Callaghan Complex

Our team members are really busy this time of year. It seems like this year we are even busier. Our wild ones live on public lands and everything that relies on what is left of wild places in the American West is under increasing threats from loosening regulations that protect habitat, increasing pressure from expanding industries like mining and energy and the prioritization of appeasing private livestock interests.

Once a plan is finalized, the only real recourse is litigation. In areas outside of herds under the jurisdiction of the 1971 Act (State, National Parks, etc.) sometimes writing to lawmakers can help. When it comes to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that manages more wild horses than all other jurisdictions combined, getting involved before a plan is finalized is where the public has a voice. After that, only the courts or the President (through his Cabinet) can impact a roundup.

Comments for the (newly created) Callaghan Complex in NV, that could begin the largest roundup in history, are due 9/3. You can learn more HERE if you are crafting your own comment. Or you can sign our public group letter HERE.

We are stretching as far as resources will allow to create a frontline of protection.

The Hearing for the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) for the Devil’s Garden roundup, where short notice created a situation where we had to hyper focus and file quickly, was held yesterday. The 2-hour hearing was held via electronic conference and focused on both First Amendment issues surrounding the extremely limited access the United States Forest Service (USFS) says is due to limited funding and our allegations that the 2013 plan, supplemented by the (unofficial) Settlement Agreement with livestock interests, does not create the legal authority to do the upcoming roundup. The Preliminary Injunction hearing will be set for another date.

The upcoming roundup runs the very real risk that less than 20 wild horses will be left on the range. Holding them over winter in the small Double Devil Corral, literally located in the Forest itself where flooding and mountain lion predation occur annually, pending a census flight to return numbers to reach the low Appropriate Management Level (AML), is not “ok.” Causing this kind of trauma because they can’t complete the new plan or do a census until November, is not acceptable.

The Judge stated we will have a ruling by Monday. We know it is a long holiday weekend for most people and regular business hours of the court do not resume until Tuesday. However, this was an emergency motion and a ruling can come in over the weekend and or on the holiday on Monday.

Burros listed as Sale Authority at a BLM event 2 weeks ago are at high risk of being sent into the slaughter pipeline along with all of the horses BLM is funneling through this nefarious program.

Our teams are still working to raise awareness.

Activities such as writing OpEds, like the one just published in California, to bring attention to herds often overlooked. We are gearing up to cover the upcoming roundups.

We have reached out to numerous news outlets to try to bring attention to BLM pushing Sale Authority (SA) at events around the country. Sale Authority is when a horse or burro is sold for $25. (this price has not changed in decades) and title transfers immediately. There is a misconception that this is somehow “new” or that only old horses go SA. In fact, SA reached record numbers while the public was focused on the now defunct Adoption Incentive Program. (See more HERE)

We expect the fall roundup schedule to be jam packed as federal agencies push to appease profit driven interests. Our in-depth coverage is something many of you rely on to keep track of how our wild ones are being (mis)treated. Our coverage of the Adobe Town roundup was viewed by more than 15,000 people. Our roundup team is gearing up and we are clearing schedules as we await the publication of the new fiscal year schedule (begins October 1).

Adobe Town wild bachelor band still free after the roundup.

When the comment period end, litigation is the only recourse. The BLM and USFS seem to quickly jump into Settlement conferences with livestock interests if there is any issue with a plan they finalize. For wild horse and burro advocates, we have to file litigation (and maintain that litigation filing brief-after-brief) and see it through to judgment. Settlements out of court with advocates are exceedingly rare. This is complex work that is time and funding dependent.

Over the last week our team filed briefs in the case involving the expansion of a huge mine that will directly impact 30% of the Triple B HMA and indirectly impact more than half of the Triple B Complex.

Wrapping up our case exposing the truth about the BLM Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP). (Our team is beginning to craft a report that we hope to complete as the new fiscal year gather schedule is announced.)

Filed and attended the hearing on Devil’s Garden.

Working to move Stone Cabin/Saulsbury to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. We won part of our lawsuit at Stone cabin/Saulsbury (illegally delayed creation of HMAP for Saulsbury and update at Stone Cabin) and have to Appeal to a higher court to gain compliance with the existing Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP).

We got the first round of legal action on file for the burros at Tassi-Gold and are working on an update to introduce you to this herd and the legal action.

That was just this week.

This weekend we are working on a reply brief in the final round of litigation against the monstrous plan at the combine Triple B and Antelope Complexes. This case is critical as BLM simply tries to abandon the plan challenged in court and create a new one that repeats the exact actions challenged to avoid any judgement.

This is just this last week.

Legislation

Calling your lawmakers to push them to support existing bills or create new ones is a way the public can get involved to have an impact on how BLM and USFS create planning documents before those documents are finalized.

However, within the current political climate simply not losing ground is being seen as a victory. Like with the Appropriations (spending) bill process where the initial request did not include maintaining prohibitions against killing healthy wild horses or limits on sales (slaughter). Both the House and Senate placed those prohibitions back into Appropriations bill language after public outcry (the same exact extra funding for fertility control BLM has been using primarily for GonaCon is also in there). This does not move toward reform, it maintains the status quo with a slight reduction in funding the BLM will likely simply use to push funneling more horses and burros out through Sale.

SAFE Act: This legislation would permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption and would also prohibit the export of live horses to Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses to be sold overseas. The lawmakers hope to include the SAFE Act as part of the 2025 Farm Bill when it is considered by Congress later this year. In the House the bill is now referenced as H.R. 1661 and in the Senate as S. 775. You can send a letter to your House and Senate Representatives regarding the SAFE Act by simply clicking HERE. 

H.R.4356 – Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 2025: This is legislation first introduced in 2022 after a colt snapped a leg during the Pancake roundup. This bill, if passed, would phase out the use of helicopters and push even broader use of fertility control. It would also require a GOA report on the use of helicopter capture methods. It has 14 cosponsors. This bill does not address planning reforms such as evaluation of the number of wild horses and burros to be left on the range (AML), boundary lines, range improvements. These issues are still only being addressed through litigation. Our team is trying to get this bill amended to address those issues.

Salt Wells, Wyoming

We may not have a lot of time to be on social media, but our team is stretching as far as we can go to create a meaningful defense for our wild ones and the resources they need to survive. 

Thank you for your support and patience.

Without your support, none of our work is possible.