2019 has certainly begun with juggling, compounded by the government shutdown.

WHE Week beginning 1/13 Update:

Our Gold Rock litigation remains active to protect the Pancake wild horses. We expect another round of briefs to be filed by the Department of Justice attorneys by January 27th after they requested an extension of time due to both the “shutdown” and the fact that they found a document they had previously asserted we never filed. We are prepared to answer both their brief and the filing by the mine as they argue their “financial investment” over environment and wild horses.  (click here for more details).

Comments on the “Sage Grouse” revised plans were extended through January 16th. However the obstacles remain to anyone that may still have questions; no one answers a phone or email. The deadline should be extended until after the shutdown ends. (Thank you to all of you that “made the call.” More details HERE.)

Comments closed on December 19th on an oil and gas lease sale that will impact multiple wild horse herds. It is unclear at this time if BLM is reviewing comments and incorporating public concerns, delaying the publication of the final documents, delaying the sale (proposed for March 2019) or if they will simply publish the approval crafted prior to asking for public input/protest. In the normal course of business we would expect a decision shortly after Jan 19. We expect that, even if government offices stay closed, the decision to move forward will publish. We are preparing to take legal action if needed.  (More here)

We need you to take action on the changes to FOIA. FOIA is a vital tool of advocacy, accurate reporting and holding officials accountable. We have begun a series of articles to discuss the importance of this action item and why we are asking you to be involved. (you can take action, and begin to read the series, HERE)

We still have more work to do in the “accountability department.” Ryan Zinke’s BLM literally reads like a RICO board of corruption. “On the board” are faces that received rewards for intimation, wastes of tax payer funding, encouraging and dismissing penalty for illegal activity. We now have over 40,000 of you that have signed onto to a support letter for our actions to bring this investigation down into the Wild Horse program. We will touch on some of these issues in our series on FOIA noted above and will have a distinct action item on this issue for you soon. (you can read more here)

We continue to find avenues to bring sane and sensible management options into the realm of reality. Our work came to a screeching halt, just as implementation was to begin on a project, due to a multitude of factors rooted in absolute insanity from the political power play to the petty ethical violations that exist in BLM. It is really hard to engage any entity that demands you follow an ethical guideline, but fails to comply themselves. However we are focused on finding some “out of the box” solutions to the bureaucratic bubblewrap.

As of this writing the Pine Nut removal of wild horses scheduled for Jan 7- Jan 21 is still on hold due to the shutdown. The removal of 575 wild horses will have no fertility control component and none returned to the range. Our observation team is on stand-by.

Please take action on the restrictions to FOIA as your workweek begins. Save this page as a reminder? You can email. call or FAX your representatives.

If you want to stay involved in any legal actions we may be taking you can add your name, after contacting your legislators, to our list. 

The fight begins on the range. We need your help to build a frontline long before a chopper flies. 

We need your help. Wild Horse Education has been offered a match of $2,000. to help keep our efforts going. Through January 18th all donations will be matched.