News from the International Society for the Protection fo Mustangs and Burros

ISPMB's Wild Horse Conservation Program   Announces Partnership with Princeton  University and the  Whole Horse Institute ISPMB is proud to announce that Princeton University  and the Whole Horse Institute are partnering with our  organization to conduct wild horse behavioral ecology  studies. Dr. Cassandra Nunez, Associate Research  Scholar at Princeton University, and Mary Ann Simonds,  Director of the Whole Horse Institute and equine  behavioral ecologist, along with Karen Sussman, President of ISPMB, will investigate the various behaviors  of four separate herds under ISPMB's care. The purpose of the study is to identify the critical variables of functional populations of wild equids, specifically  focused on social behaviors of individuals leading to the  development of a model which can be used for both  population management and conservation of critical genetics.  ISPMB's four herds have been managed for a number of  years in the same environment, but with each herd isolated  from each other. The herds demonstrate cultural differences  and thus offer a unique opportunity to study the comparisons  between herds. Princeton University with Dr. Dan Rubenstein is "a leading  expert in the fields of animal behavior, evolutionary ecology  and sociobiology, with particular interest in equine behavior and  conservation. He studies how environmental variation and  individual differences shape  social behavior, social structure and the dynamics of  populations." Dr. Nunez has been working with Dr. Rubenstein on a variety of equid research programs. Dr. Nunez has a strong background and interest in mare-foal  bonding and the implication to social structure and survival.  She has also worked on the impacts of fertility control  on the social behavior and survival of wild horses.  Dr. Nunez's current research is investigating animal  movement in equids to determine the impact of social  structure on the behavior, ecology and evolution of the  species. Specifically, how do an animal's sex, age,  hierarchical status, and reproductive state affect its  movements and the likelihood that it will follow other animals.  "Such questions are important to the determination  and prediction of land use by social species and  can help ensure effective conservation", states Dr. Nunez. Mary Ann Simonds has investigated the social ecology of  wild horses since her undergraduate work at the  University of Wyoming in 1974. Working as an  inter-disciplinary scientist Mary Ann has spent  over 35 years consulting and teaching a natural whole  systems approach to human/animal/nature interactions. I dentifying "adaptive social behaviors" such as strong  social bonds, maternal/paternal nurturing, functional  social structure, decision making, leadership and  learning in wild horses has been the focus of Mary Ann's  work. Stating, "We need new models in science  beyond the basic population ecology models of  'management by numbers', and 'prey-predator' in order for  humans to help facilitate sustainable and healthy  species." Discovering Dan Rubenstein's and  Cassandra Nunez's work with world populations  of wild equids and their interest in behavioral  ecology is exactly what is needed to evolve the  science of wild horse management. This research is critical to both the management of populations  who reproduce beyond what their habitat can support  and to help conserve the genetics of those species  whose survival is at risk." Karen Sussman says, "These studies will have a  significant impact on the management of wild horses on public lands and worldwide." Karen has been  studying wild herds since 1999 when ISPMB accepted  the White Sands Missile Range wild horses.  These horses had not been gathered or manipulated in decades except to be moved to South Dakota.  In comparison with the Catnip Herd that had been  nearly eradicated several times, it is obvious that  the destruction of band structures from removals  has a devastating effect on the herds. The team is developing the research parameters and  the program is scheduled to start in May 2010.  The program will offer research opportunities to students.  ISPMB is seeking funding for the study. ISPMB  looks forward to working with Dr. Nunez and  Mary Ann Simonds and gives particular "thanks"  to Princeton University, Dr. Dan Rubenstein and  Dr. Cassandra Nunez for their generosity in sharing  their research and offering support and guidance  for this program. For Further Information Contact: Karen Sussman

