Below are articles submitted to newspapers by advocates
Here is a letter to the editor that Carol Walker submitted to the Cody Enterprise paper in WY. You can use talking points in this to write your own letter to the editor. See it here.
January 31, 2024
Halt wild horse gathers outside foaling seasons
To the editor,
I am writing about the unnecessary death of a wild one-year-old filly in the bait trapping operation currently being conducted in the McCullough Peaks herd near Cody, Wyoming.
I have been visiting and observing and photographing the wild horses in this herd 2 – 3 times per year since 2004. When the BLM’s plans for this bait trapping were announced, I commented against it and encouraged others to do so as well because this is an aging herd, with a significant portion of the horses being over 20 years old, and the likelihood that at least 10 would die over the winter. Since summer, 10 horses have already died this winter, bringing the count to be only 171 wild horses. The herd’s numbers have been successfully kept in check using PZP birth control. And in the BLM’s Environmental Assessment Plan, there was no range data, nothing to show if the horses were causing range degradation, and thus a need for removal.
The time of year is also critical. In the Cody Resource Management Plan, record 4151, it says “apply seasonal restrictions from February 1 to July 31 to prevent foal abandonment or jeopardy of wild horse health and welfare, as appropriate, to surface and disruptive activities in the McCullough Peaks HMA” and record 4154 states, “Avoid wild horse gathers 6-weeks before or 6-weeks after peak foaling season. To the extent possible conduct wild horse gathers in the fall, after peak foaling season has occurred.”
It is now February 1. They should not be capturing any more horses.
Regarding the tragic events of January 24, the BLM captured 10 horses. They were only supposed to remove horses between one year old and five years old. They separated a four-month-old, a five-month-old and two yearlings from their mothers, released the mothers, then left the foals and yearlings alone, unmonitored, overnight, and one of them, a filly named Kat Ballou, was found dead in the morning with an acute head and neck injury. The excuse from the BLM was that they were quiet when BLM staff left. I contend that anyone who knows anything about wild horses or domestic horses knows that what they did was negligent and wrong. These youngsters had never been without their mothers. They had never been penned up in a corral before. This was a dangerous situation to put these young horses in. I own three mustangs myself, one of whom came from McCullough Peaks after the 2009 helicopter roundup, and these horses need to be allowed to become accustomed to being confined in a pen or corral. They can become injured if panicked. I have owned horses for over 50 years.
The lead on this bait trap gather is inexperienced with wild and domestic horses. He made a decision that resulted in the death of one of these horses that did not need to happen. Because BLM staff has not admitted that they have done anything wrong, I am very concerned that there will be more deaths as this bait trapping continues. This ill-conceived and ill-managed bait trapping should be stopped now.
Carol Walker, Colorado
January 31, 2024
Halt wild horse gathers outside foaling seasons
To the editor,
I am writing about the unnecessary death of a wild one-year-old filly in the bait trapping operation currently being conducted in the McCullough Peaks herd near Cody, Wyoming.
I have been visiting and observing and photographing the wild horses in this herd 2 – 3 times per year since 2004. When the BLM’s plans for this bait trapping were announced, I commented against it and encouraged others to do so as well because this is an aging herd, with a significant portion of the horses being over 20 years old, and the likelihood that at least 10 would die over the winter. Since summer, 10 horses have already died this winter, bringing the count to be only 171 wild horses. The herd’s numbers have been successfully kept in check using PZP birth control. And in the BLM’s Environmental Assessment Plan, there was no range data, nothing to show if the horses were causing range degradation, and thus a need for removal.
The time of year is also critical. In the Cody Resource Management Plan, record 4151, it says “apply seasonal restrictions from February 1 to July 31 to prevent foal abandonment or jeopardy of wild horse health and welfare, as appropriate, to surface and disruptive activities in the McCullough Peaks HMA” and record 4154 states, “Avoid wild horse gathers 6-weeks before or 6-weeks after peak foaling season. To the extent possible conduct wild horse gathers in the fall, after peak foaling season has occurred.”
It is now February 1. They should not be capturing any more horses.
Regarding the tragic events of January 24, the BLM captured 10 horses. They were only supposed to remove horses between one year old and five years old. They separated a four-month-old, a five-month-old and two yearlings from their mothers, released the mothers, then left the foals and yearlings alone, unmonitored, overnight, and one of them, a filly named Kat Ballou, was found dead in the morning with an acute head and neck injury. The excuse from the BLM was that they were quiet when BLM staff left. I contend that anyone who knows anything about wild horses or domestic horses knows that what they did was negligent and wrong. These youngsters had never been without their mothers. They had never been penned up in a corral before. This was a dangerous situation to put these young horses in. I own three mustangs myself, one of whom came from McCullough Peaks after the 2009 helicopter roundup, and these horses need to be allowed to become accustomed to being confined in a pen or corral. They can become injured if panicked. I have owned horses for over 50 years.
