Please send us your suggestions, stories and pictures about how you are helping to spread the word to save the wild Mustangs to feedback.mustangrally@riovida.net
Billings, Montana with staff from both Senators Baucus and Tester's offices who expressed interest in Ginger Kathrens, emmy-award winning filmmaker and The Cloud Foundation's cause since they had heard from so many of her supporters. Ginger Kathrens thanks everyone for helping raise awareness about the threats to Cloud and the Pryor Wild Horse Herd. She and her team also had a cordial meeting with BLM managers in Billings in which we discussed the future of the Pryor Herd. She felt they were setting the stage for a respectful and productive relationship between the Cloud Foundation and BLM. And then, just one month later, they received the AP newspaper article that shocked them. In this article, BLM indicated that they plan to drastically reduce the herd to only 92 animals. They were totally blindsided by this announcement. What this means is that the herd would be reduced to non-sustainable levels, far below the minimum 150 to maintain their genetic viability.
What this also means is that by this fall, 80 horses could lose their freedom and their families, including Cloud and his band. BLM had told Ginger and her team there are "too many old horses" on the range. Infertility drugs were first given to mares over 13 years of age for "humanitarian reasons" and to "extend the lives" of older mares. Now, these very mares might be removed from their home, losing everything they have long held dear - their families and their freedom. It is not unusual for a mare or a stallion to live into their 20s. Sometimes they live to be nearly 27. Obviously, the Pryor horses are still genetically strong and the range is healthy or the horses would not be living longer than they did 14 years ago. And the huge surviving foal crop of 2007 (34 foals which is the largest since 1981) is a testament to the health and vigor of the horses. However, the over-hunting of mountain lions has created an unbalanced predator-prey relationship. That is why we are asking that the Pryor Mountains be closed to mountain lion hunting to try to promote a natural balance, allowing nature to call the shots, not humans.
You can see Ginger speak: "Cloud and the Mustangs of the Arrowhead Mountains: An Evening with Ginger Kathrens." A benefit for the Cloud Foundation at Naropa University,March 28th, 2008 in Boulder, Colorado. Please click here or call 303.245.4800 for more information. You can also contact the BLM in Billings, Montana to inquire about their plans and how you can assist them to keep the Mustang Herd viable and thus alive.
State Office
5001 Southgate Drive
Billings, MT 59101
Phone: 406 896-5000
Fax: 406 896-5299
E-mail:MT_Information@blm.gov
State Director: Gene Terland
Associate State Director: Howard Lemm
Billings Field Office
5001 Southgate Drive
Billings, MT 59101
Phone: 406 896-5013
Fax: 406 896-5281
E-mail: MT_Billings_FO@blm.gov
Field Manager: James Sparks
700 horses dissappeared from the Nevada Bighorns Unlimited region where population estimates are a stretch at best. The cited 1,800-2,000 was before the recent round up featured on American Wild Horse Preservations Campaigns Section. For pictures of the Round Ups. Click Here to read the full story with rather disturbing graphic photos. NBU stated, the wild horses removed during that June 2006 gather did reduce wild horses through adoptions but in May 2007, when USFWS released their plans to remove more, they estimated 1,200 wild horses and 100 wild burros remained before the new foaling season, which would bring the new estimates to 1,500-1,600. A month later in June 2007, Nevada Bighorns Unlimited financed a “new” aerial census for Sheldon managers that found 700 wild horses missing from the Refuge - only 800 were now remaining.
As yet no explanations of where the 700 missing Sheldon (click for Sheldon history) wild horses have gone has been found. There are reports that Sheldon Hart Refuge Project Manager, Paul Steblein and several high-ranking BLM personnel have not been able to answer questions about where they believe the Sheldon wild horses have gone. Perhaps they simply don't know. It may be that the horses left on their own after the terrible wildfires that have ravaged the Nevada wilderness areas. No one really knows. Some people believe that Nevada Bighorns Unlimited President Jim Nelson prefers big horn sheep over having any number of wild equids at Sheldon.
But his passion for hunting and Big Horn Sheep does not really tie him to the missing horses. It was thanks to his organization that it was discovered that they were missing. To learn more about what happened to the horses and how you can support their efforts to find them contact Brian Day at brian_day@fws.gov and Project Leader Paul Steblein at Paul_Steblein@fws.gov or learn about the reintroduction effort of big horn sheep with the goal of creating the outdoors and hunting lifestyle enjoyed by many Americans since its inception.
You can visit the Nevada Bighorns Unlimited website http://www.nevadabighorns.org Contact Jim Nelson, President of Nevada Bighorns Unlimited at N2elk@charter.net to learn about any new findings. Montana's Last Wild Horse Herds Still At Risk!
Rolando Morales has decided to join the Mustang Rally. He agreed to donate 10% of all his CD and Fashion Sales to the Mustang Rally. Passionate. Accomplished, Sophisticated. Powerful. Latin jazz, flamenco-samba, Afro Cuban grooves and more. Acclaimed guitarist, vocalist, composer and recording artist Rolando Morales leads his stellar band which features musicians who played with Sheila E., Airto, Dizzy Gillespie, Tower of Power, Spearhead, Rubén Blades and Carlos Santana. Rolando, living in the San Francisco Bay Area, has performed throughout Spain, England, Italy, Ireland, Mexico and Hawaii. His diverse talents span the musical spectrum. On a given night, you might hear him performing classical or flamenco-inspired instrumentals, to hard-swinging Latin-jazz; from original sambas to passionately sung boleros; from driving Cuban grooves to Latin rhythms with a rock or funk edge. Rolando Morales Group. Sign up for his newsletter and come to his performances.
One of the friends of the Mustang Rally suggested that we provide information on how to get in touch with the Representatives who can support and pass a bill that would stop the problem. You can go to the website, call or send a letter by clicking on your Representative. Just go to http://www.congress.org enter your zip code and voila you will find out the contact info of your Representative(s) and how and if they voted. You can then send them an email with your own opinion.
Join the Mustang Rally and save the wild Mustangs.
The bill is currently in the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health,
and is cosponsored by 70 Representatives. There has not been any new support since December of last year. When your Representative
is not yet on the list below, contact him or her and ask them to sign the bill. You can find out how they have been voting by visiting http://www.congress.org or you can send a thank you letter and congratulations to these wonderful caring Representatives. Remember the power of positive reinforcement. It works!
To keep the effort going
remind your Senator to continue the effort follow the links below.
