The video above of “the black” at the Red Desert roundup is one such demonstration of the will to keep trying. He tries what was successful, then tries something else, and even when faced with another obstacle, tried again.
Many of our readers are expressing a deep frustration. When we have an industrial administration, wild horses are targeted. When we have an environmental administration, wild horses are ignored or scapegoated.
Letter to our readers “from the dashboard.”
How can you keep going? The answer is both simple and complex: we keep going because we have to. Just like the battle to save any living wild thing that lives on land coveted by industry, the commitment is made knowing there is no end.
Yes, much of this battle is wrought in the cyclical world of politics, land management, and stacks and stacks of paperwork. We share your frustration at every turn. We know the journey of advocacy is hard.
Yet, there are moments of real connection, tangible progress and the wild ones fill you with their spirit. Moments of inspiration come in many forms. There are moments of victory that open a door to the possibility of the next. Some moments of inspiration are in experiencing sheer wild beauty. However, some of those moments of inspiration come when you share the moments of injustice with the wild and fuel is added to your deep desire for change.
We hope this short piece helps you to “keep going.”
The battle to gain a human handling policy began the day we watched a foal run with a helicopter 5 feet off his back who later died when his feet literally began to fall (slough) off. We made him (Hope) a promise.
To get a written humane policy we first fought one case that mixed humane care with access issues. We found the courts focused on First Amendment and it was easy for BLM to muddy the facts on abusive treatment. We split the issues and filed separately. We won in both instances. We did the same again and agin until the goal of a written policy was reached (A policy is a written guidance to carry out a mandate of law. If a policy is inadequate, it can be litigated.)
That hard won policy needs review and revision. We did not get everything we wanted. There are many factions, with many agendas, and there were obstructions. However, our work continues to hold BLM accountable and fix that policy so it complies with the law. (HERE)
We were told winning that policy was impossible by some pretty fancy attorneys. We did not listen. Like “the black” we just kept trying. The impossible is possible. Progress is slow, we know, but it can happen. Do not give up hope.
However, we were able to utilize that flawed policy to: get changes at the chute when we observed multiple eyes injuries, pen configuration changed to allow access to water, stop pilots from running foals to collapse, obtain a citation when an ATV was used to rope a horse, stop over crowding of holding corrals, etc. None of those changes were simple and involved more than one day of interaction. Our observers know that policy and engage it in the moment. Every life matters.
There are wild ones that have been released back, like in the free photo album above at the Red Desert (those that received it as a gift ,felt we should share it with all of you as a reminder that there are still wild ones out there that need you). There are wild ones still living free that are targeted. They need all of our voices.
We know the roundup schedule is intense. Thousands and thousands are removed every season. New planning documents for more removals seem to be released each week. The system only allows us to challenge one by one. Federal land management leadership drags their heels on reform. We know it is frustrating, but we must keep going.
Take inspiration from the spirit of the wild horse and keep going. They need your voices, now more than ever, as their habitat shrinks daily from the encroachment of industry. As a wild horse advocate this struggle has many fronts: habitat, abuse, the slaughter pipeline. Each link in the chain vital to the protection and preservation of each and every wild life.
Thank you for being an active advocate. We know it is frustrating. Find inspiration where you can and, we hope, you keep trying just one more time and then one more time, again.
Sample letters you can send to the Secretary of Interior or your Congress person. As you engage your representatives, make an appointment to discuss the concerns expressed in the letters you write; build a relationship. https://wildhorseeducation.org/2021/03/15/action-the-next-level/
Help push the BLM 2020 Report to the curb and get a Hearing in Congress. The2020 Report is where “Path Forward” (the lobby document) lives in the decision process. If you want the “Path Forward” gone, we must get the 2020 Report rejected. https://wildhorseeducation.org/2021/02/03/the-report-2022-funding-debate-and-a-request-for-hearing/
Our legal action against the “spay plan” at Confusion is still active and the decision is under review by the new admin (we will update at the end of the month). Our legal action with WLD against the livestock decision at Silver King/Eagle is still active. We will be filing two more actions in the coming weeks. We know that the plans open, just finalized and the roundup schedule are creating some confusion in the public, this article may help: https://wildhorseeducation.org/2021/04/06/open-comments-finalized-plans-and-the-roundup-schedule/
The journey of advocacy is can be frustrating and the trail twisted, but it is a fight worth fighting.
Help keep us in the fight.
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Categories: Wild Horse Education
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