1. Find your reps.  EVERY SINGLE rep in the House and Senate will be voting at one time or another. Subcommittee bills must go to a full floor vote.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members

Over the holiday weekend why not send a FAX?

Free Fax to YOUR Senators

Free Fax to House (Congress)

1. Call them directly.  Call every office they have (most have at least 2 offices).  Note who you’re talking to.
   
2. Make your comments. Be sure to keep it FRIENDLY AND SIMPLE.

POINTS TO MAKE:

1. • OUR WILD HORSES MUST BE PROTECTED FROM SALE TO SLAUGHTER AND NO FUNDS SHOULD BE USED TO KILL A HEALTHY, WILD HORSE, IN ANY FASHION.
     
   • I DO NOT SUPPORT KILLING OF OUR WILD HORSES IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM.
     
   • BLM MUST CREATE COMPREHENSIVE CHANGES BASED ON THE ENTIRE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES REVIEW OF 2013, not just cherry pick.
     
   • PUBLIC LAND AND PUBLIC RESOURCES — INCLUDING OUR WILD HORSES, MUST REMAIN IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, UNDER FEDERAL MANAGEMENT, NOT GIVEN TO STATES OR ANY OTHER ENTITY.
     
   • THERE SHOULD BE NO TRANSFERS OF JURISDICTION OR CONTROL UNDER THE GUISE OF “COLLABORATION”.
     
2. THANK THEM for listening.
   
3. MAKE THE NEXT CALL… .

“In these simple actions we all must embrace that is being an advocate. The task at hand, the step in this moment, eyes on the horizon. Links in a chain, each one of us a vital link. As each link becomes stronger, and supports the next link, change becomes possible. If we, as individuals, only embrace what the ‘I’ can get out of it, then the change for the cause itself, the wild horse, will never happen.”

Thank you for sharing this mile in my journey. ~ Marie Milliman

click for download of pamphlet

click for abbreviated, public, report 2017

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