The lead on this bait trap gather is inexperienced with wild and domestic horses. He made a decision that resulted in the death of one of these horses that did not need to happen. Because BLM staff has not admitted that they have done anything wrong, I am very concerned that there will be more deaths as this bait trapping continues. This ill-conceived and ill-managed bait trapping should be stopped now.
Carol Walker, Colorado
Here is an example of a press release I wrote on the McCullough Peaks HMA in early 2024:
For Immediate Release, January 25, 2024
Americans Are Tired Of Their Taxpayer Dollars Being Used To Kill Wild Horses
Cody, WY - The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) bait and trap operation at the McCullough Peaks wild horse herd area this week resulted in a 13 month old filly dying due to a head injury while in the bureau’s custody. The McCullough Peaks herd area covers approximately 120,000 acres and the number of horses is only 173, minus the 4 already captured. The bureau wants to reduce the herd to below 140 horses while hundreds and hundreds of taxpayer-subsidized cattle graze in the same area. The cost to taxpayers for this bait & trap operation, holding and forthcoming adoption process for those horses captured, will number in the thousands of dollars. This roundup is just one of 30 on the bureau’s FY24 schedule and the cost to taxpayers will be millions of dollars.
• The McCullough Peaks herd area totals 120,344 acres. At the current population level, that is 712 acres per wild horse. At the reduced population level BLM is aiming for, that equals 812 acres per wild horse.
• The McCullough Peaks wild horses are an older herd with 56 of the horses over the age of 15. Removing 35 young horses, coupled with birth control on the remaining mares will result in a total collapse of this herd in the next decade.
• Per the BLM’s own Wild Horse & Burro Handbook, a herd of 150 breeding adults are needed for genetic diversity
• The Environmental Assessment states that the BLM must manage rangelands to prevent the range from deterioration. The BLM has provided no data indicating the rangeland is deteriorating and without these data, there is no rationale for the current roundup of just 35 wild horses. In addition, there is no analysis provided for the impact of livestock grazing on the rangeland.
• Grazing permits within the herd area allow for over 2,900 cattle at a cost of just $1.35/month for a cow/calf pair
• The Bureau of Land Management’s total expenditures for 2023 was $157,828,000, nearly $20,000,000 more than the previous year
• Millions of taxpayer dollars are paid to just 4-5 ranching contractors to perform wild horse & burro roundups each year
• Presented in the McCullough Peaks Environmental Assessment (EA), and all EA’s done by the BLM as of late, is a 10-year plan. This is a violation of NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act.
For additional information, please contact Heather Hellyer at Save Our Wild Horses: heather@saveourwildhorses.net
Sources:
https://www.westernwatersheds.org/hma-domestic-grazing/
https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/about-the-program/program-data
For Immediate Release, January 25, 2024
Americans Are Tired Of Their Taxpayer Dollars Being Used To Kill Wild Horses
Cody, WY - The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) bait and trap operation at the McCullough Peaks wild horse herd area this week resulted in a 13 month old filly dying due to a head injury while in the bureau’s custody. The McCullough Peaks herd area covers approximately 120,000 acres and the number of horses is only 173, minus the 4 already captured. The bureau wants to reduce the herd to below 140 horses while hundreds and hundreds of taxpayer-subsidized cattle graze in the same area. The cost to taxpayers for this bait & trap operation, holding and forthcoming adoption process for those horses captured, will number in the thousands of dollars. This roundup is just one of 30 on the bureau’s FY24 schedule and the cost to taxpayers will be millions of dollars.
• The McCullough Peaks herd area totals 120,344 acres. At the current population level, that is 712 acres per wild horse. At the reduced population level BLM is aiming for, that equals 812 acres per wild horse.
• The McCullough Peaks wild horses are an older herd with 56 of the horses over the age of 15. Removing 35 young horses, coupled with birth control on the remaining mares will result in a total collapse of this herd in the next decade.
• Per the BLM’s own Wild Horse & Burro Handbook, a herd of 150 breeding adults are needed for genetic diversity
• The Environmental Assessment states that the BLM must manage rangelands to prevent the range from deterioration. The BLM has provided no data indicating the rangeland is deteriorating and without these data, there is no rationale for the current roundup of just 35 wild horses. In addition, there is no analysis provided for the impact of livestock grazing on the rangeland.
• Grazing permits within the herd area allow for over 2,900 cattle at a cost of just $1.35/month for a cow/calf pair
• The Bureau of Land Management’s total expenditures for 2023 was $157,828,000, nearly $20,000,000 more than the previous year
• Millions of taxpayer dollars are paid to just 4-5 ranching contractors to perform wild horse & burro roundups each year
• Presented in the McCullough Peaks Environmental Assessment (EA), and all EA’s done by the BLM as of late, is a 10-year plan. This is a violation of NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act.
For additional information, please contact Heather Hellyer at Save Our Wild Horses: heather@saveourwildhorses.net
Sources:
https://www.westernwatersheds.org/hma-domestic-grazing/
https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/about-the-program/program-data