Nevada asks Obama to stop wild horse roundups

Reno, NV (April 21, 2011) —Taxpayers and wild horse advocates join with The Cloud Foundation to protest on the streets of Reno as well as at the airport. They demand roundups stop and for the government to cease warehousing the last living symbols of the American West. A new wave of protests is sweeping across the country after yesterday’s successful Save Wild Horses~Yes We Can! protest in San Francisco, sponsored by The Cloud Foundation, composed of primarily disgruntled democrats rallying outside the Democratic National Committee fundraiser for President Obama.

“Since the movement began a year and a half ago to ‘re-protect’ the mustangs the White House response has been ‘no comment,'” explains Anne Novak spokesperson for The Cloud Foundation. “Now that the president is campaigning for reelection we ask him to work with ‘wild and free’ advocates to create real solutions—not just finding a trendy way to package long-term holding while destroying the genetic viability of the American wild horses and burros still on the range.”

Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar served with the president when both were junior Senators. He is a lifelong rancher from southern Colorado and appears to favor the ranchers’ livestock over wild horses and burros point of view. Salazar’s 2010 defective solution for the wild horse issue is based on bad science —claiming an overpopulation of wild horses and burros on public lands. During America’s heartbreaking recession, Salazar called for the purchase of seven parcels of private land in the East and Midwest at a cost of $46 million per parcel and shipment of the legendary mustangs back East. He plans on stockpiling geldings (neutered stallions) and barren mares for life. The proposal fell flat with both Congress and the public.

Offering a nearly cost-free alternative, the Cloud Foundation is advocating the release of the recently incarcerated wild horses and burros—those who are in unsheltered and often filthy BLM short-term holding facilities at a cost over $2,000 per horse per year —back onto millions of legal herd acres designated for them since 1971. This solution would save taxpayers more than $25 million yearly and allow the wild animals to live naturally in their family bands on western ranges.

“Disgruntled taxpayers are taking to the streets to demand BLM stop costly roundups and lifelong incarceration of the last of America’s wild mustangs,” states Ginger Kathrens, Director of The Cloud Foundation. “The immediate solution is to release wild horses back into zeroed out herd areas originally designated for their use by Congress. BLM admits this is an option, but has failed to move on it—perhaps fearing reprisal from extractive users, many of whom are large multi-national corporations trying to enlarge their profits at the expense of taxpayers.”

“The death of the West is coming unless wildlife advocates, ranchers, hikers and hunters realize we’re all on the same side against corporate giants industrializing the range,” states award-winning author from Nevada, Terri Farley.

Americans throughout the country will continue protesting to protect wild horses and burros until they are safe, and those suffering in short-term holding are returned to their legal ranges in the West.

Source: The Cloud Foundation Press Release

Media Contacts:

Anne Novak
anne@thecloudfoundation.org
Tel: 415-531-8454

Lauryn Wachs
lauryn@thecloudfoundation.org
Tel: 617-894-6939