As we advocate for wild horses and burros we have to take actions toward long term goals as well as short term actions.
We update this page as often as we can. However, we get very busy and new action items come out without much lead time for fast action. The best way to stay on top of changing actions is to subscribe to the website to receive notifications when we publish new articles. Click HERE.
Preface to all actions: Actions that address policy fall into 3 different branches of government. More HERE that can help you understand that a bit about the “who and how” of advocating for change.
WHE reports and pages that can assist you in your advocacy. Having information you can present to bolster your claim to create the changes you seek can be vital. Our resource page can give you some background and data to use in your own advocacy. HERE.
Temporary/Immediate Action!
Many of you are asking what you can do to help forward one of the important goals in this lawsuit: Stopping Abuse.
If you want to help address abuse DIRECTLY that you see at roundups like Antelope, you can CALL your reps and add to your requests for the 2024 fiscal year Department of Interior, BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program:
“I would like you to propose an amendment to add a budget line item solely devoted to make the BLM wild horse and burro welfare policy (currently referenced as “CAWP”) into an enforceable rule.
The internal program is not creating an environment where wild horses and burros are treated according to safe, sane, current animal husbandry practices to ensure steps are taken to prevent injury and. death. Death is not the only measure of abuse.”
You can find your reps: http://govtrack.us
Wild Horse Education will be sending a packet to members of Congress showing why we need an enforceable welfare rule.
You can add your name to the cover letter by clicking HERE.
This page contains several distinct actions you can take.
Each ACTION will be prefaced in RED text.
The budget debate (Appropriations) has begun again.
Each year you see pleas in your inbox from may large orgs to give BLM more money and, when BLM gets more funding, they call it a “victory.” Then you see the consequence, BLM uses that funding to amp up removals and stockpile more and more wild horses that are placed at risk of slaughter.
Do you want something else?
Since 2018, there have been calls by many to increase the BLM budget. These mass calls to action have claimed that the increased funding is to “Stop the Roundups!”. Each year more money has been added to the budget as roundups increase to hit historically high rates. BLM won’t change course for any herd until they hit the target population level for the area. Remember, BLM calls a removal of 2000, with a release of 70, a “fertility control operation.”
If you do not agree with how BLM is using extra funding, why not ask for a funding freeze instead of more funding? You could ask for a freeze until the following is addressed:
- BLM should be reporting to Congress on the number of actual management plans they create. The last time BLM released any update on the lagging Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP) creation process was in September 1996; where the few existing plans were documents stating that more data needed to be collected to create a plan. This lack of actual management planning has been replaced by removal plans and is an outrage that needs to be corrected.
- We need an online portal that gives full transparency. BLM needs to post facility intake, inventory and vet reports. BLM needs to make public all independent contracts, agreements, Memorandum of Understanding. BLM needs to include any monitoring data and flight inventories on their website.
- BLM needs to revise the animal welfare policy. Since adopting a policy in 2016, BLM simply began insufficient reporting in 2021. Infractions during roundups have become routine and disease is far too common in BLM facilities.
Before BLM is given more money to continue the 2020 plan, we need to see something that reflects some type of reform. All we have seen is that BLM ran a broken program toward collapse with no regard for protecting wild horses/burros and the range designated for their use.
You can use the link below to send a letter to your representatives or you can find your reps and create your own message. House and Senate
Wild horses and burros are caught between livestock and mining, literally, in this photo from Owyhee.
Save Americas Forgotten Equines (SAFE) to STOP Horse Slaughter.
The SAFE Act is intended to stop the slaughter of horses in the U.S. If the Act passes, it will not only be illegal to slaughter horses in the U.S. for commercial product, it will be illegal to ship them for the purpose of slaughter outside the U.S.
The bill currently has 20 cosponsors.
You can take a fast click and send action by clicking HERE.
Fight Abuse
Abuses on an off the range continue. We must gain expansion and revision of the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Policy (CAWP). Just like everything: there is a law and then an internal policy to carry out the law. The law says management must be humane, CAWP is the policy driven by litigation to carry out that law.
You can learn more by reading our 2022 CAWP report and recommendation sheets.
You can help us bring this important work to the next level by adding your name HERE.
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If you want to learn more about the “HMAP” and the BLM plan: https://wildhorseeducation.org/2020/05/20/blm-plan-and-the-hmap/
Help us stay in the fight.
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