Cloud Foundation Release: Reply to News of Nevada Wildlife Agency's Backing of BLM in Wild-Horse Case

The Cloud Foundation

__________________________________


__________________________________

For Immediate Release

Ecologist Craig Downer and Naturalist- Filmmaker Ginger Kathrens Reply to News of Nevada Wildlife Agency’s Backing of BLM in Wild Horse Case

Agency’s backing of BLM’s massive wintertime roundup misguided, a gift to “welfare” ranchers

Colorado Springs, CO (December 22, 2009)— The Cloud Foundation along with wildlife ecologist Craig Downer dispute the Nevada Department of Wildlife’s (NDOW) claim that horses are leaving insufficient forage for native wildlife. Habitat deterioration, where apparent in the Calico herd management areas, is occurring due to the increased cattle grazing allowed in this area. This 500,000 acres area was set aside by the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act principally for the use of wild horses. 

NDOW is supporting another agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in a lawsuit brought by In Defense of Animals and Downer to stop the inhumane and unnecessary roundup of 2400-2700 wild mustangs in northwestern Nevada to start during the holidays on December 28^th.  The case is to be decided before Christmas in DC District Court.

“It's unconscionable for the Nevada Department of Wildlife to side with the BLM's plans to plunder the Calico Mountain wild horse herds but I'm not surprised. For decades, NDOW has favored livestock and big game animals. The department has been working to overthrow the Wild Horse Act and ignores the will of the American people and Congress to protect wild horses and burros as a national heritage species.” —Craig Downer, ecologist

Public lands livestock grazing costs American taxpayers $123 million a year as grazing fees do not begin to cover the program costs. The true price tag of the damage to public lands is estimated to be $500- $1 billion. Only 3-4% of US beef is raised on public lands. Wild horse and burro herds are consistently removed from their designated lands and wild populations have declined dramatically[1] since the initial census of wild horses and burros in 1974.

"What I try to do in my Cloud series of films about wild horses is to illustrate how beautifully integrated the wild horse is with their environment. We are advocating for the preservation of entire ecosystems in which the wild horse plays a vital role. Cattle are the destructive element in our fragile, dry Western ecosystems, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions per year through a subsidized welfare grazing program on our public lands.”—Ginger Kathrens, Naturalist and Emmy-award winning filmmaker- creator of the popular PBS Cloud Wild Horse Documentaries. 

Over 185 organizations, celebrities, political leaders and authors including Sheryl Crow, Lily Tomlin, Bill Maher and Viggo Mortenson are calling for an immediate moratorium on roundups in the short term.  Long term, advocates desire an open and accessible public process on management issues relating to wild horse herds and horses already held in captivity.  Senator Landrieu and Congressmen Rahall, Grijalva, and Whitfield sent out a letter calling for the same this fall. Advocates await a response from the White House and Secretary Salazar.