On December 15th the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act became law.
This historic day took decades to reach. If they had not reached this milestone, we might not have any wild horses or burros left today.
The struggles the pioneers of advocacy faced both mirror and set the framework of the work of advocates today. Understanding history is vital if we are going to advocate effectively today.
Click the image below to go to a 3 level online tribute to the 1971 Act: the before, during and after.
Much of our work today centers around the corruption of the law that happened in the decades directly after the Act was passed.
Anti-wild horse factions and livestock co-opted land management agencies worked together to short-change wild horses and burros as the law was being originally implemented. The initial corruption laid a foundation that grew over the years.
It is our job today to seek justice and true reform.
One place we are going that right now is at the Carter Reservoir Herd Management Area (HMA). Once the massive New Years Lake HMA, BLM worked with livestock to push wild horses into a small territory and leave the rest for cows without any actual science-based reason; they simply did it.
Historic corruption and a herd in jeopardy of disappearing collide at Carter today.
This lawsuit is vital. Without it, there will not be a Carter herd in the future.
All of our active lawsuits stand between a corrupted past that seeks to move wild horses out of the way of powerful private profit-driven interests. Our lawsuits at Pancake, Triple B, Antelope, Devil’s Garden, Carter, Tassi-Gold, on and on… matter.
Abuse: It drove the law, yet we still fail today
The cruelty of mustanging drove the passage of the 1971 Act. One of the most basic premises of the law was that management would be humane.
It took our litigation to get BLM to begin creating welfare standards over 40 years after the law had passed. A decade later BLM has still continued to fail.
A years-long investigation and our further litigation has uncovered undeniable proof of that negligence. Learn more HERE.
Will it take Congressional involvement or more litigation to finally stop unnecessary suffering and death?
You can join us and sign on to a letter we are sending the Secretary of the Interior. The Secretary has the power to solve this with a simple Directive. You can sign the letter by clicking HERE.
The actions we take today are part of the timeline of the history of advocacy. We must honor the past. But to create a better future that contains wild horses and burros protected on our public lands it takes actions, not mere words.
WHE stands independent—without corporate sponsorships or federal funding, beholden only to the wild ones who depend on us. Together, we can protect their freedom, their families, and their future.
We must meet this fundraising goal to keep the frontline in the fight moving forward.
Gratitude,
from all of us at WildHorseEducation.org
Categories: Wild Horse Education
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