FROM THE HEART   Your immediate contribution is critical  to the future of our wild herds.  WE HAVE THE DATA - can you help! EMERGENCY FUNDING NEEDED As many of you know, we sustained the worst winter  on record since ISPMB's move to South Dakota  and yet, we did not lose one horse. Add this frigid  winter to a lagging economy and it could spell  disaster for the future of our Conservation Center  and our four herds unless you can help today!  Our funding and hay supplies have dwindled  from the extra feed we provided throughout the winter  to our herds. Unless, we get sufficient funding  we will be out of hay by the end of this month. We need $2,000 weekly to sustain three  of the four herds. $35 buys a bale of hay  that feeds 4 horses for a week. We feed  60 bales a week! It would be a travesty t o have to disperse these herds for lack  of funding for hay. Any size contribution  would help us as we continue to seek  other means of revenue. Our Conservation program is critical to future of how  wild horses should be managed on public lands.  There have been very few behavioral studies done  in the past thirty-nine years since the Act. ISPMB's  two herds had not been gathered in decades of time  until we acquired them making their data collection  critically important. Saving these rare herds are  critically important too. Imagine having two herds that were in charge of their  own destiny for decades of time! What a treasure of  naturally healthy behaviors that is. How lucky we are  to have them. Then we have the Catnip herd that had been overly managed. They are giving us a great  comparison of undesirable behaviors that could  threaten their existence in the future. Because of our findings, we are concerned about  the future of wild horses on public lands - not only  that there might not be any horses left from intensive  removals by the BLM but what horses remain may not  have the survival and leadership skills necessary  to survive over the long term. The constant disruption  of their harem bands allows younger and younger  stallions to take over the harems. The simple analogy  would be having a Harvard professor teaching his  class and being replaced by six graders. It doesn't  work and allows for indiscriminate breeding by rogue  stallions breeding younger and younger fillies.  It is no wonder why BLM says that fertility rates are  increasing. They have yet to understand wild horses  as a wildlife species. We have those studies now!  Please help us! As we have said before, we believe that there are only  two herds out of 199 left on public lands that have  not been manipulated through constant removals  resulting in the devastation of their social structures.  Those herds are the Cerbats in Arizona and the Montgomery Pass wild horses in California.  Both herds have mountain lion predation that keeps  their numbers to a minimum.  This means that 197 BLM herds may be at risk. You can see why your contribution is so very important  to future of all wild horses in our country. We just must keep our Conservation program moving forward by  providing hay for our herds until we have more land.  WILL YOU HELP TODAY WITH A CONTRIBUTION? And until we are over the hump,  would you even consider a monthly donation? OUR GOAL - $25,000 THIS MONTH Special Thanks to our Volunteers and All of Our Donors   We are pleased to have Jo Bunny from MA who is doing  our Face Book page. Please become a fan of ISPMB  by signing up on our Page. Go to www.facebook.com and type in ISPMB in the seach box. We also thank Lee Noel Chase who will be updating  our website daily. Thanks to the work of Sonya Lee and  Heather Collins, we have a new face on the web!  www.ispmb.org We thank our volunteer Moms who  came recently to help with the care of Cate - Judy Dunlap and Susan Leutheuser. Thanks to Judy Dunlap who  sent two boxes of towels and quilts for Cate! A great big  thank you to Jane Marie Erickson from the Academy  of the Fox Cities in Wisconsin who provided blankets  and halters for our orphan foals through the Academy's  "Quilt for Cate" program and Jane Marie's Waushara  County 4-H Club. Thank you all! Special thanks to  Cheryl Rowe who does an outstanding job on our  graphic design, magazines and Constant Contact.  Thanks to Calamity Cate Crismani who has helped us  in providing donors when we desperately needed them.  Lakota Cate was named after Calamity Cate. Special thanks  to Janet Lacetera who donated five horse blankets,  milk pellets, 3 bags of treats for the horses. Our foals  and special needs horses would not have made it  through the winter without their warm coats!  We are ever so indebted to Dr. John Fine and Myriam Moran for spending one month in December with ISPMB and  helping us through the worst of our storms. Their presence  allowed Karen Sussman to travel to Montana where she was  certified and a wildlife darter using air guns and then to AZ  to visit her children and grandchildren. They handled  every aspect of ISPMB's operation. Thank you to all of our donors  who give with an open heart  helping us achieve extraordinary goals  with our horses. SPECIAL NOTE Please watch for our magazine, "Wild Horse and Burro Diary"  coming soon. We will update you with the results of  the Calico Wild Horse Removal which resulted in  nearly 100 horses' deaths - adults and miscarriages.  This is why ISPMB's work is so important because  we can prove the devastation caused by helicopter  roundups of America's wild horses. The only way  to protect our wild horses is to remove them band  by band through bait or water trapping. We have the data!  We have spent eleven tireless years gathering this data.  This is why it is critical that you fund our  Conservation project. This project has the greatest  potential to save wild horses! SPONSOR A WILD HORSE

Please Forward this email to anyone you think would be interested in helping us KEEP THEM RUNNING FREE! Thanks for all you do!!! Thank you from all of us at ISPMB Karen Sussman, President ISPMB email: ispmb@lakotanetwork.com phone: 605-964-6866 web: http://www.ispmb.org